Selanne Finds Comfort Zone

Playing his 500th NHL game Sunday seemed to put Teemu Selanne in a reflective mood. He recalled fondly his days in Winnipeg, before the trade that brought him to Anaheim in February 1996.

However . . .

“It felt like I was in Winnipeg a lot longer,” he said of his 231 games as a Jet from 1992 until the trade. “Mentally and physically it was a lot harder to play there than here. The travel there was so crazy. We always had to change planes in Minneapolis if we were going to the U.S. Here we charter everywhere.”

Selanne said he leads a far more balanced life in Southern California than he did in Manitoba.

“It’s always so sunny and warm,” he said. “I have my family to keep my mind off hockey when I’m at home. I try to never bring hockey home with me, but my family being here has helped so much.”

*

Of the Ducks’ four opponents on this trip, they have a winning record only against the Ottawa Senators.

The Ducks are 5-11-5 against Toronto, tonight’s opponent. They are 3-5-1 against Montreal, 6-1-3 against Ottawa and 4-15-5 against Detroit.

The Ducks also are 0-8 in playoff games against the Red Wings, having been swept in the second round in 1997 and in the first round last season.

TONIGHT

at Toronto

4:30 PST

* Site--Air Canada Centre.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 7-6-2-1, Maple Leafs 10-4-2.

* Record vs. Maple Leafs (1998-99)--0-1.

* Update--This is the Ducks’ first visit to Air Canada Centre, the Maple Leafs’ new downtown arena. The Ducks were 1-6-4 in six seasons at historic Maple Leaf Gardens, suffering a 4-1 defeat there last season. Toronto’s power play was 0 for 13 during a 1-1-1 trip. Maple Leaf center Mats Sundin has scored three goals in three games since returning from a broken ankle that sidelined him for nine games. Sundin has 17 goals and 32 points in 23 games against the Ducks. Toronto defenseman Alexander Karpovtsev has been sidelined by a strained shoulder, but could play tonight.