That intrepid if misguided explorer Ponce de Leon obviously got his directions wrong. He spent all that time trekking around Florida, searching for the Fountain of Youth, when all along it was at the other end of the southern United States, in the heart of Orange County.
Funny, too, that it would be discovered by a Finn who arrived in North America almost two decades ago with the Winnipeg Jets and now, at 40, is still brimming with youthful vigour and enthusiasm.
That happy-go-lucky young man is the Anaheim Ducks' Teemu Selanne, who has been entertaining all and sundry this week with his quick wit, his funny lines and his back story, how, at an age when most NHL players are drifting toward retirement, he became the first player in three decades to score 80 points at that advanced stage of his career.
Eighty points was enough to finish eighth overall in the NHL scoring race, and on a points-a-game basis, was more than No. 6 Jarome Iginla or No. 7 Alex Ovechkin produced. Pretty amazing production for a player who freely volunteers that he is the same age as the mother of teammate Cam Fowler, who was just 18 at the start of this NHL season.
The question was therefore put to Selanne: Where did he unearth that elusive fountain of youth (and can anybody else have a drink)?
"It's not that," Selanne said with a laugh. "It's just a passion. When you like to do something, you have fun and play with great players, good things happen."
Ducks coach Randy Carlyle goes back with Selanne all the way to the Winnipeg days and will tell you that Selanne's commitment to conditioning is far greater than it was when he first came into the league. Many times, a player approaching 40 loses something - desire, hands, legs, will.
Not Teemu.
"He's developed a stronger love for the game," Carlyle said. "He's happier at the rink than he's ever been. When you're around him on a daily basis and you see that his boys, when they were first coming to the rink, they were little wee guys. Now all of a sudden, they're 15 and 16 years old. I think it means more to have his children around the rink now and recognize what's going on. I think he takes great pride and pleasure in that.
"He has fun out there," Carlyle added. "You would never think he's 40 years old when you see him scooting down the ice. He has that knack to deliver in key situations. What more could you ask for from an athlete?"
This is Selanne's 11th trip to the postseason. He won a Stanley Cup with the 2007 Ducks, which was supposed to be his NHL swan song. Instead, he found the enthusiasm to play another year and then another year after that. In the final weeks of the season, as the Ducks surged toward the playoffs behind Selanne's clutch scoring, the crowds at the Honda Center kept demanding of him, "One more year, one more year." Selanne will make no decision about his playing future until the playoffs are over. Midseason, it was thought there'd be no way to coax him back. Now? The Ducks think there's a chance, and much will depend upon how this postseason unfolds. It got off to a bad start Wednesday when the Ducks were outclassed 4-1 by the visiting Nashville Predators, Selanne scoring the only goal for Anaheim on a third-period, five-on-three power play.
Selanne was always good with the man advantage. He is No. 6 in NHL history in regular-season power-play goals (236), 14th all-time in goals (637), 48th all-time in assists (703) and 27th all-time in scoring (1,340).
Carlyle joked that one of Selanne's key but underappreciated attributes is a full head of hair, which gives him his youthful look. It is something that Carlyle didn't have at that age. Even some of the younger Ducks, including captain Ryan Getzlaf, are starting to get follicly challenged. Postgame, dressed to the nines, Selanne looks as if he stepped right out of a GQ spread.
"I think there's some mistake," he said when pressed about his birth certificate. "I don't think I'm 40. When you get older, you get smarter. You do the right things, train better, train smarter, rest more, eat healthier, live a healthier lifestyle. I think age helps you sometimes."
Attitude helps too. This past week, the Los Angeles Times reported that as a Finnish TV crew trailed after him in the days leading up to the Predators series, Selanne quipped: "I feel like Kim Kardashian. I'm keeping up with the Kardashians."
In a more private moment, he added: "I don't think age matters as much as long as you feel young and healthy. If you're not healthy, you cannot succeed in this league. The lockout year, when I got my knee surgery done, really gave me a chance to come back and play the same level I played at earlier. That's really what saved my career, for sure."
In the meantime, Selanne loves being part of the Ducks.
"This is a team sport," he said. "You are exactly as good as your weakest link. That's why you need everybody. It's not just about yourself. Everybody else has to raise their level too."
Undoubtedly that was the rallying cry going into Friday night's second game against Nashville.