From Sergei Zubov to Mike Modano to Marty Turco, Dallas Stars fans have seen several players with storied ties to the franchise move on in the last few years.
Jere Lehtinen had basically moved on as well, lingering in free-agent limbo after the Stars opted not to re-sign him last summer. (Ed. Note: A few readers have pointed out that the decision was with Jere here, not the Stars.)
There were strong indications in August that he was going to hang up the skates, but his decision only became official Wednesday: After 14 seasons, all with the Dallas Stars, the 37-year-old winger has retired from the NHL.
From the Stars, here's Lehtinen:
"First of all, I wanted to thank Joe Nieuwendyk and the Stars organization for giving me some time to come to this decision. They respected the fact that I wanted to be 100 percent sure prior to making this announcement, and I appreciated that.
"It's a tough decision due to the fact that you play hockey your entire life and then must decide to stop playing. However, I choose to focus on all the great times I had playing over the past 15 seasons, understanding that I am very fortunate to have played all those years with one organization. The memories I have playing in Dallas will never be forgotten and I will always be proud of the fact that I finished my career where I started it.
"There are so many people that have positively influenced my career, including the entire Dallas Stars organization, the coaches, the players, the trainers, the fans and most importantly, my family. To all of those people I want to say thank you. Everybody that touched my career in some facet, whether small or large, had an impact on me and I will always remember that. Thank you."
Defending Big D saw the moment thusly:
He took his time, and Joe Nieuwendyk allowed him the space he needed to make a good decision and to get it right. He now feels as though he's done that and can move onto a life with his wife and kids that he so richly deserves after giving Stars fans so many special memories and performances over the years including the 1999 Stanley Cup Championship and 3 Selke Trophies (six nominations).
There's no question that based on his recent numbers and durability, he'd reached the end of the line. But there's also no question that he leaves a legacy that speaks louder than the understated Finn ever did.
He was a perfect complimentary player on winning teams: Outworking others and eating up ice time as one of the league's finest two-way forwards. Ten goals in the Stars' 1999 Cup run can't be ignored, either.
He remains the only Finnish player in history to win both a Stanley Cup (1999) and a gold medal at the World Championships (1995), and he's one of only four players in NHL history to win three-or-more Selkes (also Bob Gainey, four, Guy Carbonneau, three, and Pavel Datsyuk, three).
Lehtinen might be the most underrated player in Dallas Stars' history ... something that, hopefully, will be remedied for at least one night when his No. 26 is raised to the rafters.
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