Selänne and Anaheim two wins from Stanley Cup trophy

Teemu Selänne makes good on old "If I ever..." promise to friends

print this

The Anaheim Ducks, whose roster includes Finland's Teemu Selänne, put their first two home games against the Ottawa Senators to good use, and now lead 2-0 in the best-of-seven final series, playing for the Stanley Cup trophy.
      They won their second match by the only goal in the early hours of Friday morning Finnish time, thanks to a strike from their Swedish checking center Samuel Pahlsson with just under six minutes of regulation time left to play.
     
In the first match, played in California on Monday, the Ducks came from behind to win 3-2, scoring twice without reply in the final period.
      Selänne, who took an assist in the first game but was out of the points in the second match, had no shortage of personal support in the crowd.
      Many years ago, when he first went to the NHL, he promised a few of his close friends and people he had played hockey with since he was a child that if he ever made it to the Stanley Cup finals... well, they would all be invited over for the ride.
     
Selänne made good on this promise, and paid for the trips of sixteen of his mates to see the first two matches in Anaheim. They dressed in matching orange T-shirts with "Teemu the Flash" emblazoned on them.
      Such was the demand for tickets for the games, not even Selänne could ensure they all sat together, but he was delighted to see them in the crowd.
      "Hey, it was the sort of promise you just don't go back on", commented the winger, who is second only to a fellow-Finn, Teppo Numminen, in the questionable statistic of "NHL player with the most games played without winning a Stanley Cup". Numminen has played a massive 1,314, and the 36-year-old Selänne is not far behind with 1,042.
      Selänne is seeking to become only the sixth Finnish hockey player to win a coveted Stanley Cup ring, after Jari Kurri (five times with the Edmonton Oilers, in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990), Esa Tikkanen (another five, in 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, and with the New York Rangers in 1994), Reijo Ruotsalainen (Edmonton Oilers 1987, 1990), Ville Nieminen (Colorado Avalanche 2001), and Jere Lehtinen (Dallas Stars 1999). Lehtinen is the only Finnish player to have won both the Stanley Cup and a World Championship gold medal (in 1995).
     
There is still a way to go yet, but the omens are good for Anaheim. The Ducks are the 43rd team to win the first two games of the final round; of the first 42, 39 of them went on to win the Cup.
      The next two matches will be in Ottawa, with the first on Saturday night (8 p.m. local time, or 3 a.m. Sunday morning in Finland).


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Teemu Selänne finally makes it to the Stanley Cup final (24.5.2007)

Links:
  NHL.com

Helsingin Sanomat