From 9news Denver:
Joe Sakic, the long-time center and captain of the Colorado Avalanche, will announce his retirement on Thursday, 9NEWS has learned.
The news of his impending retirement came Tuesday – his 40th birthday.
Sakic plans to hold a news conference at the Inverness Hotel at 1 p.m. on Thursday to officially make his annoucement.
He has been in the NHL for 20 seasons – joining the organization when they were the Quebec Nordiques. He was the 15th overall pick by the Nordiques in the 1987 NHL Draft.
The center was a driving force in guiding the Avalanche to two Stanley Cup championships in 1996 and 2001.
Sakic’s best season statistically was the 1995-1996 championship campaign – the first as the Colorado Avalanche. He scored 51 goals, 69 assists and 120 points through a full 82-game season. It’s no surprise his second-best season was when the Avs won their second cup after the 2000-01 season, recording 54 goals and 64 assists.
After that season, his numbers drastically dropped. His best season after winning the second Stanley Cup was the 2006-07 campaign when he scored 36 goals and had 64 assists for 100 points.
Sakic has not played with the team since Nov. 28, 2008, when he was active in one shift of a 2-1 loss to Phoenix. He only played in 15 games during the 2008-09 season, scoring two goals and making 10 assists. Sakic’s last game with a goal was on Oct. 25 in 1 4-1 win over Edmonton.
The 2008-09 season for Sakic was cut short after that game. He strained his back in the team weight room and then broke three fingers attempting to clear snow from a mechanical snowblower at his home.
Very sad day in the hockey world….
