Honda Center alive with love for Selanne

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This article was published 11/01/2015 (3895 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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ANAHEIM — There is a game to be played here tonight, but the Honda Center is already alive with love for hockey legend Teemu Selanne.

An icon in Winnipeg during his days with the Jets and adored in Anaheim for his work in making this franchise relevant — and bringining a Stanley Cup here — Selanne will soon have his No. 8 raised into the rafters during a pre-game ceremony titled For8ver Teemu.

The festivities have featured NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who was predictably roundly booed, Ducks teammates past and present, Selanne’s wife and children and his parents.

Here are some of the comments so far:

Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli: “We thank you, we love you, and we couldn’t be more honoured to recognize you tonight. You are permanently engraved in the soul of the Anaheim Ducks franchise.”

Bettman: “Hockey in Southern California, certainly in Orange County, wouldn’t be where it is today without Teemu Selanne. On behalf of the entire hockey family, we can’t thank you enough for what you gave to our game. I’ve wondered over years how someone so talented and such a fierce competitor can be such a nice guy. But he is.

“I would get booed to be with Teemu any time.”

J.S. Giguere: “You always thought of him as the nicest person you’ve ever met.”

Jari Kurri: “You are the greatest ambassador of Finnish hockey.”

This from the man of the night: “I’ve been very lucky for so many different ways. This whole journey has been unbelievable. I’m so thankful and lucky to have experienced all this.”

Selanne spent most of his speech thanking those who helped him, including his parents, his Finnish friends, even the Zamboni driver and cleaning lady at the Honda Center. And in a touching gesture, there was one empty chair on the dias, reserved for the late Don Baizley, his Winnipeg Jet agent who is no longer with us. Selanne referred to Baizley as his “North-American dad.”

On starting his career in Winnipeg: “Somewhere in the middle of Canada, a city called Winnipeg. I didn’t know too much about Winnipeg until I got there. I learned two things come from Winnipeg: hockey and great people. The way the fans treated me, there are no words.”

Hundreds of Jets fans have made the trek south for this game — they were also evident in Arizona on Thursday and in L.A. Saturday night — and any time Selanne’s Winnipeg days are featured during the video presentation or mentioned during the ceremony, a loud cheer is heard.

The Ducks and Jets will play after the ceremony. Ducks players have been on their bench for the entire portion of the ceremony, the Jets have appeared to take in a chunk of it leading up to the pre-game skate.

Ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait