Selanne Charged for Role in Accident

Teemu Selanne was formally charged Friday with endangering public safety for his part in a head-on collision in July in his native Finland. Selanne collided with another car on a private road about 125 miles from Helsinki while practicing for a rally car race.

The driver of the other car--Kalervo Kummola, the president of the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation--suffered a broken leg. There were no other injuries.

Selanne could face a two-year jail sentence, according to reports from Finland. Selanne said he expects to be fined, but is not required to travel to Finland to defend himself. Lawyers will handle the case for him.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” he said. “I’m going to get a ticket. I’m going to have to pay the price.”

Selanne’s accident received a great deal of publicity in Finland and the charges Friday were not unexpected.

“I don’t want to worry about it,” he said. “The lawyers are going to do their jobs and they’re just going to send me the bill. “

Selanne said the accident happened on a private road in a rural area. The only cars on the road were a group of rally car drivers, who were preparing for an upcoming race.

“For 50 kilometers, there’s not even a little village,” he said. “They’ve made a big deal out of it because it’s me.”

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Selanne was sidelined Friday against Chicago for a third consecutive game because of a groin strain. He skated briefly Friday morning before determining he wasn’t fit enough to play.

He hopes to play Monday against Montreal.

“It’s hard to stay out, but that’s the right decision,” said Selanne, who was injured during a practice Sunday. “I can skate pretty well, but I can’t go at top speed. “

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Center Matt Cullen left the game briefly after an open-ice collision with Chicago’s Blair Atcheynum at 2:24 of the second period. Cullen spent several minutes in the dressing room, but returned to take his turn on the penalty-killing unit after suffering a charley horse.