This Day in Hockey History – July 3, 1970 and 2003 – No. 8 Turns 33

Jul 3, 2019

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What would you like for your 33rd birthday? Teemu Selanne, who was born in Helsinki, Finland, on July 3, 1970, decided that he wanted a different NHL team and invited a former teammate to the party. On Selanne’s birthday in 2003, he and Paul Kariya signed with the Colorado Avalanche together.

Known as “The Finnish Flash,” right wing Selanne said, “I think I like to take advantage of the speed, and try to be in the right place at the right time.” At the beginning of his career, he was. He went quick in the first round of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, when the Winnipeg Jets drafted him 10th overall. In his rookie season, 1992-93, he scored 11 goals within the first 12 games and went on to surpass Mike Bossy’s rookie record of 53 goals by scoring a hat trick during a home game. He famously celebrated by “shooting” his glove out of the air with his stick. At the end of the season, Selanne had 76 goals and 132 points, tying as leader in goals and fifth in points. Unsurprisingly, he took home the Calder Memorial Trophy. Selanne reflected, “The first year was something magical. It was just like a snowball going down a hill. I just started gaining more confidence and more confidence.”

After dealing with an injury throughout the next season and a half season, on February 7, 1996, the Jets traded Selanne to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. There, right wing No. 8 instantly connected with left wing No. 9, Paul Kariya. Due in part to their chemistry, in 1996 the two tied as seventh-place in the scoring race with 108 points. The following year, Selanne moved up to second (with 109 points), and Kariya came in third (with 99 points). They repeated the rankings in 1998-99, when Selanne also topped the goal-scorers with 47, earning the Maurice Richard Trophy. In 1999-2000, Kariya finished with 86 points and Selanne one point behind to give them the fourth and fifth spots.

Then, on March 5, 2001, the Ducks traded Selanne to the San Jose Sharks. He did not fare as well there. By 2003, Kariya had set Anaheim’s franchise record with 300 regular-season goals. Selanne was the one behind him at 225. They also held first and second for club records in assists (369 for Kariya and 257 for Selanne) and points (669 for Kariya and 482 for Selanne). Kariya later said, “He’s probably the best pure goal-scorer in the League.”

The linemates obviously missed each other because when they had the chance to choose their own team, they called each other to decide on the Colorado Avalanche together. Kariya explained, “This was a hockey decision, not a money decision. Teemu and I both asked ourselves, ‘Where is it we want to play?’ It was like ‘Boom, Colorado,’ instantaneously. So it was nothing against Anaheim.” Despite the fact that he was their captain, the Ducks had failed to match Kariya’s $10 million salary, making him an unrestricted free agent as of June 30, 2003. Meanwhile, Selanne turned down the Shark’s offer of $6.5 million. The two sent their agent Don Baizley to work out a one-year deal with the surprised Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix. Selanne accepted $5.8 million, and Kariya stuck to a mere $1.2 million (so he could remain an unrestricted free agent).

The decision to sign with the Avalanche baffled Ducks GM Bryan Murray. “They heard us loud and clear, we wanted them in Anaheim. I don’t understand it. We’re the team that went to the Stanley Cup final, we’re the team that looked like it had kids coming. They decided to phone Colorado and go there. From my point of view, that’s not the way business is.”

Indeed, it had only been a month since Kariya and the Ducks had lost their first Stanley Cup Final. The Avalanche had won the 1996 and 2001 championships. Upon signing with Colorado, Kariya said, “Teemu and I are absolutely thrilled. We’re so excited about this chance to play in Colorado. We think we’ve got a terrific opportunity to win the Stanley Cup, and that’s why we came here.” Selanne reiterated, “Me and Paul were thinking that we wanted to go to the best place to play hockey and I think we are right there right now.”

Unfortunately, things did not work out as hoped, and for once, Selanne was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Both players battled injuries, resulting in one of their least productive seasons. Colorado lost the conference semi-finals (4-2) to San Jose. However, Anaheim failed to even secure a playoff berth.

With the next season cancelled due to a lockout, Selanne took the time to have his knee reconstructed. When the NHL resumed, on August 22, 2005 he signed with Anaheim again. (Kariya moved on to the Nashville Predators.) Selanne jumped back up to 90 points, and the Ducks passed the Avalanche on the way to the Western Conference Finals. After all of his knee issues, Selanne received the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and sportsmanship. Then came the fateful season, 2006-07. Selanne’s 94 points helped the Ducks place first in the Pacific Division, and his 15 points during playoffs helped them win the Stanley Cup.

Selanne finished out his career with the Ducks, retiring after the 2013-14 season, his 21st in the NHL. He set a record for Finnish-born players with his 1457 points (684G, 773A), and he still holds at least four scoring records for the Ducks.

In the year he retired, at age 43, Selanne became the oldest to score during the Olympics and was rewarded as MVP. He was the leading Olympic scorer with 24 goals and 19 assists throughout 37 games. With his help, between 1998 and 2014, Finland won three bronze medals and one silver medal.

The year following his retirement, the Ducks retired No. 8. His was the first number the franchise ever retired. Fittingly, both Selanne and Kariya were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame together in 2017. As Kariya once remarked, “Every day, Teemu finds something to be happy about. [He] gets as mad as anyone else when we lose, but I think he forgets it quickly. Teemu keeps everybody on an even keel. When things are going poorly, he’s upbeat and he keeps everybody loose. When things are going well, he’s the same, so we always know what to expect from him. Guys get down, but he’s there picking us up.”