Sakic ready to announce retirement
Joe Sakic, the Colorado Avalanche's longtime captain who led the team to two Stanley Cup titles, will announce his retirement tomorrow and end his 20-year NHL career, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because Sakic, a 13-time All-Star, will formally announce his decision in a news conference.
Sakic, who turned 40 yesterday, has been the face of the franchise since the team relocated to Denver from Quebec City in 1995. He teamed with Patrick Roy, Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote to capture the Stanley Cup in 1996 and 2001. He also led Team Canada to an Olympic gold medal in 2002.
But injuries over the last 2 years curtailed Sakic's playing time. He missed most of the 2008-09 season because of an aching back that required surgery to repair a herniated disk. He also damaged three fingers on his left hand in a snowblower accident.
Sakic will retire among the NHL's career scoring leaders. He is eighth in points (1,641), 11th in assists (1,016) and 14th in goals (625).
Noteworthy
* The Maple Leafs have signed "The Monster," 24-year-old Swedish goaltender Jonas Gustavsson, to a 1-year contract. Gustavsson is "considered to be the best goaltender not playing in the NHL today," Leafs general manager Brian Burke said in a statement.
* Penguins forward Maxime Talbot will miss training camp and the beginning of the season after having surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Talbot scored both goals in Pittsburgh's 2-1 victory in Game 7 against Detroit in the Stanley Cup finals.
* The Dallas Stars have signed free-agent defenseman Jeff Woywitka, formerly with St. Louis, to a 2-year deal. *
