Paul Kariya, who led the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to within one game of a Stanley Cup title and won an Olympic gold medal for Canada, announced his retirement from the National Hockey League (NHL) on Wednesday after a 15-season career that was cut short by concussions.
The 36-year-old, twice a winner of the NHL's Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship, formally called it quits more than a year after he played his last game and sat out the entire 2010-11 season for the St. Louis Blues.
"Today, I announce my retirement from professional hockey," Kariya said in a statement released by his agent.
"I would like to thank all of those who have been part of so many great memories - my teammates, coaches, team management and staff."
Kariya finishes his career with 402 goals and 587 assists in 989 games with Anaheim, the Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators and St. Louis.
While Kariya spent his last three seasons playing for the St. Louis Blues, the seven-time All-Star is best known for the nine seasons he spent in California.
His best offensive season with the Mighty Ducks, now known as the Anaheim Ducks, came in 1995-96 when he had a career-high 50 goals to go along with 58 assists.
In 2003 Kariya led Anaheim to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost in a decisive seventh game to the New Jersey Devils. He was knocked unconscious during the series after a hit from Devils defenseman Scott Stevens.
Kariya played for Canada in two Olympics, winning a silver medal in 1994 and a gold medal in 2002. He was unable to play in the 1998 Olympics because of a concussion suffered ahead of the Nagano Games.
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