Teemu SELANNE

Teemu Selänne, a right-handed shooting right winger, is considered among the greatest Finnish ice hockey players of all-time, although most of his career has been spent playing in North America in the NHL. Selänne started as a junior in Finland with Jokerit in 1987, and played with them through 1992. He was drafted in 1988 by the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL, joining them in 1992. In his rookie season, he set an NHL rookie season scoring record with 76 goals, which led the league in goal scoring. This made him only the second European player to lead the league in goal scoring, and he was given the Calder Memorial Trophy that year as the league rookie-of-the-year. His 132 points that year remains, through 2013, an NHL record for rookie scoring.

Selänne played with the Jets through 1996, except for the NHL lockout of 1994-95, when he again played with Jokerit. He then moved to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1996, playing with them through 2001, and then joined the San Jose Sharks for three seasons before playing with the Colorado Avalanche for one year, 2003-04. With another NHL lockout in 2004, Selänne returned to Finland and played one year with Jokerit in 2004-05, before returning to North America. He has had a very long career, and continues to play through 2013, playing for the Anaheim Ducks (former Mighty Ducks) from 2005-13. Through 2013, in 20 NHL seasons, he has played in 1,387 games, scoring 675 goals, 755 assists, and 1,430 points, making him 11th all-time in goal scoring, and 15th all-time in points scoring (as of 2013).

Internationally, Selänne represented Finland at the Olympics in 1992, 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010, and has plans to play in 2014, winning bronze medals in 1998 and 2010, and a silver medal in 2006. He has also competed for Finland at the Canada Cup in 1991, the World Cup in 1996 and 2004, and the World Championships in 1991, 1996, 1999, 2003, and 2008. His other international medals were a World Championship silver in 1999 and bronze in 2008, and a World Cup silver in 2004. Through 2010, Selänne is the all-time leading scorer in Olympic ice hockey.