SI.com column
April 3, 2006
by Darren Elliot
Two of the hottest players in the NHL right now are Teemu Selanne and Steve Yzerman. And, no, this is not 1996; it really is 2006. Yet two greats continue to impress and amaze, making time seemingly stand still.
Selanne, 35, continues his renaissance season with the Mighty Ducks after, as he put it, “getting his career back” following surgery last year to repair his badly damaged left knee. He has played with the flair of old all season, but since winning a silver medal with Team Finland at the Winter Olympic Games, his production — 18 points in his last nine games — has continued to soar. Not surprisingly, so too have the fortunes of the Ducks, as they now sit a mere four points behind Nashville in the Western Conference.
Yzerman, meanwhile, is in the midst of an offensive spurt that harkens back to the “Stevie Y” of seasons long gone by. Even Detroit head coach Mike Babcock teased that he saw Yzerman go fast recently, and Babcock will expect it all the time if Yzerman isn’t careful. That’s how it used to be for the Captain — smooth, fast and difference-making. Time and numerous injuries have taken their toll, but Yzerman, 40, has carried on, driven by a force most of us can’t fathom.
