Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Kekkonen
The funny thing about Selänne is that he was never a dominant player here. Sure, he was considered very good, but you'd think that a guy who scores 70+ goals in the NHL would basically do whatever he wants whenever he wants against the opposition in our league (which was, by the way, just transforming itself from semi-professional to fully professional at the time he left for Canada).
|
What I remember most from that period was the anticipation hockey fans here had of this highly touted player finally showing up in a Winnipeg Jets' uniform. He was drafted in 1988 (10th overall) but didn't get here until 1992. He had some military commitments to fulfill I believe.
Well, anyway, expectations were high for the Finnish Flash to perform, but he exceeded them all, scoring 76 goals and 132 points in his rookie season. Man was he fun to watch!
Unfortunately, he suffered a serious leg injury in his sophomore season which seemed to do more damage to his psyche than to his leg. He never was the same again in a Jets uniform after that.