NEW YORK -- Brendan Shanahan is retiring from the NHL after 21 seasons and an almost certain Hall of Fame career.
The 40-year-old forward announced yesterday that he wouldn't play again.
After going through training camp with the New Jersey Devils, the team he spent his final season with, he and the club mutually parted shortly before opening night of the season.
"I would like to thank my family and all of the friends who have helped me achieve and maintain my childhood dream of playing in the National Hockey League," Shanahan said in a statement released by the NHL.
"While I always dreamed of playing in the NHL, I can't honestly say that I would have ever imagined that I'd be this fortunate and blessed.
"I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has helped me achieve this dream."
Shanahan, who scored 656 career goals, decided to leave the Devils in October one day after he was told there was no spot for him on New Jersey's top three lines.
He has not played this season.
Shanahan ranks 11th on the league's career goals list and is the only player with 600 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes.
The eight-time all-star also played for St. Louis, Hartford, Detroit and the New York Rangers.
He won three Stanley Cup titles with Detroit.
"He's the best," said Rangers forward Sean Avery, a teammate of Shanahan's with New York and Detroit.
Now that his playing days are done, Shanahan could be a fit for the NHL Players' Association, which is in a state of flux following the firing of executive director Paul Kelly and the resignations of several union officials over the past few months.
