Joe Sakic to Retire

One of the league’s top players for the greater part of the last twenty years is calling it quits. It has been reported that long time Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic will make it official Thursday. Sakic was the first round pick (15^th overall) of the then Quebec Nordiques in 1987, played a full season in 1988-1989 and never looked back. He eclipsed the 100 point mark six times in his career including 120 points in 1995-1996 and 118 points in 2000-2001, both seasons resulted in Stanley Cup Championships for the Colorado Avalanche. Not only was it a pleasure to watch him perform on the ice, but it was even greater to see him do it year in and year out for the same organization the whole time. It is especially rare in the age of free agency to see one person stay with one team throughout his career in any sport so it was refreshing that Sakic did that. Sakic’s two Staley Cup rings, 13 all-star team selections, and Olympic Gold Medal will surely land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame once he’s eligible in a few years; but staying on one team all those years is as good an accomplishment as any of those mentioned. It is too bad that injuries hampered him the last two years but he and his teams gave us a lot of great memories before that and some very entertaining hockey which was an honor to watch. Hopefully he stays close to hockey in his post-playing career for the NHL can certainly use someone like him as an ambassador for the game. So congrats to Joe Sakic and good luck to him in retirement.