Darcy Tucker Calls It Quits

  Veteran forward Darcy Tucker announced his retirement on Friday.

"After spending the whole summer anticipating I would play, it got to a point where I knew it was time. I just knew, during workouts I didn't have that same feeling," Tucker told TSN, "and I needed to be fair with my family."

  The 35 year-old Castor, Alberta native gave 14 years of service to the National Hockey League split between Montreal, Tampa Bay, Toronto, and finally Colorado. In 947 NHL games Tucker scored 215 goals and 261 assists for 476 points and 1,410 penalty minutes.

  Last season, he played his second and final year with the Colorado Avalanche where he posted 10 goals and 24 points with 47 PIMs in 71 games. In a game against the Carolina Hurricanes Tucker’s final season was marred by a concussion sustained by Tuomo Ruutu, who was suspended three games for the hit. Tucker himself said he never felt right after the hit, but was able to come back before the seasons’ end.

  Though capturing hearts of fans in every team he played with, he will be most known for his eight years spent with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

  Many fans loved him for his aggressiveness, but many fans equally despised him, and branded him as a dirty player. Tucker was a "love him, or hate him" type of player, but as he looks back, he has few regrets, even though at times he knows he crossed the line.

"Obviously things happen that you regret, but I left it all out there. There are things I did that I wasn't proud of, but those were the things that kept me in the game," Tucker said.

"I am very proud of how hard I played, especially in Toronto. I regret not winning a Stanley Cup in Toronto, that would be the ultimate for any player."

"It was difficult to play in Toronto, it wasn't easy, but I took it as a compliment, and I thrived on it. I loved the pressure there," Tucker added.

  Tucker wasn’t the largest player on the ice, but he played like he was. In brute strength, hitting ability, fighting, and trash talking the 5’10 180lbs. forward played like a much bigger man. Tucker would never stand down or hesitate to lay a devastating hit, and his abilities stretched further than just his ability to muck it up. Tucker actually possessed a descent amount of hockey sense and offensive ability.

  The feisty agitator never did win a Stanley Cup, but he does relish his accomplishments both in the NHL, and at the Junior level which includes 3 Memorial Cup Championships with the WHL's Kamloops Blazers and a World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal. Tucker’s offensive ability stuck with him into his NHL season as he had five 20 goals seasons with the Leafs, but his scoring prowess stemmed from his Junior days where he tallied 150 goals and 379 points in 223 games. Tucker appeared in the post season six times in efforts with lift the Cup, but after 14 years it is a void he will never fulfill as a player.

  Tucker takes great pride in these stats, and is thankful for the support his family has given him since childhood.

"I deeply appreciate where I came from and how I got to where I am. I wouldn't be where I am today with the help and support of my parents and my wife, Shannon." He said.

"I'm proud to have played in the NHL for as long as I did and I'm thrilled about the next chapter in my life, and I want to say thank you to all my fans and the people who have always been behind me."

  Tucker now will be working his way into player agent status in the future, keeping some ties with the game he loved.

- Kendall Grubbs