Thigh Injury Sidelines Selanne in Third Period

The last time Teemu Selanne suffered a strained right thigh muscle, as he did in Wednesday’s 5-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, he missed the final four games of last season.

The April 9 injury was inflicted when San Jose defenseman Al Iafrate crashed the Duck right wing into the boards. “This one isn’t as bad as the other time,” said Selanne, who felt a “pop” in his right thigh while skating toward the Hurricane net in the third period.

“I don’t know if I was favoring my foot so much,” said Selanne, who injured his right foot while blocking a shot in a 3-2 loss Sunday to the Detroit Red Wings. “I went through some pain with my foot, but it didn’t stop me. It was really tight [however].”

Selanne left the game immediately after injuring his thigh, spending the final half of the third period plus overtime in the training room. He wore ice packs on his thigh and foot at game’s end.

His status is uncertain for Friday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.

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Neither Craig Hartsburg nor Duck management announced the coach’s contract terms when he signed a three-year deal last summer to replace Pierre Page.

But the Hockey News reported that Hartsburg will earn $500,000 this season, which puts him roughly in the middle of the pack of NHL coaches.

Pat Quinn, coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, heads the list at more than $1 million this season. Quinn is believed to be the first NHL coach to be paid more than $1 million. Calgary’s Brian Sutter has the lowest salary this season at less than $300,000.

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Until this season, the Ducks had only four crowds of fewer than 16,000 at the 17,174-seat Arrowhead Pond. But including Wednesday’s announced crowd of 14,668 against Carolina, the Ducks have had four fewer than 16,000 in seven home games this season.

The Ducks have had two sellouts--for the home opener Oct. 21 against the Boston Bruins and on “Bandwagon Night” Sunday against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings.