The Finnish journalist pays tribute to countryman Selanne; who is finally a Stanley Cup winner.

Ducks and Dads

And then there was only one. And that one turned into six.

A new Stanley Cup champion, the Anaheim Ducks, and with that, the sixth Finnish Stanley Cup winner: Teemu Selanne. Finland’s Next One, Great One, and Magnificent One, all in one person.

He started with the Calder Trophy, picked up the first Maurice Richard Trophy, struggled with his knees, but came back to snatch the Masterton (that’s become something of a Comeback Player of the Year award), and capped it all with the big one: The Stanley Cup.

There he was last night, taking the Cup from Chris Pronger, another 14-season veteran and first-time Cup winner, looking like a man in his playoff beard. He’s no grizzly Niedermayer, but he had a real playoff beard.

First, he was the kid, shattering records and hearts and appearing in commercials for milk, and then never went deep enough in the playoffs to have a chance to grow a beard. To me, the beard became the symbol of Teemu’s journey, and if it’s on sale on eBay, let me know, I’d be interested in bidding for it.

Teemu’s story is truly a fascinating one. The story of a father who gave everything to turn his son into a superstar. He switched jobs to be able to take Teemu to practices and games, and the parents even decided to not get divorced until the children were grown up, even though the relationship was over, to give their three sons a good home.

And there he was last night, the white-haired Ilmari Selanne witnessing his son fulfilling his dream.

There’s another twist in the Selanne saga. The story of the “other ones,” the brothers that didn’t make it to the NHL, and didn’t become superstars. Maybe talking to them would tell us something important about Teemu.

Selanne, like Esa Tikkanen, whose father was a janitor at the Helsinki arena, was probably born to play hockey, but they also received more than a firm push on the backside from their fathers.

One of the most memorable stories in the Teemu biography his father wrote in 1993 is about Teemu and his friend, a teammate Keijo Sailynoja (these days, the chairman of the Finnish Players’ Association) on a junior national team training camp. Teemu knew to take care of his body, and he knew that they needed stretching and massage to be in shape the next day, so he and Keijo used olive oil and gave each other a leg massage.

Talk about dedication. And focus.

That’s why we can talk about Teemu Selanne and the Stanley Cup today.

At the same time, there is somebody new out there, a veteran player, dreaming of winning the Stanley Cup. He, too, has gone through problems, has faced challenges and beat all obstacles. He, too, can even grow an impressive playoff beard these days. And he, too, deserves to finish his career in a fairytale fashion.

His name is Saku Koivu.

Maybe next year?

Next year, anything is possible. Next year could be the year.