From: kdc@ccu.umanitoba.ca ()
Subject: Selanne gets thumbs up - MVP not out of reach
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 02:28:40 GMT


 
 From Scott Taylor's column in today's Winnipeg Free Press:
    (reprinted _with_ permission)
 
 <stuff about making room for more people on the Jets bandwagon>
 
 Now, there are all sorts of reasons why the Jets are where they are but none
is more intriguing than the arrival of the 22 year old Finnish right-winger,
Teemu Selanne.
 Here at home, Selanne is becoming old news.  He already has 39 goals and 33
assists and you can read about his exploits every day.  He's closing in on
Peter Stastny's rookie point-scoring record (109) and Mike Bossy's rookie goal
scoring record (53) and...ah, well... boring, huh?
 However, out there among the great unwashed, folks are just now becoming aware
of Selanne's abundant gifts.
 And by talking to different hockey people who appreciate different things,
the Finnish Flash gets high marks from the strangest places.
 Chicago Blackhawks coach Darryl Sutter likes Selanne's "character".  He calls
Selanne "one of the toughest young players in the league -- European or other-
wise."
 Detroit Red Wings coach, Bryan Murray, calls Selanne "one of the fastest, most
 skilled players I've seen come into the league in a number of years," and
compares him favorably with Pavel Bure, Alexander Mogilny and his own
Steve Yzerman.
 But it wasn't until Wayne Gretzky made a comment in the Edmonton papers that
people started really taking notice.
 On his return to Edmonton on Tuesday, Gretzky was asked about the young
Winnipeg Jets speedster who is now among the Top 5 in NHL scoring.
 "He's the best rookie I've seen this year," Gretzky said.
 "And he should get some MVP votes as well."
 "Mogilny and Bure are shooters.  Selanne is a play maker as well as a shooter
 and he sees the ice really well.  With Mario (Lemieux) out, the MVP is wide
 open.  Selanne deserves to be considered."
   The man to whom Gretzky spoke those words was Edmonton Journal hockey
writer Jim Matheson.  Matheson has a say in the Hart Trophy voting and last
night he went through his own mid-season list.
  "Well, there's Eddie Belfour and Chris Chelios in Chicago and when there are
two guys on one team, it usually splits our vote," he said.  "I guess there's
Pat Lafontaine at the top of the list, maybe Kevin Stevens and Bure although
Vancouver has a number of great players."
  "I s'pose if Gretz says it should be Selanne, then that's good enough for me."
  It should be good enough for a lot of people.
  Yesterday, the Jets began a letter and video tape campaign citing the
qualifications of Selanne as both rookie of the year AND most valuable player.
  A month ago, any suggestion that the young Finn was worthy of both awards
would have been considered nonsense.
  But times have changed.  The Jets have changed.  And everybody around the
league from its greatest player to its toughest coach have sung the praises
of the kid from Helsinki who skates about as fast as the cars he loves
(Mercedes, Jaguar, Porsche, and Corvette are at the top of his MVP list).
  If the Flash doesn't get hurt and if the Jets continue their torrid pace until
April 15, there might be no doubt.
  
                               Scott Taylor   Winnipeg Free Press
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   Ken  D.    U of Manitoba