Stars legend hangs up his skates

FRISCO, Texas –  Longtime Dallas Stars defenseman Jere Lehtinen officially announced his retirement from the National Hockey League on Wednesday. Lehtinen, 37, was selected 88th overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the then Minnesota North Stars and played 14 seasons in the NHL (1995-2010), all with the Stars organization.

An excellent two-way player, Lehtinen appeared in 875 regular season games for Dallas, scoring 243 goals and 271 assists for 514 points with 210 penalty minutes. Lehtinen also played in 108 playoff games for the Stars, tallying 27 goals and 22 assists for 49 points and 12 penalty minutes. He won the Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999, assisting on Brett Hull’s Cup-clinching goal in Game Six at Buffalo.
Lehtinen considered retiring after last season, his third straight season limited by injuries. The Stars left open the possibility for his return this season, but Lehttinen remained undecided when training camp opened in September. His final decision was made recently and the announcement yesterday was bittersweet for Lehtinen and his fans. Lehtinen released the following statement to the press and public:
“First of all, I wanted to thank Joe Nieuwendyk and the Stars organization for giving me some time to come to this decision. They respected the fact that I wanted to be 100 percent sure prior to making this announcement, and I appreciated that. It’s a tough decision due to the fact that you play hockey your entire life and then must decide to stop playing. However, I choose to focus on all the great times I had playing over the past 15 seasons, understanding that I am very fortunate to have played all those years with one organization. The memories I have playing in Dallas will never be forgotten and I will always be proud of the fact that I finished my career where I started it. There are so many people that have positively influenced my career, including the entire Dallas Stars organization, the coaches, the players, the trainers, the fans and most importantly, my family. To all of those people I want to say thank you. Everybody that touched my career in some facet, whether small or large, had an impact on me and I will always remember that. Thank you.”
Lehtinen among Stars’ all-time franchise leaders:

• Ranks 8th in franchise history in all-time scoring (514 points)
• Ranks 3rd in franchise history in games played (875)
• Ranks 7th in franchise history in goal scoring (243)
• Ranks 10th in assists (271)
• Ranks 1st in +/- (+176)
• Ranks 3rd in game-winning goals (37)
• Ranks 4th in playoff games played (108)
• Ranks 6th in playoff goals (27)

Other notable career accomplishments

Won Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward) three times (’98, ’99, ’03) – One of only four players in NHL history to win three-or-more (also Bob Gainey, 4, Guy Carbonneau, 3, and Pavel Datsyuk, 3).

Was nominated for the Selke Trophy six times.

Led the Stars in goal scoring in three seasons:

• ‘06-07: 26 goals
• ‘05-06: 33 goals
• ‘02-03: 31 Goals

Remains the only Finnish player in history to win both a Stanley Cup (1999) and a gold medal at the World Championships (1995).

Played in five Winter Olympic tournaments for Finland (1994- bronze; 1998- bronze; 2002; 2006 – silver, 2010 – bronze).

Chosen to play in the NHL All-Star Game twice (1998, 2002 – did not play due to injury).

Notched seven 20-goal seasons over his career, only Mike Modano (16) and Brian Bellows (10) have more in team history. Lehtinen, who lives in the Dallas area and summers in his native Finland has said he would like to remain in hockey, but has no immediate plans for the future. While the Dallas Stars organization does not have any immediate plans to honor Lehtinen, fans can expect a tribute for the longtime winger sometime in the near future. Contact the author at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com