Tuesday, June 19, 2007

NHL: Retirement in the Cards for Niedermayer?

In the National Hockey League, winning the Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal. Some players can brag they have claimed it at least once, and some of the most elite have had the chance to skate with it twice. Yet one player in the NHL has lifted Lord Stanley's Cup not once, not twice, but four times in his illustrious career. This would be all-star defense man and current captain of the Anaheim Ducks, Scott Niedermayer. Niedermayer played with the New Jersey Devil dynasty, winning the Stanley Cup three times; in 1995, 2000, and 2003. After being traded away, he played with the Ducks and his younger brother Rob Niedermayer, and found success with the system, and this year won the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in his career. Yet after achieving the most sought after goal in sports, is there any reason for the champ to stick around? I mean look at his resume: Four Stanley Cup rings with two different teams, A Norris trophy for best defense man, and a Conn Smythe for playoff MVP with the Ducks. And although he may retire at a young age, 33, Niedermayer has been in the NHL for a good deal of time, and his opinion was received well by his former defensive line mate Scott Stevens, who retired as the New Jersey Devils' captain after 22 seasons in the NHL. Stevens shared his wisdom with his former teammate and friend as Niedermayer came to a critical juncture in his career, "You look at what he's done, he's won everything you can pretty much win," said Stevens. "And sometimes that's a factor in retiring, when you've done it all."

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