Chouinard More Than a ‘Throw-In’

The Teemu Selanne trade keeps paying off for the Mighty Ducks.

Not the last one, mind you, that’s still to be seen. But when the Ducks acquired Selanne from the then Winnipeg Jets in 1996, he helped them make the playoffs twice.

Selanne’s gone to San Jose, but Marc Chouinard, the “throw-in” in the deal, remains.

Chouinard, an unknown junior player when he was shipped to the Ducks, has developed into a solid contributor. He centers the fourth line, the team’s most consistent, and is a key contributor on the penalty-killing unit. Offensively, he has only four goals, but three have helped the Ducks to victory.

“He has become a very responsible role player,” Coach Bryan Murray said. “He skates well. He forechecks. He’s really strong in the face-off circle. Can he be a top line player? Probably not. But he’s not limited to the role he is in now.”

Chouinard has already come a long way with the Ducks. He was playing with Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 1996 when he was fine-print addition in the Selanne deal.

The Ducks reaped immediate benefits from picking up Selanne, as they made the playoffs in 1996-97 and 1998-99. Chouinard spent three seasons at minor league Cincinnati.

“Teemu was a superstar and I was just a kid back in 1996,” Chouinard said. “I was called a throw-in. But I had yet to play in the NHL. I got a chance to improve.”

Chouinard saw his first extended NHL action last season, playing in 44 of the Ducks’ last 49 games.

“I think I look to create more on the ice,” Chouinard said. “Obviously it has helped me to play every day.”

Chouinard’s strengths have been on penalty kills and in the face-off circle. He ranks 14th in the league among players with 500 or more face offs at 55%.

“Obviously his face-off ability makes him valuable,” said Dan Bylmsa, who skates on Chouinard’s line and has been paired with him on penalty kills. “If you’re trying to kill a penalty and have a face off in your own end, it’s a big asset to have a guy like Marc.”

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Duck players came up with key goals for their countries in the final games of the Olympics over the weekend.

Paul Kariya’s first-period goal pulled Canada even, 1-1, Sunday. Canada defeated the United States, 5-2, to win the gold medal.

Oleg Tverdovsky’s power-play goal gave Russia a 3-2 lead against Belarus on Saturday. Russia went on to win, 7-2, in the bronze-medal game.