Selanne returning to Ducks for 2013-14 season

After watching video of Teemu Selanne's golf game, it's easy to see why he is staying active in the NHL.

In a humorous clip posted on the Anaheim Ducks' website Friday, a frustrated Selanne is seen throwing his golf bag in the water, then swimming after it to retrieve a cell phone. He calls Ducks general manager Bob Murray to let him know he is returning to the team for the 2013-14 season, his 21st in the NHL.

In the video, Selanne said, "I'm coming back. This is it. This is my final one."

"I think it's good for people to know it will be the last one," Selanne said in a conference call Friday. "I haven't said that officially before, and it will be easier for me to take advantage of every day and enjoy. I think it's good for everybody, my family too. They've asked questions over the years, and now it's a very clear situation."

According to the Orange County (Calif.) Register, Selanne signed a one-year, $2 million contract.

"It's great to have Teemu back. He clearly still has passion for the game and can't wait to get started," general manager Bob Murray said in a statement. "We are so pleased that Teemu will end his career where he belongs."

Selanne said conversations with coach Bruce Boudreau about the wing's role on the team helped him make his decision.

"I had a good meeting with Bruce and I'm very happy with how it turned out," Selanne said. "He was very open. I wanted to know how I would fit in his roster, and he said he was expecting a lot from me. Those were good things, and that was the final thing I wanted to hear. …

"I never wanted to get any promises because I know the coach can't really do that," Selanne added. "Obviously, we have a great group of guys. Getting those guys in, I didn't want a situation where we pushed them in no matter what happened.

"It's a competitive situation and everyone has to earn their ice time and power play. I know I can do it. I just needed to be on the same page with the coach. That's what happened. I'm very happy about that."

Selanne, 43 in July, had 12 goals and 12 assists in 46 games last season, and enters 2013-14 with 675 goals and 1,430 points in 1,387 NHL games. He's 11th all-time in goals, six behind No. 10 Jaromir Jagr and 15 behind No. 9 Mario Lemieux. Selanne is 15th all-time in points, 37 behind No. 14 Stan Mikita.

"I have high expectations about myself. I haven't had any numbers, but I know how well I can play," Selanne said. "I don't think anybody can have more expectations for myself than myself. I want to be a big part of it, otherwise I wouldn't have even considered to keep playing. Hopefully the biggest thing for me is staying healthy. That will give me the chance to succeed."

Known as "The Finnish Flash," Selanne has represented his country five times in the Winter Olympics and expressed a desire to make a sixth appearance on that stage for Finland at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.

"That's also a big bonus for the next season," Selanne said. "This could be my sixth Olympics, which I'm very proud of. We have a Finnish coach (Erkka Westerlund) who will pick the team, but that's my goal for sure."

TEEMU SELANNE

RIGHT WING - ANA

G: 675 | A: 755 | P: 1,430
SOG: 4,429 | +/-: 87

"If we had gone to the Finals or close, you just leave everything out there, and it would have been a different case," Selanne said. "I really felt, like everybody else in our locker room, that there is unfinished business and we have a better team than this.

"We have so many good things going on right now, and we know we can do better, and that's a main reason why I'm here. I'm still very hungry to win again. We have a good team and a lot of good things going here.

"If we had a bad team and bad season, it would be an easy situation to just say, 'Thanks for everything,' and go on. But I felt we can do better and I can do better, and everybody can do better. There's unfinished business for sure."

Win or lose this season, Selanne said his time in the NHL will be complete.

"There is no handbook about how you're going to feel when you retire," Selanne said. "I've never gotten the feeling that I'm done and this is enough. I'm just waiting for my body and my mind to say, 'I'm done.'

"I've been able to enjoy this game so much that even on the tough nights and days, I still enjoy it. It's going to end somewhere, and I decided now for my family and everybody that it's going to be my last season. That's fair for everybody. But I haven't yet had a moment where I felt, 'This is it.'"