Messier hangs up his skates after 25 seasons

NEW YORK -- Mark Messier was 30 and already a five-time Stanley Cup champion when it was time to leave the hometown Edmonton Oilers.

That was the summer of 1991, three years after Wayne Gretzky's stunning trade to Los Angeles and a year removed from the Oilers' fifth title in seven years. The dynasty was over and Messier was the latest big star about to be shipped out.

Glen Sather, the man who built the team and ran it from the bench during the glory years, asked Messier where he wanted to go. The answer was the New York Rangers, a team that hadn't won a Stanley Cup since 1940.

On Monday, the stone-jawed captain said goodbye, announcing his retirement after a 25-year career and six championships -- including the one in 1994 that ended the Rangers' drought. He is second only to Gretzky on the NHL's career scoring list.

It took only three seasons for Messier to deliver with the Rangers and cement himself as one of the greatest leaders in team sports.

"He had the biggest influence on my career by far of any player that I played with," said Boston defenseman Brian Leetch, a Rangers' player from 1988-04. "I wish everyone could have had an opportunity to be in the locker room with him and see his dedication to his teammates and to winning."

Messier became a star in Edmonton in the 1980s and a headliner on Broadway in the '90s. But the end of his career couldn't come close to matching the early part. His final seven seasons all finished without a postseason appearance -- three in Vancouver after his first departure from New York and four more in his second stint with the Rangers.

Messier leaves with 1,887 NHL regular-season points, 970 fewer than Gretzky and 37 more than third-place Gordie Howe.

"He was an exceptional leader who was unselfish, hardworking and dedicated. He truly loved the game," Gretzky said. "He was the best player I ever played with."

Messier always did things on his terms, and his retirement is no different. After a year off, he wasn't spurred to play again even though he is only six goals away from 700 -- a mark reached by only six players -- and 11 games short of tying Howe's record of 1,767.

"I never thought about any individual records," Messier said. "Coming back to break any records, especially that record, wasn't all that appealing to me."

Messier scored 109 playoff goals, 13 fewer than Gretzky, and set up 186 others.