After 1,451 games, including 966 with the Anaheim Ducks, Selanne hanged up his skates last season. Anaheim had never retired a number before, but there was no question that Selanne would be the last Ducks player to wear No. 8. Well, sort of.
Anaheim waited until Sunday to officially retire Selanne’s number and it was an appropriate night for the occasion given that the Jets were in town. Although Selanne never played for the franchise that currently represents Winnipeg, the team is nevertheless the spiritual successors to the one that drafted Selanne in 1988. It was Winnipeg that gave Selanne his first taste of NHL action and witnessed him score an incredible 76 goals in his rookie season.
After a lengthy ceremony, Selanne got the chance to thank the people that helped him get to this day:
And then it was time for them to raise his number:
After roughly an hour and a half dedicated to honoring Selanne though, the Ducks and Jets weren’t done. When it was time to warm up, both teams went onto the ice wearing Selanne jerseys from various periods of his career:
We could think of no better way to honour Teemu. pic.twitter.com/h0SUmQJlAZ
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) January 12, 2015
Finally, this wouldn’t feel complete without showing Selanne’s celebration at the conclusion of his final regular season game. Towards the end he grabs Jean-Sebastien Giguere so that he could skate a lap with him, the two former teammates sharing the spotlight as players one final time: