UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -Teemu Selanne made his season debut Tuesday night, joining the Anaheim Ducks’ starting lineup just when the defending Stanley Cup champions need him most.
Selanne, who contemplated retirement and sat out Anaheim’s first 56 games, got back on the ice against the New York Islanders in Nassau Coliseum, the place he played his first game for Anaheim 12 years earlier during his first stint with the Ducks.
He scored his first Ducks goal in his first game on Feb. 10, 1996, when Anaheim lost 4-3 to the Islanders. Now the 37-year-old forward will try to inject some life into the dormant Ducks’ offense.
The club he helped lead to its first Stanley Cup title last spring came into Tuesday night’s game on a six-game losing streak (0-5-1), including consecutive shutout losses Friday and Saturday at St. Louis and Philadelphia .
Selanne signed a one-year, prorated deal last week and practiced with the team before it left for its nine-game road trip that got off to an 0-3-1 start before stopping on Long Island.
he ranked third in the NHL in goals, led the league in power-play tallies with 25 and tied for first in winning goals with 10.
Anaheim came in ranked last in the NHL with 2.36 goals per game, slightly behind the Islanders, who were second-to-last with an average of 2.38.
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