Several veteran players have announced their retirement. Four of them will be looking to make the Hall of Fame in 2008. They are Scott Stevens, Al MacInnis, Ron Francis, and Mark Messier.
Stevens and MacInnis were two of the best defensemen to ever play the game. Stevens won the Stanley Cup three times with the New Jersey Devils. He had one of the most devistating bodychecks in the game, forcing players to keep their heads up as they crossed into his zone. MacInnis was known for having the hardest shot in the league. Many opponents would jump away in fear of what would happen if they were hit. Both defensemen might have played last year, had their been a season. Neither had the chance to return from injuries that forced them from the ice. They will be missed by their teams and by fans.
Ron Francis quietly won two Stanley Cup championships with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992. He was a solid two-way center, and a leader. He captained the 2002 Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Detroit Redwings in five games. Francis scored the game winning goal in overtime in the first game of the series, in Detroit.
Mark Messier over shadows all of these great players. Messier teamed with Wayne Gretzky to win four Stanley Cup championships in Edmonton in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988. In 1990, Messier captained a Gretzky-less Oilers to one more Stanley Cup Championship. Back then, he was called Moose. But it was in New York, playing for the Rangers, that Messier truly stepped out Gretzky's shadow. In 1994, the Rangers found themselves down 3-2 to the New Jersey Devils in the conference finals. Messier perdicted the Rangers would win the series, and then scored a hatrick in the Rangers' game six win. They won games seven, and defeated the Vancouver Cunucks to win the Stanley Cup finals. It had been 54 years since the Rangers won the Stanley Cup Championship. Messier was dubbed the Messiah, and the nickname stuck.
Even with former teammate Kevin Lowe, now general manager of the Edmonton Oilers, offering Messier a place on the team, Messier has chose to retire. Just games shy of breaking Gordie Howe's record for games played in the NHL, the 44 year old Messier said he isn't interested in pursuing records. He is content to leave with his legacy as is.
Messier, Francis, Stevens, and MacInnis, all captains at various times in their careers, will greatly be missed. It's not often that the NHL takes a hit like this in one season, and next year it may take another. Chris Chelios of the Detroit Redwings is now the oldest player in the league at 43, and he'll be 44 before the season ends. Steve Yzerman, captain of the Redwings, is returning for what everyone assumes will be his last year, at 40. There are others around the league, like Peter Bondra, who signed with Atlanta, Brett Hull in Phoenix, and Luc Robitaille in L.A. Mario Lemieux says he wants to play another three or four years, but deep down, he's probably not sure just how much more his body can take.
Hopefully, as these great players make their exits, a new and just as great generation of stars will emerge. That always seems to be the way it works. Gretzky came into the league just afer Bobby Orr retired. Now, Sidney Crosby is entering, and Dany Heatley has moved to Ottawa in the hopes that a new environment will help him overcome his demons and allow him to discover his full potential.
Time will tell, but one thing is certain, there will never be another Mark Messier, just like there will never be another Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, or Bobby Orr. Messier may not have dominated the way they did, but it was his leadership and determination that will forever make him stand out on his own.
