The only thing that made Selanne smile after Friday's loss was the mention of Spencer David, the 8-year-old boy of Finnish descent who initially caught his eye at the Winter Olympics, when he held a sign written in Finnish that read: "Mr. Selanne, congratulations on your new Olympic record. May I please have a puck?"

Andrew David, Spencer's father, said Teemu spotted the sign, chuckled and came back and tossed a puck to his son. Selanne also smiled at Spencer during the bronze medal game in Vancouver when he held up a sign thanking Teemu for the puck.

Last week, when the David family was in Anaheim on vacation, they attended the Ducks-Stars game when Selanne was honored for his 600th career goal. And again, Spencer caught Selanne's eye with this sign: "Mr. Selanne, thank you for the Olympic memories."

This time, Andrew recalled, Teemu tapped his stick at the sign, smiled and returned with another puck.

It's something Selanne routinely has done during his record-breaking career in Anaheim. "It's funny; sometimes you hear a mom say, 'You threw a puck to my daughter three years ago,'" Selanne said, smiling. "It's not a big deal for me, but it's cool when somebody appreciates it so much."

Now you know why Selanne is the most popular player in Ducks history. It's also why the Davids had to go to Friday's game before they left town. When the Ducks PR staff learned in an e-mail about the young boy's history with Selanne, they left the autographed photo for Spencer.

"It was a wonderful night," Andrew said from the airport Saturday morning, saying he and his son cheered for the Ducks instead of their hometown Canucks. "But when we left the arena, Spencer was a bit teary-eyed. When I asked him why, he told me, 'I'll never get to see Selanne play again because he's retiring.'"

Maybe. When it comes to Teemu Selanne, never say never.