Teemu Selanne: My Life

by Ari Mennander, Teemu Selanne

A record-setting Finnish best-seller, now available for the first time in English!

Teemu Selanne is unquestionably hockey royalty, having won countless accolades—including a Stanley Cup championship and four Olympic medals—during his storied career. This deep dive into the life of a unique superstar, top athlete, and family man shows that such success and longevity have not come without complex hurdles.  How did a youngster from Helsinki mature into a world-class player, one of the best of all time? What kind of personal obstacles has Selanne encountered, and how did he manage the immense pressure of representing his country and striving for his sport's top prizes? Featuring never-before-told stories from Selanne's NHL years with the with the Winnipeg Jets, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Colorado Avalanche, as well as rare color photos from his personal collection, this authorized biography is an essential read for all hockey fans.

Genres: Biography, Sports, Hockey, Biography Memoir

320 pages, Hardcover

Published November 5, 2019

Reviews

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This book feels very much like one of Teemu Selanne's friends needed some income and so the hockey star agreed to help him write a biography he could sell. By this, I mean the writing (or translation) here is extremely poor, the book fairly uninformative, and mostly comprising of interviews with Selanne, one of his relatives/friends, or sports colleagues/casters. As such, it feels shallow and subsequently makes Selanne look shallow as well.

Since I received an advanced reader copy (ARC), it is difficult to determine if there will be further editing (major editing needed, to be honest) and this is just a rough translation. Points were repeated over and over, often one paragraph restating the exact same thing as a previous. The sentence structures were simplistic, almost awkward, and while not "Google translate" bad, they were still very obviously done by someone without a very strong command of the English language. Interestingly, the simple grammar structure would make this appropriate for a young fan, although you may not want to share a book with your child that talks about Selanne shoplifting, carousing, and doing illegal activities in his youth.

The content itself was highly problematic. Since it is nearly all memories, there is no attempt to analyze, add a view point, or otherwise elucidate the reader (which made this feel even odder since Selanne is written about in the third person). Topics bounce around without any real structure and we never get to know the people in Selanne's life other than that they were helpful to him. E.g., we're told Selanne meets his future wife Sirpa and they marry soon after. We don't get any information on her - her family, background, why she was where they met, why the couple fell for each other, what they had in common, etc. Meanwhile, the story returns to previous girlfriend Anu suddenly as if the writer got off on a tangent and suddenly remembered to get back on track.

I think the biggest problem with the book is that it is very Finnish culturally. There is an abhorrence of using too many words or attempting to explain things at length. So when statements or facts are presented, they are without context or explanation. E.g., when Selanne wins the Stanley Cup finally, the author notes that 5 other Finns also have held the cup and lists only their names. No teams, no dates, just 5 names. Similarly, an actual example of dropping facts without supporting them would be this line from the book: "The Gretzky trade led to so many changes, it would be hard to keep count. And Selanne was one of the people who wound up being greatly helped by the transaction. In the 1987-88 12 Finns played in the NHL, and the season after that, the number had risen to 18." I was left asking, "Why did it help change the NHL scouting? Why did the number of Finns increase because of Gretzky's historic trade? Why in particular was Selanne benefiting from it? There were so many instances of this in the book that it was frustrating.

This book is definitely for Selanne fans who wouldn't mind hearing shallow platitudes and random remembrances/interviews loosely tied together and without any analysis from those who aren't already invested in his mystique. His louche personality has made him a beloved icon in Finland and perhaps the best takeaway I had from the book is that he is everyone's Selanne - not someone you ever get to know personally and intimately well. Perhaps it's ironic that I liked him much less after reading this biography because I always saw him as just a nice guy. The biography here makes him seem more like a cipher and just coasting through life. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Lance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating is really 2 1/2 stars. There is no one aspect to the book that I felt was truly awful, and Teemu's complete career, from all levels of hockey in Finland to his arrival to the NFL in Winnipeg to his Stanley Cup victory in Anaheim, are covered adequately. When reading a biography of memoir, I like it to feel like a story is good in several.parts - while read in this, the parts felt jumbled and I never got into a good flow. If I stopped, I had to backtrack to remember who certain people were and how they were part of Selanne's story. Not a bad book, just one that didn't hold my attention longer than short spurts.

[Patrick McMullin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Finnish Flash is one of my favorite NHL players. Also nice to read he loves Winnipeg

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teemu Selanne is by far one of the best to play hockey in the world and his stats and effort on ice have shown it. I never got to see him play on TV or at an actual NHL game, but his name is well known throughout the league. The details that are presented in the book are a nice touch and help to get a better understanding of Teemu as a player.

The only gripe that I have with this book is that it doesn't really feel like an autobiography. When your title says "My Life", you'd think it would be an autobiography. However, with how it's written, it doesn't feel like an autobiography; more it feels like a biography or a documentary that's been put to words. That's not a bad thing - just a bit odd. It doesn't ruin the experience of reading about one of the best Finnish hockey players in history. Overall, it's an enjoyable read for any hockey fan.

[Bob Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only One Finnish Flash

My family and I Are San Jose Sharks fans and have seen more than 400 games and traveled more than 80,000 miles since 1991 to watch them. A game against the Winnipeg Jets at the old Cow Palace was my first glimpse of Teemu Selanne and while my Sharks won, Teemu owned the ice.
Then, years later, Selanne became a Shark for three seasons - once a Shark, always a Shark - so we followed him and rooted for him even after he left. Though Sharks hate The Anaheim Ducks, we quietly celebrated a little when The Ducks won the Stanley Cup because Teemu reached his goal.
This book is interesting, but it does unmask Teemu as pretty self-centered. His wife deserves her own Stanley Cup for playing second fiddle to his cadre of friends.
But in the end, Selanne is hard not to like and his hockey talent is unquestioned. If you follow the game, this is a must-read.

[Tom Gase · Rating 3 out of 5]

I try to read a book on the NHL around the Stanley Cup each year. This was not bad, but not close to great either. I kind of wanted to know more about certain seasons, especially the playoff run with the Ducks in 2007. The books starts out with a forward about that year, but never really comes back to what I was hoping for. A lot of drama in this book between Teemu and certain management groups (especially Colorado, which I had forgotten he had played for). Book just never really dives deep into what I wanted and then it gets repetitive near the end. Hockey fans may like, but anyone else should probably skip.

[Chris Aylott · Rating 2 out of 5]

A competent sports biography that never really digs into the things I would find most interesting: growing up in Finland in the 80s, and the subtleties of hockey. It is clear from passing references that Selanne and his teammates have a deep understanding of the game's strategies and how they interact on the ice. Selanne says he remembers every goal, and it would have been interesting to learn more about the small decisions that an expert player makes to set up plays and score.

[Reece Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has allowed me to get back into my love of reading. I am a hockey player myself and it's

nice to know what it's like and what it takes to get to the next level. He talks about his journey to the

NHL and his success. It gives a look into what it's like in the NHL from an inside standpoint. From

getting an early draft pick to winning the Stanley cup and becoming an all-time goal scorer.

[Niklas Braun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. After getting used to the writing/interviewing style, it was cool to relive his career. As a Ducks fan it was neat to hear the interactions with other teammates that I feel I've learned some things about but didn't know on a personal level.

Also, it was clear that he didn't get along with Bruce Boudreau, but to hear that he essentially ended Teemu's career is pretty disheartening, especially since his coaching got the Ducks nowhere.

[Geoffrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of the worst pro hockey biographies that I have read - and I have read most of them. It just reads slowly, with many details that could have been left out and an average writing style at best. Selanne had an amazing career and was a lot of fun off of the ice, but the book was boring in general.

[Carl Osato · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Jets fan you kinda have to love the book. Good to get the point of view from his time growing up and experiencing his time in Winnipeg.

Does jump around a bit with different points in his life but all things hockey and winning the cup and dealing with injuries and the desire to still want to play was good to read about.

As a Winnipeg Hockey fan it should be a must.

[Heidi Northover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read on a famous Finnish hockey player....followed behind Jari Kurri of the Edmonton Oilers...then the exodus began.....now a days for example, Finnish goalie for the Bruins....Tuuku Rask!

[Jeff Clarkson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for any sports fan.

[Jillian Infusino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! A great glimpse into the life of Teemu Selanne. Great hockey history, too!

[Matt Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite players growing up. This was cool to read.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great life story about a great hockey player, and a better person. As enjoyable as I expected it would be!

[Franco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent biography on one of the most dynamic hockey players in the modern era. Easy read and highly recommended to any hockey fan.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

excellent player, great guy, terrible book skimmed most of it, so redundant

[Brian Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look behind the scenes of Teemu’s life.

[Nezir Oral · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teemu Selänne, Finlandiyalı bir jääkiek (buz hokeyi) oyuncusu olarak bilinir. Selänne, NHL (National Hockey League) tarihinin en başarılı oyuncularından biri olarak kabul edilir ve birçok ödül ve başarı kazanmıştır. Selänne, 1992 yılında Anaheim Ducks takımında NHL'e katılmış ve takımın ilk sezonunda tüm ligin en fazla gol atan oyuncusu seçilmiştir. Selänne, ayrıca Finlandiya Milli Takımı'nda da oynadı ve birçok kez Finlandiya'yı Avrupa Kupası ve Dünya Kupası gibi uluslararası turnuvalarda temsil etti. Selänne, buz hokeyinde müthiş bir kariyere sahip olmuş ve "jääkiekoilija" (buz hokeyi oyuncusu) olarak anılmıştır. Eğer Teemu Selänne hakkında daha fazla bilgi edinmek istiyorsanız, lütfen araştırma yapmaya devam edin