Selanne Enjoys Proving He Still Has It

Too old. Too slow. Finished.

Two years ago, those words were being used to describe Teemu Selanne. And after hobbling through a horrific 2003-04 season with the Colorado Avalanche and an equally humbling experience in the subsequent World Cup, Selanne began to wonder.

“I knew there were so many people talking about how I’m done as a hockey player and there’s no way I can be able to play at the same level as I did in the first 10 years of my career,” Selanne said. “Even some of my friends back home, I think they thought I was done.

“I knew if I could get back the fun and the passion I had before, I could do some things. That’s why I was very happy the Ducks gave me a chance to come back. They believed I could still play this game.”

The Ducks offered Selanne, who was coming off major surgery to repair his left knee, a one-year, $1-million contract. And the right wing posted his best numbers in seven years.

Selanne’s season was full of sweet moments, from scoring his 1,000th career point to nearly winning an Olympic hockey gold medal for his native Finland to making the furthest playoff advance in his career.

In June, he re-signed for another year at $3.75 million, but the greater reward came in being pain free and reestablishing himself as one of the NHL’s top forwards.

General Manager Brian Burke said there was no way anyone could have anticipated Selanne’s leading the team with 40 goals and 90 points.

“Anyone that works here that tells you they knew that is lying,” Burke said. “We believed in his character and we believed the knee was a big issue. But did we think he’d score 40 goals? No. We thought he’d bounce back. He bounced back with a roar.”

Burke said Selanne is capable of a similar season, although the Ducks hope they don’t need to rely on him as much.

“Does he have to duplicate last year?” Coach Randy Carlyle asked. “I’m sure he’d like to. I’m sure we’d like him to. But does he have to? We expect our offense to be delivered by committee and he’s part of that committee.”

His place in the game restored, Selanne, 36, sees this season as his best chance to win a Stanley Cup.

“All the pieces are here,” he said. “We just have to find a way to do it.”

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The Ducks got a scare during a demanding practice Wednesday when captain Scott Niedermayer was hit in the mouth with a puck off a deflected shot during a power-play drill.

Niedermayer had precautionary X-rays taken and results are expected today.

When asked whether he thought anything was broken, Niedermayer said, “I don’t think so.”

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Defenseman Chris Pronger did not practice because of symptoms attributed to stomach flu, Carlyle said.

eric.stephens@latimes.com