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Teemu Selanne on returning this year: “I look at this as my last year”

Nashville Predators v Anaheim Ducks - Game One

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 13: Saku Koivu #11 and Teemu Selanne #8 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrate Selanne’s third period goal against the Nashville Predators in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center on April 13, 2011 in Anaheim, California. The Predators defeated the Ducks 4-1. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

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When Teemu Selanne announced today that he was returning to the Anaheim Ducks for “one more year” it turns out he really could mean just that.

During this afternoon’s conference call with Selanne to talk about his return to the Ducks on a one-year contract worth $4 million, PHT asked Selanne if he was going into this season thinking that this would be his last year in the NHL. Selanne was honest about how he’s heading into this season and his future. (Full transcript of that call here)

“I know I’ve said that the last five years. But you’ve got to stop somewhere, and I’ve always approached this whole thing by saying it’s my last year. I think that’s really worked well for me. Again, I look at this as my last year and hopefully it’s going to be a good one.”

So you’re saying there’s a chance this won’t be the last season? All right!

All kidding aside here, at 41 years-old Selanne won’t have too many seasons left if this isn’t his last year, but we have to take him at his word and look at this season as his last one regardless. After all, he’s coming off knee surgery this summer and the health of his knee is the big thing for him in being able to come back. Selanne has said in the past that it was how his knee holds up that determined whether he came back this year or not. The passion and the fire to win is there, but if his knee couldn’t get it done he wasn’t going to play. Selanne says his knee is good to go.

“I really feel like I can still play at the same level I played at in the past. If you can’t do that, you can’t enjoy the game as much, and there would be no way I’d come back. The main factor for me is that I can be healthy, my knee is okay to play at this level, and I can use my speed and play at my level. That’s one reason it took so long to make the final decision, because I really wanted to make sure I could play at this level.”

As for whether or not Selanne entertained the thought of playing his last season in Winnipeg now that they’ve again got a NHL team in Manitoba, the Jets front office certainly did their due diligence to find out if Selanne would come back and end his career where it started back in 1992.

“They [Winnipeg front office] called my agent and asked if I was interested in coming back. But when you have four kids and a couple dogs and a couple horses and stuff, so many things to move, there is no way I can move anymore. But like I said, Winnipeg has been a special place for me and I’m very excited to go back and play there again.”

Selanne will get that chance, likely the one and only time this season unless the two teams meet in the Stanley Cup finals, on December 17th. Selanne said the chance to play again in Winnipeg as well as the Ducks opening their season in Finland for the NHL Premiere series didn’t have an effect on his decision.

“Those things weren’t a factor in me coming back. I looked at them both as really nice bonuses for me and great experienced. Both places are very important places in my life and I’m extremely excited about playing in both places. It’s going to be fun.”

For Selanne, getting to go back to his home country and his first home city helps to set this season up as one fantastic way for an all-time NHL great to ride off into the sunset... That is unless he decides to give it one more year after this one.