Somehow Teemu Selanne’s career has ended as a great hockey pro’s should. Honoured and respected for being a decent guy as well as a fabulous entertainer on the ice, the 43-year-old Selanne called it a career last night (Friday, May 16, 2014) 22 seasons after breaking into the NHL with the original Winnipeg Jets (lower inset). The media is praising Selanne today as a class act whose stature commanded his friends on the Los Angeles Kings stay on the post-game ice to bid Selanne personal farewells. They beat his Anaheim Ducks 6-2. “There’s not many guys left in this league that have earned the respect and admiration of not only the fans but the players he played against,” said Kings winger Justin Williams. “We would have stood out there for 20 minutes if we could. If that is his last game, and I imagine it is, I don’t know, he has nothing to be upset about. He was an awesome player.” Selanne fought back tears on the ice as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. The Finnish Flash, as he was known, broke into the league as a 20-year-old with the Jets. “It’s sad, that guy has been an unbelievable player in this league for so long, everyone respects him,” said Kings defenceman Drew Doughty. “He deserves that respect. To see him go, to know that next year we’ll play Anaheim without him out there is going to feel weird. I couldn’t be more happy for him, he had an unbelievable career.”Teemu Selanne gets standing ovation at last game
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Somehow Teemu Selanne’s career has ended as a great hockey pro’s should. Honoured and respected for being a decent guy as well as a fabulous entertainer on the ice, the 43-year-old Selanne called it a career last night (Friday, May 16, 2014) 22 seasons after breaking into the NHL with the original Winnipeg Jets (lower inset). The media is praising Selanne today as a class act whose stature commanded his friends on the Los Angeles Kings stay on the post-game ice to bid Selanne personal farewells. They beat his Anaheim Ducks 6-2. “There’s not many guys left in this league that have earned the respect and admiration of not only the fans but the players he played against,” said Kings winger Justin Williams. “We would have stood out there for 20 minutes if we could. If that is his last game, and I imagine it is, I don’t know, he has nothing to be upset about. He was an awesome player.” Selanne fought back tears on the ice as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. The Finnish Flash, as he was known, broke into the league as a 20-year-old with the Jets. “It’s sad, that guy has been an unbelievable player in this league for so long, everyone respects him,” said Kings defenceman Drew Doughty. “He deserves that respect. To see him go, to know that next year we’ll play Anaheim without him out there is going to feel weird. I couldn’t be more happy for him, he had an unbelievable career.”