So a couple great things happened in the last couple days in hockey
I'm not sure this video will play for everyone, so I'll provide a transcript of what's going on:
- As I'm sure Finnish hockey fans will tell you, player Teemu Selanne is probably one of the most recognized hockey players of all time. He has spent many years as one of the best people you can know. He played for his current team, the Anaheim Ducks, for 14 years and has been a huge ambassador and icon to the game. In fact, the Ducks have announced already that his number (8) will be the first retired for the franchise.
- This year has been known as Selanne's farewell season. He started it off by creating a great video poking fun at his own indecision over the summer.
- So throughout the year, fans young and old have been following him and watching his final games. He is nowhere near the impact player he used to be. In fact, he wasn't much of a factor this season. But he was sent to the Finnish Olympic team and, against the odds, brought back a Bronze (even scoring the game winning goal for the Finnish team).
- Today was his last regular season game. He isn't done yet as the playoffs are still looming for the Ducks but he ended his regular season career at home. The Ducks' captain, Ryan Getzlaf, gave Selanne the captaincy of the team, something he has never had before in all his time with the Ducks.
- The PBP team, as should be expected for a player like Selanne, named him the game's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd star. Then, as I've so often mentioned Iginla and the Flames doing for Canucks player Trevor Linden, the Colorado Avalanche team came out and all shook his hand.
- Now this is where it got really hard for me to watch. The Avalanche goalie for the game was JS Giguere, an ex-teammate of Selanne. The two won the championship trophy, the Stanley Cup, with the Ducks. So after they all shook hands, Selanne pulled Giguere aside and they took one more lap around the Anaheim stadium together.
I often talk about class and classy players. Selanne is pure class.
Did I mention the LA Kings (a rival team of the Ducks) gave him a boat as a show of appreciation of his career?
In a similar circumstance, Martin Brodeur (goaltender holding basically every record you could ever want as a goaltender) plays for the New Jersey Devils. It is highly suspected he'll not be re-signed in the off-season after spending his entire career with the New Jersey Devils. So as a final salute, the team backs off and lets him salute the crowd on his own. No money will be won by those who guessed correctly who they picked as the games' MVP.
It's very similar to the treatment given my all-time favourite goaltender (Kiprusoff) during his suspect (and later confirmed) last home game.
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G-Goddamn onions...
Started by kirant, Apr 14 2014 07:20 AM
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Posted 14 April 2014 - 07:20 AM
Shameless Self-Plug - Updated May 30 - A Letter to a Younger Me – Anime Edition
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