Finnish Flash... not a day over...
Teemu's playing like he's not a day over 30. But he's closer to 40. In fact, he already is 40. He'll turn 41 on July 3rd, one day before the United States celebrates another year.
He's taking the game one year at a time. He won't sign a contract that's for more than one year, and he's on such great terms with the team he wants to play for that he can let them know in the middle of the summer if he wants to come back for another year.
He's one of three players in the history of the game to average more than a point per game after the age of 40. Gordie Howe was one of the other two. That puts Teemu in some pretty elite company.
Just Monday, against the Avs, Teemu notched a hat trick, and added two assists for a historic 5 point evening--he's the oldest NHL player in history to accomplish such a feat.
“One day I feel like I could play 10 more years, and the next day I feel like, ‘Why are you still doing this?”’ Selanne said after his five-point performance against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. “That’s why I’m not even going to think about that during the season. It’s better to think about those things after the season when you’re stable and you have the whole picture of the season. But you know, I’m really enjoying this game.”
And I, for one, and really enjoying watching you play this game, Teemu. I missed his hat trick, and I am SO sad about it. I only hope that I'll get the chance to see him get another one. I hope I'll get to see him play live again. But will I? It's up to him.
From Yahoo!Sports:
“He’s a special athlete doing special things at a really remarkable age,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “He doesn’t feel anywhere near the twilight of his career. The puck follows Teemu Selanne around. When he gets it, he has a knack for finding holes.”
According to Selanne, the regular-season grind isn’t even the reason he might walk away this summer. It’s just getting tougher every year to break away from his Ferraris, his golfing hobby, and his wife and four children in Finland or Coto de Caza, a gorgeous coastal suburb, to train during the offseason.
“When you get older, you have to do everything perfectly,” Selanne said. “The biggest difference is recovery time. Off the ice, you have to get enough rest, and have fluids and the right food. You have to be smart all the way, especially in the summertime. You have to work so hard and pretty much live for hockey, so that’s why it’s a big decision if I’m ready to push myself again. It’s not easy, but I’m not getting any younger, so it’s not going to be easier.”
Selanne already has his highest-scoring season since 2007, and the Ducks are looming as a nightmare playoff matchup for a higher-seeded opponent if they don’t flop in their final six games. Anaheim didn’t make the playoffs last season after winning the Stanley Cup in 2007, and Selanne cited another postseason run as a major motivation.
His teammates seem quietly confident they’ll persuade Selanne to park the Ferraris again this autumn, but they won’t know for sure until their current ride ends.
“Oh, we’ll talk to him about it,” said Koivu, Selanne’s close friend and fellow Finnish Olympian. “I think the game is changing in that direction where you see more guys in their late 30s and 40s play because of the way they take care of themselves in the summer. We’ve said all along that it’s not about his ability. It’s about how long he wants to play. He’s still going to have the ability.”
Please, Teemu. One more year. Because I know that one more year isn't asking for anything you won't be able to do. Not if you put your mind to it.
But if its your decision to hang them up after this run, I can respect that. I just hope you can give us one more year. Because even we, as fans, can see how much fun you're having this year. We can see how much you love the game. We hope you can see how much we love watching you love the game.
He's taking the game one year at a time. He won't sign a contract that's for more than one year, and he's on such great terms with the team he wants to play for that he can let them know in the middle of the summer if he wants to come back for another year.
He's one of three players in the history of the game to average more than a point per game after the age of 40. Gordie Howe was one of the other two. That puts Teemu in some pretty elite company.
Just Monday, against the Avs, Teemu notched a hat trick, and added two assists for a historic 5 point evening--he's the oldest NHL player in history to accomplish such a feat.
“One day I feel like I could play 10 more years, and the next day I feel like, ‘Why are you still doing this?”’ Selanne said after his five-point performance against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. “That’s why I’m not even going to think about that during the season. It’s better to think about those things after the season when you’re stable and you have the whole picture of the season. But you know, I’m really enjoying this game.”
And I, for one, and really enjoying watching you play this game, Teemu. I missed his hat trick, and I am SO sad about it. I only hope that I'll get the chance to see him get another one. I hope I'll get to see him play live again. But will I? It's up to him.
From Yahoo!Sports:
“He’s a special athlete doing special things at a really remarkable age,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “He doesn’t feel anywhere near the twilight of his career. The puck follows Teemu Selanne around. When he gets it, he has a knack for finding holes.”
According to Selanne, the regular-season grind isn’t even the reason he might walk away this summer. It’s just getting tougher every year to break away from his Ferraris, his golfing hobby, and his wife and four children in Finland or Coto de Caza, a gorgeous coastal suburb, to train during the offseason.
“When you get older, you have to do everything perfectly,” Selanne said. “The biggest difference is recovery time. Off the ice, you have to get enough rest, and have fluids and the right food. You have to be smart all the way, especially in the summertime. You have to work so hard and pretty much live for hockey, so that’s why it’s a big decision if I’m ready to push myself again. It’s not easy, but I’m not getting any younger, so it’s not going to be easier.”
Selanne already has his highest-scoring season since 2007, and the Ducks are looming as a nightmare playoff matchup for a higher-seeded opponent if they don’t flop in their final six games. Anaheim didn’t make the playoffs last season after winning the Stanley Cup in 2007, and Selanne cited another postseason run as a major motivation.
His teammates seem quietly confident they’ll persuade Selanne to park the Ferraris again this autumn, but they won’t know for sure until their current ride ends.
“Oh, we’ll talk to him about it,” said Koivu, Selanne’s close friend and fellow Finnish Olympian. “I think the game is changing in that direction where you see more guys in their late 30s and 40s play because of the way they take care of themselves in the summer. We’ve said all along that it’s not about his ability. It’s about how long he wants to play. He’s still going to have the ability.”
Please, Teemu. One more year. Because I know that one more year isn't asking for anything you won't be able to do. Not if you put your mind to it.
But if its your decision to hang them up after this run, I can respect that. I just hope you can give us one more year. Because even we, as fans, can see how much fun you're having this year. We can see how much you love the game. We hope you can see how much we love watching you love the game.