The UnFINNISHed Business Of Teemu Selanne
In the last few days there has been more unrest from former Anaheim Ducks players, most notably from Teemu Selanne. The former Ducks winger has been very harsh on the man he used to call coach, Bruce Boudreau. The biggest statement being that if Boudreau wasn’t the coach in Anaheim he would still be playing, “You’re as good as your coach wants you to be. If we had any other coach, I’d still be playing.”. Selanne is not the first former Duck to have something to say about Boudreau after his tenure with the Ducks ended.
“You’re as good as your coach wants you to be. If we had any other coach, I’d still be playing.” Teemu Selanne on Bruce Boudreau
Early in the off-season, then unrestricted free agent and now Calgary Flames goaltender Jonas Hiller made it quite clear what he thought about Boudreau; “I wasn’t, in his eyes, the go-to guy and I think that’s a tough part of being a goaltender, there’s just one guy on the ice, and if the coach isn’t rooting for you or doesn’t have your back, it’s tough to play at your best.” Hiller told the Calgary Sun. Unfortunately Hiller also blasted the fans on his way out “Sure, it’s probably going to be a little change…at the same time I’m really excited to be part of a team where the city really cares and the people are into it and really know about hockey.” Hiller said this in an interview with Sportsnet 960 his first day in Calgary.
With Hiller, many see his out bursts as if he were the pentulant child taking his ball (or in this case puck) home after not getting his way. When it comes to Teemu Selanne someone many people consider a first ballot Hall Of Fame lock, there is a slightly different reaction. A reaction of shock and disappointment as to how someone fans knew to be a leader on and off the ice has seemingly become a locker room cancer.
Last week his book “Teemu” we released in his home country of Finalnd, a semi-autobiography with alongside Finnish writer Ari Mennander. In the book Teemu blasts aren’t just reserved for Boudreau, but also aimed at former teammate and Ducks Captain Ryan Getzlaf. Selanne stated about Boudreau “I ask what he has against me. I told him that since he became our coach, he has not respected me one bit,” as for Getzlaf, Teemu says “I told him several times that he’s the captain, he should take care of the situation. When we have played together on PP, we’ve been top3.”.
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I personally am having a hard time forming an opinion; I have not read the book myself (I unfortunately can not read Finnish) but, with the book set to be published in English sometime in 2015 It will be on my must read list. When I can have a chance to read the book as a whole, I don’t want to base my opinion based on a few cherry picked quotes.
The Ducks are set to retire Selannes #8 jersey on January 11th in a game against the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg is where Selanne began his NHL career. I think that night we will see as his number is being raised to the rafters, if the fans will cheer or jeer him. Until then we as fans will all be wondering if the man we have come to know as the Finnish Flash will be a class act or a classless hack.