Get Sponsored
Selanne reaches Flashpoint over increasing dirty play
Anaheim, California--Teemu Selanne, in complete modesty, still pictures himself among the NHL's more-angelic players. At first glance, his 22 penalty minutes don't appear thug-like, but the normally mild-mannered Finnish Flash admits he's taken the law into his own hands a few times in the new, respectless NHL. "Somehow, there's no respect in this league any more," Selanne complained yesterday after the Ducks finsihed their preparations for tonight's matchup against Detroit Red Wings. "There are dirty hits and nobody cares who gets it. It used to be star players didn't get mixed up in this very much. Now you see all these things, like dirty low hits and guys getting pushed head-first into the boards. I've never seen so many. It's so dangerous." Selanne has 42 goals and 90 points, the second-highest total in the league, heading into tonight's game between the two streaking teams. Anaheim is unbeaten in eight, the Wings in 11. "There are no rules," Selanne said, continuing his case." And Brian Burke, well, he just suspends guys for one or two games no matter what they do. Nobody's going to care about that, missing a game or two. And it always seems to be the same guys in trouble. It needs to be five or six for these things, maybe more. Nobody's getting the message. Something really bad is ging to happen, it has, if this keeps up. "And it bothers me that some of the more powerful teams, Detrit, Chicago, New York, their players only get one game or two every time. Anaheim Mighty Ducks, who cares about them?" The Ducks, of course, are still grumbling about a 10-game suspension for defenceman J.J. Daigneault, who swung his stick at a referee. Ducks coach Ron Wilson said yesterday that though Selanne's chances for the Lady Byng Trophy are probably out the window, he admires his star rightwinger for his own tough brand of hockey. "Hey, he was suspended once in Winnipeg for chasing down and whacking (now teammate) Dmitri Mironov," Wilson said. "Teemu has always done a good job of standing up for himself. He just picks his spots." By Tim Campbell Sports Reporter Copy Right 1997 of The Winnipeg Free Press
