Teemu Selanne claims ex-Jets GM threatened him and his wife to invoke better performance

Hockey legend Teemu Selanne revealed how ex-Winnipeg Jets general manager Mike Smith attempted to coerce him to breaking Mike Bossy's record by questioning his wife.

In an interview on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast on Tuesday, Selanne told the story from his rookie season with the Winnipeg Jets in 1992-93. Selanne had 47 goals and was nearing Bossy's rookie record of 53 set in 1977-78.

"It was funny story. ... Mike Smith (Ex-Jets GM) called me in his office, and he said 'what are you doing?' And I said 'what do you mean?' 'You haven't scored two games.'

"I said, 'yeah, I did have some chance, but, you know, no'. 'You got to start scoring, and otherwise I'll have to send you to Moncton in the Farm team. I'm like, I've 47 goals.” Selanne said.

Later, Selanne found out Smith had approached his girlfriend (now wife) at a local mall.

“Then, I go home and my girlfriend at the time, wife now, but she came home and said you have no idea what happend. I'm in the mall, your GM Mike came there, and he didn't even say anything, he came to be and asked, 'do you know where Moncton is?'"

That angered Selanne, who said:

"I can't believe this."

Teemu Selanne was nearing Mike Bossy's rookie record. With fans expecting Selanne to break Bossy's record on the road, he was motivated by the GM's trash talk and erupted for four goals against Minnesota in the next game. That brought his total to 51 with one game left to tie Bossy.

In the next home game, Selanne completed a hattrick to break Bossy's record in dramatic fashion.

“So, then Mike Smith probably think that it was because of him you know?" Teemu Selanne added.

He finished the season with a phenomenal 76 goals, which remains the record for most goals by a rookie in NHL history.

---

Fans react to Teemu Selanne's comments on ex-Jets GM

Teemu Selanne's comments about former Winnipeg Jets general manager Mike Smith have sparked a reaction from Jets fans online. One fan wrote:

"Here is a hill I will die on. Mike Smith was the biggest reason for the downfall of the Winnipeg Jets 1.0 franchise. Absolutely no question."

Another wrote:

"Love how Smith is trying to act like there are worse places to live than Winnipeg."

Here are some fan reactions:

"If you didn’t like this guy before… how can you not after this interview? So humble and funny. Respect," one fan wrote on X.

"Teemu is such a cool guy." another fan wrote.

"he’s a great story teller because his stories always are without any B.S or exexaggeration….DENNISGG" a user wrote.

"Great interview." another user wrote.

Selanne's comments clearly struck a chord with fans who felt Smith mismanaged the franchise during his tenure.