(SportsNetwork.com) - The Anaheim Ducks will pay tribute to one of the greatest players in franchise history Sunday, as they get set to retire Teemu Selanne's No. 8 sweater before taking on the Winnipeg Jets at the Honda Center.
Selanne retired after last season at the age of 43 and finished his Ducks career as the franchise's all-time leader in almost every offensive category, including goals (457), assists (531) and points (988). The man nicknamed "The Finnish Flash" also was a part of Anaheim's Stanley Cup winning team in 2007, when the Ducks beat Ottawa to become the first team from California to win it all.
"I don't really have expectations. I've never been a part of anything like this before," Selanne said of the jersey retirement ceremony. "It's going to be exciting, and it's going to be a special night. I have 60 people from Finland flying over. All the fans here, my family -- it's going to be an emotional moment, for sure. It's a big honor for me."
"I'm not going to cry, for sure. Tough guys don't cry," he quipped.
Fittingly, the Ducks chose to honor Selanne's outstanding career on a night when they host the Winnipeg Jets.
The all-time leading Finnish player in goals (684) and points (1,457) began his NHL career in Winnipeg back in 1992-93, playing for the original Jets, who are now known as the Arizona Coyotes. The current iteration of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets were originally known as the Atlanta Thrashers before moving to Manitoba following the 2010-11 season.
In addition to the pre-game ceremony, Anaheim is hoping to pay tribute to Selanne on the ice as well. The Pacific Division leaders are also aiming to rebound from a loss after falling 4-1 in Wednesday's tilt against the visiting New York Rangers.
Anaheim only got one puck past Henrik Lundqvist on Wednesday, a power-play tally from Francois Beauchemin to make it a 2-1 game midway through the third period. However, Mats Zuccarello restored New York's two-goal cushion less than five minutes later and the Rangers added an empty-netter with 2:14 left to seal the victory.
Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf, who tallied an assist on Beauchemin's goal, recorded a point for the 11th time in his last 12 games. The veteran centerman is leading Anaheim in points this season with 45 on 13 goals and 32 assists and he was named to the NHL All-Star Game on Saturday.
Anaheim reserve goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 26-of-29 shots fired his way Wednesday in his second start of the season. It also marked Bryzgalov's first start for Anaheim at the Honda Center since 2007 during his initial stint with the club.
"We had a lot of bad turnovers tonight," Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We gave them two goals. They were the better team and deserved to win."
Frederik Andersen is expected to be back between the pipes for the Ducks tonight. The 25-year-old Dane is 3-0 with a 2.36 goals against average in his career against Winnipeg.
Anaheim is 3-2-0 so far on an eight-game homestand. The residency continues Wednesday against Toronto before ending Friday versus New Jersey.
The Jets, meanwhile, are hoping to avoid a season-series sweep at the hands of the Ducks. Anaheim won the previous two meetings of 2014-15 in Winnipeg, posting a 4-3 overtime win on Dec. 7 before a 4-1 victory on Dec. 13. Andersen earned the victory in both contests.
Anaheim has taken three in a row and four of five from the Jets. The clubs have split two meetings in Orange County since the franchise's move from Atlanta to Winnipeg.
The Jets played Saturday night in Los Angeles and recorded a 5-4 shootout win to move one point ahead of the Kings for the first of two wild card spots in the West.
Winnipeg jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening seven minutes of the first period against L.A., but the Jets would need a goal from Zach Bogosian with 5:56 remaining in the third period to send the game to overtime.
Bryan Little then scored the lone shootout goal to award the extra point to the Jets, who scored three goals on their first three shots of the night.
"That was a game you like to be a part of, especially the first period," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "I'm not just talking about the score; the physicality of it, the intensity, and lots of big hits going both ways. It was fun."
Little also scored in regulation, as did Blake Wheeler and Mathieu Perreault. Michael Hutchinson made 25 saves for the win.
Ondrej Pavelec is expected to get the start in net for the Jets on Sunday. He is 1-1-2 with a 3.49 goals against average in four career games against Anaheim.
Tonight's test marks the end of a three-game road trip for Winnipeg, which owns a 12-5-4 record as the guest.
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