His Biggest Goal Is to Get Home to the Family

Marriage and fatherhood have given the Mighty Ducks’ Teemu Selanne a new outlook on life.

“Life is so much more interesting now,” Selanne told Tim Tyers of the Arizona Republic. “Hockey used to be the most important thing to me. It’s 10 guys chasing one small black puck out there. It’s silly when you think about it.

“It’s our job, but the most important thing right now is my kid. It’s good when you go home and don’t have to think about hockey. You play with the kids.”

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Trivia time: Robert Parish, 43, was the second-oldest player in NBA history when he retired after last season. Who was the oldest?

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Lots of passing: Win or lose today in the Super Bowl, John Elway has something to look forward to. The Denver Bronco quarterback has been invited to test his passing and driving skills in the Toyota Pro-Celebrity race on April 4 during the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend. He follows in the footsteps of former Super Bowl players Joe Montana and Walter Payton.

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Color coordinated: If you’re talking uniform colors, the Broncos hold an advantage over the Green Bay Packers in today’s game. At least, an expert in color psychology says so.

The blue, orange and white of the Broncos give them a more comfortable feeling, claims Samuelle Easton, president of a color psychology firm. The Packers’ lighter colored uniforms--road white and gold pants--will make them appear weaker, he said.

“The strength of the blue is going to capture most of the energy,” Easton said.

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Then there’s Wall Street: Investors will be rooting for the Packers because a Green Bay victory would mean that chances are good for a rally in the stock market this year. The market has usually risen for the year when one of the teams from the old National Football League--before it merged with the American Football League in 1970--wins the championship.

The theory has a 90% accuracy record.

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Can you believe it? San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium is the first corporate-named stadium to host a Super Bowl.

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What a start: Lan Gooch, a rookie on the Nike Tour, opened his 1998 season by making a hole in one with his first swing--a nine-iron shot on the 10th hole at the Lakeland Classic.

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Love affair: Max Papis, an Italian driver who is one of the favorites in next week’s Rolex 24-hour race at Daytona Beach, Fla., says, “My car is like my wife--I want to be the only one able to touch it.”

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Trivia answer: Nat Hickey, who was 46 when he played for Providence during the 1947-48 season.

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And finally: Chuck Daly has had a frustrating season coaching the Orlando Magic, but he says it’s not the most frustrating part of his life at the moment.

“It’s the golf,” he said. “I live on the 17th hole [at Isleworth where Tiger Woods lives] and I’ve gotten in only four nines and one 18.”

Now that would be really frustrating.