Teemu Selanne: My Life

Selanne, who won a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks, is almost roused to life in this sluggish memoir that is packed with superfluous details. Told in an awkward third-person, assisted by Mennander, the narrative tracks Selanne’s youth, focusing on his father, who took a hands-on approach to his son’s hockey development. An avid athlete, Selanne was diagnosed with Osgood-Schlatter disease (which can cause painful inflammation below the knee) at age 12, and his father decided to have him drop his other sports in order to focus on hockey; when his speed slowed, his father decided to help him develop other skills, such as becoming a better passer. Selanne turned pro in Finland and was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in 1988 at age 18, had surgery on his knees affected by Osgood-Schlatter, and then was traded to the Ducks, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2007—much of which is told as if bullet points on a résumé. The narrative rarely allows for a deeper look into Selanne’s life and is filled with mundane quotes (“He’s a great player, but an even better human being”). Fans of the “Finnish Flash” may glean some factoids here, but general hockey fans will find little of interest. (Nov.)