Fans Give Selanne One More Salute

Had this been another season finale in another city and against another opponent, Teemu Selanne might have just skipped it, saving himself for the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs.

But there he was Sunday, wearing his San Jose Shark uniform, looking--along with 17,174 of his biggest admirers--at the video screen on the Arrowhead Pond scoreboard.

The cheers built steadily as images of Selanne as a Mighty Duck flashed across the screen. Goal after goal, smile after smile. At last, his final goal as a Duck, a sweet backhander March 4 past Felix Potvin of the Kings, was replayed.

Standing and roaring, Duck fans finally had a chance to say goodbye to Selanne, who was traded March 5 to the Sharks for winger Jeff Friesen, goaltender Steve Shields and a conditional draft pick.

Hours later, the fans bid good riddance to the worst season in Duck history, which ended mercifully with an uneventful 4-1 loss to the playoff-bound Sharks.

Alexander Korolyuk scored twice and Bryan Marchment and Stephane Matteau also had goals for the Sharks. San Jose center Vincent Damphousse played his first game since suffering a dislocated left shoulder Jan. 15.

Duck defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky ruined rookie goalie Mikka Kiprusoff’s bid for his first NHL shutout with a goal with 1:52 left.

Selanne had an assist in a modest 16 minutes 45 seconds of ice time, but wasn’t much of a factor in his first game at the Pond since the trade. In the end, his best move was trying to skate away--sheepishly, it seemed--from the spotlight trained on him after the short video ended.

“If this game was somewhere else today, there’s a good chance I wouldn’t have played,” said Selanne, who still was signing autographs outside the arena 2 1/2 hours after the game. “I had a special relationship with the fans here. I think they all understand this is a business. I had so many great years here, so many great memories.”

The video was perhaps the first nod to the past in the Ducks’ eight-season history. Former players and coaches have not been recognized when they’ve returned. The Pond is the only NHL arena in which opposing starting lineups are not announced to the fans before games.

But Sunday, the organization willingly let Fan Appreciation Day become Teemu Selanne Appreciation Day. Many fans donned their old Duck jerseys with Selanne’s name and No. 8 on the back.

“I saw a few of the jerseys driving in here,” Selanne said, smiling. “It was like coming back from a road trip.”

Selanne was told early Sunday that the Ducks had something planned for him moments before the opening faceoff.

“It was surprising,” he said. “It was really nice. It made me feel really good. I probably had my best years as a hockey player here. Playing with Paul [Kariya] was a highlight.”

However, Selanne made it clear that he wouldn’t trade sweaters with his former linemate.

“For my career, this was a big thing,” he said, referring to the trade to San Jose. “I’m very excited to be with the Sharks. You can just see how badly this organization wants to win.”

The Sharks’ next stop is a first-round playoff date with the St. Louis Blues. San Jose upset the Blues in the opening round last season, but no one would be surprised if the Sharks defeated St. Louis again this time.

The Ducks will return to the Pond today for meetings with Coach Guy Charron, then pack their gear for what surely will be another intriguing off-season. The Ducks’ 25-41-11-5 record and last-place finish in the Western Conference no doubt will bring sweeping changes before training camp in September.

Pierre Gauthier, team president and general manager, wasn’t available Sunday to speak about Charron’s future as coach. Charron, who replaced the fired Craig Hartsburg on Dec. 14, hopes to learn this week if he will be retained. He received an endorsement from Kariya, the team’s captain.

“I think he did a tremendous job for this team,” Kariya said of Charron, who was 14-27-7-2 after replacing Hartsburg. “The team played well under him. I’ve enjoyed playing for him.”