Niedermayer Hangs Up the Skates
On Tuesday, Scott Niedermayer decided to retire from the National Hockey League upon the expiration of his current contract with the Anaheim Ducks on July 1. This brings to an end the career of perhaps the NHL’s most illustrious defender. Niedermayer has achieved the most success of any player in NHL history, and is the only player to have won every major North American and international championship.
Niedermayer’s victories include four Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals, the World Cup, the Memorial Cup, and golds at the IIHF World Championship and the World Junior Championship. He also won the NHL’s Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman in 2003-04. That same year Niedermayer was also awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for being the most valuable player throughout the playoffs during the Ducks’ 2007 championship winning season.
Niedermayer was born in Edmonton but grew up in Cranbook, British Columbia. After success as a youth player, he joined the Kamloops Blazers of the Canadian Hockey League in 1989. As a rookie, Niedermayer scored 14 goals and had a total of 69 points while leading the Blazers to the Memorial Cup. The following year he improved further, and had 26 goals and 82 points. He also played a crucial role in Canada’s victory at the World Junior Championship.
He began his NHL career with the New Jersey Devils after being drafted third overall in the 1991 draft. The Devils converted him from an offensive defenseman to a tighter shutdown role, though Niedermayer’s offensive production was still impressive for his position. Even as a rookie for the Devils, Niedermayer amassed 40 points. He won his first three Stanley Cups with the Devils, in 94-95, 99-00, and 02-03.
After his success with the Devils, Niedermayer signed with Anaheim in 2005. Under Nidermayer’s captaincy, the Ducks won the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals. Prior to acquiring Niedermayer, the Ducks had missed the playoffs in four of the previous five years. In his five years with the team, the Ducks have only missed the playoffs once.
When describing his career, Niedermayer said: "I could not have dreamed of such an amazing journey...I wouldn't have believed it if someone told me this is going to be your career. I've been very lucky."
Throughout the conference, Niedermayer remained a consummate professional and made sure to note that all of his successes have stemmed from being surrounded by talented teammates and coaches. When asked, those former teammates and coaches had nothing but praise for the defensive legend.
Former Devils defenseman Bruce Driver, who played for the Devils from 1987 to 1995, had this to say: “I watched him grow as a hockey player. A lot of people point to the huge goal he scored against Detroit when we won in 1995, when he went end-to-end. People compared it to a Bobby Orr or Paul Coffey rush. It opened a lot of eyes to the ability and speed that he had...He skated so smoothly that sometimes it looked like he wasn't working hard, but that's experience and that fluid stride he had. He could go from first to fifth gear in a hurry. There weren't a lot of us who could skate the way he could.”
Niedermayer finishes his career with a total of 740 points in 1,263 games, for an average of 0.59 points per game. This consists of 172 goals and 568 assists. 39 of his career goals are classified as game winners. He was also a dominant playoff performer, with 98 points in 202 games.
Niedermayer will easily make it into the Hall of Fame, but it is unfortunate for the NHL to lose such a dynamic player. Even though he turns 37 next season, teams were still interested in attempting to sign him if he were to enter free agency. While Niedermayer has toyed with the idea of retirement previously, in 2007 and 2008, it appears as if this time he is done for good.
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