Ducks’ Trade of Selanne Is Pretty Hard to Ignore

I must thank the Mighty Ducks. When the 8-year-old boy I go to their games with asked me why “they didn’t show Teemu’s goal,” when they showed the (infrequent) highlights of a (rare) victory (over the Kings) on the message board Wednesday night at the Pond, it gave me an opportunity to explain to him about how small, insecure, unintelligent men throughout history have tried to change history by deleting it.

The Cold War communists rewrote history books, the Nazis burned them. The Ducks simply pretend it didn’t happen.

The purposeful deletion of Selanne’s goal from the highlights deprived those of us who pay $70 for a seat, $7 for a warm beer, $5 for a cold hot dog, and $10 to park, one last opportunity to cheer for one of the classiest athletes Southern California has ever been privileged to enjoy. I could accept that the trade was a necessary one for the future of the organization, but this classless act has no validity whatsoever.

It was also nice to be able to explain to my 8-year-old that, in an era of Gary Sheffield, Ryan Leaf and Marty McSorley, there are idiots in sports management too.

ART CORISH

Irvine

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How can Disney trade Teemu Selanne, the heart and soul of the Mighty Ducks, to a team in the same division? Next thing you know, they’ll be dealing Mickey Mouse to Knott’s Berry Farm for some jam and future considerations.

NICK ROSE

Newport Beach

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The Ducks have taken the final plunge. They have lost the heart and soul of their team. They have traded the true captain of the team and the player who epitomizes integrity, sportsmanship and true fan appreciation.

And good for Teemu Selanne. He now gets to go to a team where he will be appreciated for his skills and his commitment. He won’t play second fiddle to an egocentric spoiled brat who couldn’t care less about his team and Duck fans, and who wears the C, but has no earthly idea what it means.

BRUCE FLEMING

Huntington Beach

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Had I not known better, I would have thought the Selanne debacle was another of Tony Tavares’ lunacies. But he’s no longer involved in the day-to-day operation of the team--or is he?

It would have been one thing if they got a big banger on defense, like Rob Blake or Chris Pronger, which they desperately need. But another pedestrian left wing and a backup goalie? This will go down in Duck annals as worse than the German Titov deal! I hope the fans respond with a sellout crowd for the last regular-season game, with 17,000 wildly cheering for Teemu and the Sharks.

RON DICKINSON

Laguna Niguel

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So now we know why the Ducks were so generous with giving up some advertising and concessions to the NBA Grizzlies if they moved to Anaheim. Knowing they were going to trade Teemu Selanne made that decision a lot easier for them.

JOE MASSARO

Rancho Cucamonga

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Now that the Kings and Ducks have made their “fiscally responsible” trades, what excuse will they use for the inevitable increase in ticket prices next season? To stay competitive? To bid on free agents?

Why not try a new slant, the truth? To maximize profits by putting a mediocre team on the ice.

RAY VIOLA

Santa Barbara