Teemu Selanne was born on July 3, 1970.
Chosen 10th overall in the 1988 NHL draft, Selanne his made NHL debut in the 1992-93 season with the Winnipeg Jets. The Finnish star made an immediate impact, setting the league's rookie record with 76 goals.
His celebration after breaking Mike Bossy's previous rookie record of 53 is a classic:
Selänne, who also had 56 assists, tied the Buffalo Sabres' Alexander Mogilny for the league lead in goals and was fifth in overall points. He earned an All-Star berth and the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
A mid-season trade to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1996 paired him with Paul Kariya, and they became one of the league's most dynamic combinations. In a six-year span (1995-96 to 2000-01), Selanne made five All-Star appearances and scored more than 25 goals in every season, including 51 in 1996-97 and a league-high 52 in 1997-98.
The NHL introduced the Maurice Richard Trophy in 1998-99 to honor the league's leading goal-scorer and Selanne was the inaugural recipient after scoring 47.
After brief stretches in San Jose and Colorado, Selanne returned to the Ducks as a 35-year old free agent in 2005. In the 2005-06 season, Selanne had 40 goals and 50 assists, earning his eighth career All-Star berth while winning the league's Masterton Trophy, given for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication.
In 2006-07, Selanne had 48 goals and 46 assists to lead the team to its first ever Pacific Division title, but he made an even greater impact in the postseason. Selanne became the team's all-time leader in postseason points (although he has since been passed by active Ducks Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry), securing 15 points in 21 playoff games as the Ducks topped the Ottawa Senators to win their only Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
The "Finnish Flash" stayed loyal to the Ducks until the end, finally retiring after the 2013-14 season after a 21-year career in which he spent parts of 15 seasons with Anaheim. A YouTube compilation of his 10 best career moments can be seen here:
With 684 career goals and 1,457 total points, Selänne ranks 11th and 15th respectively in NHL history. The winger holds several Ducks' franchise records, including goals, assists, points, games played and game-winning goals. Selänne, who now partially owns a restaurant in Laguna Beach, will be eligible for Hall of Fame induction in 2017.
