Selanne Keeps Open All-Star Possibility

Right wing Teemu Selanne clarified his stance on possibly filling in for an injured player on the Western Conference all-star team. With enough notice Selanne said he would gladly play in the Jan. 18 game at San Jose.

“I don’t want to close the door,” said Selanne, the league’s sixth-leading scorer. “I’ve been to the all-star game three times. I know it’s good for the game, for the fans, to have all the top stars there.

“The most important thing to me is that I know I’ve been playing well. Life goes on.”

*

Selanne on playing on a line without an all-star caliber center: “For sure, it would be a dream to play with [Colorado’s] Peter Forsberg. But Steve Rucchin has played really well. You have to play with the guys who are available. I’m not going to cry and say, ‘We need a center.’ I don’t want to complain. I’m really happy with how the team is playing.”

*

Left wing Garry Valk played in his 400th NHL game. . . . Not in the lineup: Shawn Antoski (strained left hip) and defenseman Nikolai Tsulygin (coach’s decision). Antoski, sidelined since Nov. 20, skated for the fifth consecutive day and the second with his teammates.