Selanne’s Star Shines Again

Teemu Selanne left off the Western Conference team despite being the sixth-leading scorer, was chosen along with Detroit’s Brendan Shanahan to replace injured Colorado players Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg at the NHL All-Star game Saturday in San Jose.

“I heard this morning. I’m happy,” said Selanne, whose disappointment over not being selected originally left him less than enthusiastic about being a substitute. “What should I say? I think it’s important to go.”

Selanne has 24 goals and 54 points in 42 games this season. He has never missed an All-Star game, playing in 1993, ’94 and ’96. The 1995 game was canceled because of the labor dispute.

With Paul Kariya voted to the starting lineup, the Ducks have two players in the game for the first time, and Selanne said he’s looking forward to playing with Kariya in the game.

“We’ve got to get together and have fun,” he said.

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Left wing Shawn Antoski is on the trip, despite missing Friday’s game because of hip soreness. His status is considered day-to-day.