Teemu Selanne is one of the best Finnish players ever to skate in the NHL. During his long and successful career, Selanne developed something of a sixth sense for reading opposing goaltenders. But there was one goaltender he never figured out—and that was Dominik Hasek. When asked to describe him, Selanne summed up Hasek in the most hilarious way.
Teemu Selanne made an instant impact when he entered the NHL. Drafted tenth overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 1988, Selanne made his debut in 1992.
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Teemu Selanne career stats
His first NHL season also became his best. Scoring 76 goals and adding 56 assists for 132 points, Teemu Selanne still holds the record for the most points in a season by a rookie. Selanne went on to win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy three times—in 1993, 1998, and 1999. Establishing himself as one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history, Selanne also won a Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks. During his 21-year NHL career, Selanne played against—and scored on—some of the best goaltenders ever. Speaking to the NHL Alumni Association, Teemu Selanne was asked who the best goaltender he ever played against was. He mentioned several Hall of Famers, including Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy, who are widely considered to be two of the greatest goaltenders of all time.
Teemu Selanne names his toughest goalie
But Selanne found Dominik Hasek to be the toughest goaltender he ever faced. Speaking about Hasek, Selanne described him in a hilarious fashion.
“For me, it was Dominik Hasek. I was very good at reading different goalie styles. Today’s goalies, I think, play pretty much the same kind of style. Dominik Hasek had no style. He was acrobatic out there, and you never knew what he was going to do. Sometimes he’d just go sideways—there was some weird stuff that he did. But what a great, great goalie,” Selanne said.
You can watch the video below.
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