Ducks Win in Overtime, Celebrate Selanne
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Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images (ANAHEIM, Calif.) — In the final regular-season game of his career, Teemu Selanne was treated to an overtime victory and a rousing ovation from the fans in Anaheim. Nick Bonino’s goal 1:33 into the extra period gave the Ducks a 3-2 win over Colorado heading into the playoffs.
“It was more emotion than I ever imagined,” said Selanne. “Over all the years, these fans have treated me so great. I never expected that, though. It was overwhelming.”
The result had no postseason implications for Anaheim (54-20-8, 116 pts), who will take on Dallas in the opening round of the playoffs. That gave the franchise, and its fans, a chance to honor one of their greatest players. Playing 15 of his 21 seasons in Anaheim, Selanne will retire at the end of the season. He currently sits 15th all-time in NHL history with 1,457 career points and is 11th with 684 goals.
Affectionately known as “The Finnish Flash”, Selanne was given the honor of being named one of the stars of the game along with former Duck, Jean-Sebastian Giguere. The Avalanche goaltender helped lead Anaheim to the 2007 Stanley Cup Championship along with Selanne and stopped a shot from his former teammate in the second period.
The Ducks will be the top seed in the Western Conference while Colorado (52-22-8, 112 pts) will take on Minnesota when the playoffs begin.
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