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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Teemu Selanne managed to make a stir Thursday on the first day of the Anaheim Ducks' training camp even after his retirement. For the troubles, Selanne apologized, saying he was sorry if criticism of coach Bruce Boudreau in a new biography published in Finland "hurt Bruce or anyone else." "That was not my intent," Selanne said in a statement released by the Ducks.  Boudreau and Selanne's former teammates reacted with disappointment and chuckles after hearing about Selanne's fierce criticism of Boudreau in the book. Selanne retired at 43 years old last summer following a 21-season NHL career spent mostly in Anaheim. His disagreements with Boudreau about his playing time and role last season were hardly secrets, but Selanne's decision to air them in public surprised the Ducks. "Nobody likes hearing anything negative about themselves, so in that sense I'm a little disappointed," Boudreau said. "But I understand the frustration." Several media outlets obtained copies of the Finnish book and translated the passages criticizing Boudreau's decisions regarding Selanne, who felt betrayed by his dwindling role in his final season. Selanne, who flirted with retirement for seven consecutive summers, even said he might have played another year if Boudreau wasn't the Ducks' coach. "In the book, I tried to explain honestly what happened last year. In frustration, I made several comments following our Game 7 loss to the Kings that I shouldn't have said," Selanne said in the news release. "As I've said many times, Bruce is a nice guy, but we simply had a different view on my role with the Ducks." Ducks general manager Bob Murray and captain Ryan Getzlaf backed Boudreau's handling of Selanne's final season Thursday, saying they were aware of the Finnish Flash's disappointments. "He is such a competitor, and he was frustrated his last year didn't go quite the way he wanted to go, and he was frustrated at the end of the year," Murray said. "It's Teemu being Teemu." Selanne and his family still live in Orange County, and the Ducks will retire Selanne's No. 8 jersey before a game against the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 11. "I'm sure I'm going to see him again," Boudreau said. "And listen, he was one of my favorite guys. I've always liked him and admired him. I don't think anyone here has ever heard me say a bad word about him, ever. And that will continue." Boudreau acknowledged he was caught between the wildly popular Selanne's opinion of his skills and his own desire to maximize the Ducks' scoring in a successful season. Selanne scored a career-low nine goals in 64 games during his final season, but said he was promised more playing time on the second line and on the power play. His skills still appeared sharp at the Sochi Olympics, where he was named the tournament MVP while winning a bronze medal as Finland's captain in his sixth games. Selanne is the 11th-leading goal-scorer in NHL history with 684 goals, and his 1,457 points are 15th. "I was always very cognizant of who he was, what he meant to hockey in California, what he's meant to the Ducks, and he was a great player," Boudreau said. Selanne wrote that he was furious after Boudreau scratched him for Game 4 of the Ducks' first-round playoff series against Dallas, leading to a post-practice confrontation on the ice. Boudreau downplayed the incident, saying Selanne quickly cooled off. "He raised his voice a bit, and all I did was tell him, 'OK, not so loud,' " Boudreau said. "'Let's talk like men.' And then he stopped and he caught himself, because he's an emotional guy." Selanne's healthy scratch was extremely unpopular with Ducks fans, but Boudreau said he consulted with the Anaheim's scouts and other front-office personnel before making the move. Boudreau told Selanne about the scratch a day before the game, leading to the argument. "It was a really tough thing," Boudreau said. "I don't think any coach wants to sit out a superstar." Selanne had two goals and four assists in 12 playoff games. Anaheim finished with the Western Conference's top record before losing a seven-game series in the second round to Los Angeles. Getzlaf said he was disappointed to hear Selanne had hoped the captain would stick up for him in meetings with Boudreau and the Ducks' top brass. Getzlaf and Corey Perry frequently teamed with Selanne on the Ducks' top power play unit, but not frequently enough for Selanne's taste. "I'm going to have to talk to him about it as friends," Getzlaf said. "But Teemu had numerous discussions with me last season, and the season before. As a captain, it's my job to weed through things that I can go to the coach with, and things that I can't. Teemu doesn't know all the discussions that I've had about him in the last two years, and there's been many times when I've went to bat for him, and there are some times when I have to step away and just let the coach and GM make their decision." Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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