In their 13th season, the Ducks of Anaheim are back and are playing as exciting hockey as ever. For perhaps the first time in four years, when the team went on a miraculous 2003 playoff run all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, the buzz on the Ducks is as serious as their 18-4-5 home record. With most of their home games selling out, the aura surrounding the team at the newly dubbed Honda Center is undeniably exuberant. ?This is the best team that I?ve ever been on, so I am very excited about it, ? said the Ducks top goal scorer, Teemu Selanne. Though he had left the team after the 2000-2001 season, Selanne returned to the Ducks in 2005. ?I think that we have all the tools ? we just have to put everything together. So far, so good, but obviously there?s a lot of work ahead. I think we have four good lines two good goaltenders and everybody has a role to do. When everybody is doing as good as we can, good things happen.? One of those crucial role players was a hero of the January 31 game against the Phoenix Coyotes?24-year-old left-winger Travis Moen. In that game, the Ducks came from behind, overtaking Phoenix 2-1 in a very tightly played game. Moen scored the tying goal at a key moment in the third period after the Ducks had killed off a penalty, keeping them within one goal. The go-ahead goal was later scored by center Andy McDonald, and the Ducks, who only allowed 25 shots-on-goal, held onto the lead for the victory. One of the Ducks many nascent talented players, Moen senses the excitement around the Ducks, who, with an overall record of 32-12-8 and 72 points, lead the Pacific Division and are only three points behind the Nashville Predators from having the most points in the NHL. Though the Ducks had somewhat of a mid-January skid, they seem back on track. ?We just can?t get too high right now,? Moen said. ?We?ve got a long season ahead of us but we are starting to turn things around, and hopefully we can keep things going the way that things were going the first thirty games.? For Moen, whose personal hero as a youngster was Mario Lemieux, having Selanne and players like veteran defenseman Chris Pronger on the team has certainly helped the younger players develop into key components of a winning team. ?Those guys lead by example, and they are some of the greatest hockey players in the league,? said Moen. ?Having those guys on the ice, you get to watch them and learn from them.? Now into the second half of the season, the Ducks are near the top of a competitive pack ? six other teams in the Western Conference have at least 60 points. ?Everybody is desperate for points, ? Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. ?When you play desperate teams, you are going to have to earn your space on the ice and win your share of one-on-one battles, and those are going to be critical as we go forward. We have to play a solid brand of defensive hockey and tonight was one of those games.? Carlyle is guardedly optimistic about his team, but realizes that much can change in the final months of the season leading to the playoffs. Nonetheless, he acknowledges that the Ducks have won more than four times as many games as they have lost at home. ?It?s important that you establish a strong home record in order to be a successful team,? he noted. ?We feel strong about our group because of the personnel that we have, and they have worked extremely hard for us.? Looking to the charge towards the playoffs ? to which the Ducks have earned berths in four of their seasons ? Selanne will have to excel yet again. At 36, he is the oldest Duck player with the most career goals, 523, which should ensure his entry in the Hockey Hall of Fame. About the size of NHL players noticeably increasing Selanne, 6?0? said, ?I?m almost below average, and I?ve always been a little bit up. Players are bigger, stronger, and faster, but if you have the speed and you?re still strong, I don?t see why size would matter. But hockey gets faster and faster. If you can?t keep it up, then, you?re in trouble. I don?t think size is that big of a deal, but it is true that guys are bigger now.? Entering the NHL from his native Finland when he was only 22, Selanne, revealed his secret to longevity and maintaining his scoring ability. ?You have to look after yourself ? eat properly, work properly, rest properly, ? he said. ?I?ve always been fast and I?m healthy; I still skate an hour every day.? Pointing to his young teammates nearby, Selanne said, ?Those young guys keep me young.?