Teemu Selanne

During the 1996 off-season, the Jets decided to trade Selanne to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks for Chad Kilger and Oleg Tverdovsky. He played on a line with Kariya, which gave both of them many goals. The pair played well together. In fact, it was Kariya who had met him at the 1996 All-Star game they both played and encouraged the Duck's general manager Jack Ferreira that Selanne was a good player and might have the right personality for their team.

Of Selanne's personality and game, Johnette Howard of Sports Illustrated wrote "If Selanne's wit doesn't charm someone first, his unebbing enthusiasm, his slack-jawed smile or wide-eyed look of wonder probably will. His game has all the bells and whistles.… He has blazing speed and the power to shrug off defenders; he's a natural scorer and can shrewdly read a game."

During his first season with the Ducks, Selanne scored fifty-one goals and helped lead the Ducks to their first playoff berth in 1997. The following season, Selanne again scored over fifty goals. He carried the team through much of the season, though it was in last place. Kariya was out much of the season due to injury and a contract dispute. Selanne also represented his country at the 1998 Winter Olympics, winning a bronze as a member of the Finnish hockey team.

For his effort, Selanne received a contract extension of two years, $19.5 million, taking him through the end of the 2002 season. The pressure of a new deal did not hamper or change Selanne's scoring abilities. In 1999, he won the NHL's goal-scoring title, scoring a league-leading forty-seven goals.