Selanne is more than the star of this moment

Teemu Selanne might have been the most surprised person in Joe Louis Arena to find the puck on his stick in overtime Sunday and nothing between him and Red Wings goaltender Dominik Hasek but a few feet of mushy ice.

The Ducks’ indomitable right winger had gone behind Detroit’s net and pressured defenseman Andreas Lilja into mishandling the puck. Selanne’s linemate, Andy McDonald, angled his body so that Lilja had nowhere to go, allowing Selanne to pounce on the loose puck and face Hasek alone.

Selanne had no time to think. In truth, he didn’t need to ponder his next move, not after having scored 540 regular-season goals and 29 in postseason play over 14 NHL seasons.

A right-handed shooter, he went to his backhand and sliced a shot that was high and sweet and true. When it sailed beyond the reach of a flailing Hasek, the Ducks had rallied for an improbable 2-1 victory and were within one triumph of winning the Western Conference championship -- and with it, a berth in the Stanley Cup finals against the Ottawa Senators.

It all happened so quickly, so suddenly.

It was Selanne, the Finnish Flash, displaying a flash of brilliance.

“He was clutch,” McDonald said.

Few are better in such situations, and his teammates’ eyes widened like saucers when they saw the puck on his stick and Hasek at his mercy.

“When he’s that close and it’s just him and the goalie, I like his chances, for sure,” said winger Corey Perry, who considers Selanne an inspirational influence because of his unflagging enthusiasm and poise under pressure.

“He’s got great hands, and he sure knows how to put the puck in the net.”

Selanne made no mistake on that shot, his second of the sudden-death period and second of a game the Ducks prolonged only because Selanne had set up Scott Niedermayer for a six-on-four goal with 47.3 seconds left in the third period.

Battered into ineffectiveness by the Red Wings’ physical play in the first few games of this series, Selanne hadn’t recorded a point until Thursday, when he had a goal and two assists in a 5-3 Ducks victory that evened the series at 2-2. But he never allowed frustration to get the better of him, never stopped working and encouraging his teammates and looking for the one moment where he could make a difference.

That moment arrived Sunday, 11 minutes 57 seconds into overtime.

He recognized it immediately.

“I knew right away what I’m going to try to do,” Selanne said.

“That’s why I’m practicing so many times. Everything happens so quickly that when the chance comes, it has to come from your mind. I have done so many goals with that move.

“It was a great feeling to see that go in.”

His elation was instinctive too, erupting in a smile that stretched from Detroit to Helsinki and illuminated the suddenly gloomy arena. He earned that triumphant moment, and much more.

During a career that began in Winnipeg and has carried him through two tours of duty with the Ducks, Selanne has won a bucketful of honors. He was voted the NHL’s rookie of the year in 1993, he won the inaugural Rocket Richard Trophy in 1999 as the league’s top goal scorer and won the Masterton Trophy as the most inspirational player a year ago in recognition of his comeback from knee problems that nearly ended his career.

But never has he reached the Cup finals, coming closest last season when the Ducks lost the Western title to Edmonton in a five-game series.

He can make that grand leap on Tuesday, when the Ducks can close out the Red Wings at Anaheim. They know that they would not be in this position without the contributions he has made the last two games.

“Teemu’s one of the best players in the league for a reason,” said Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf, who was 7 years old when Selanne set a rookie goal-scoring record of 76 in the 1992-93 season.

“He’s just going to stay with his game. Tonight was his turn again. He’s been battling hard for us and taking lots of shots, and now a few are going in for him.”

Perry, also 7 when Selanne broke into the NHL, said he has been impressed by Selanne’s display of good humor through bad times.

“You see the smile on his face every day coming to the rink. You know how much he enjoys the game,” Perry said.

“When he scores a big goal like that, that smile never wears off.”

Selanne said he long ago learned not to let a goal drought bring him down.

“Everybody is going to have a tough time here and there. To be honest, I didn’t feel pressure even one time,” he said.

“When you start squeezing and feel pressure it’s tough. Everything has to come automatically and smoothly and you have to make sure these things don’t affect you mentally. Because then you’re done.”

The Ducks are far from done. The same is true of Selanne.

“I’m almost 37 years old. I’ve scored a lot of goals in this league,” he said. “I have had slumps before, and I know how it feels. You just have to believe and enjoy.

“It took 22 guys to believe we could come back. This team hasn’t quit once this year.”

A year that is becoming sweeter by the game for Selanne.

--

Helene Elliott can be reached at helene.elliott@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Elliott, go to latimes.com/elliott.