Selanne Injury ‘Mild,’ Mysterious

Right wing Teemu Selanne was sidelined for practice Monday and Tuesday because of an illness. “He’s under the weather,” Duck Coach Guy Charron said each day.

By Wednesday’s morning skate, Selanne’s illness suddenly became a bruised left knee. Selanne underwent an MRI exam Wednesday, the results of which were negative, according to Pierre Gauthier, team president and general manager. Selanne was termed “day to day” by Gauthier.

The injury could have happened during Sunday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It might have been Friday against the San Jose Sharks. No one seemed to know for certain.

Requests to speak to Selanne before and during Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings resulted in Gauthier being made available to reporters via a cell phone. Selanne also was unavailable for comment Monday and Tuesday.

Charron and Gauthier both hoped Selanne, who leads the Ducks with 25 goals and 56 points in 60 games, would be fit to play Friday against the Dallas Stars. But even that was just a guess.

“It’s something mild,” Charron said. “At this point, there’s no use pushing him into a position to aggravate it. With a couple of days’ rest maybe he can come back and play.”

According to Charron, Selanne attempted to practice Monday, but cut short his workout after only a few minutes. Charron indicated Monday that Selanne was ill, but said nothing about a knee injury. Charron also said Tuesday that Selanne was ill.

Selanne, the subject of numerous trade rumors this season, also was sidelined for four games in December because of a groin strain. He regained his scoring touch recently, scoring eight goals and 15 points in his last 10 games. He had three goals and five assists during a four-game point streak.

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Through Feb. 12, the Ducks had the third-lowest average attendance in the NHL. The Ducks’ average of 13,184 in their first 28 home games at the 17,174-seat Arrowhead Pond was down 5.7% from last season’s average of 13,988.

Only the Carolina Hurricanes, who averaged 12,746 through Feb. 12, and the New York Islanders, ( at 11,166, trailed the Ducks in attendance.

The Ducks have had only one sellout this season.