So long to Sakic - 7-10-09

We were hesitant to write anything about Joe Sakic's retirement until yesterday when it became official. Not only did we wish against reality that Sakic would announce he was coming back for another season, we also hoped he would proclaim to the world that he would move the entire Avalanche franchise back to Quebec for one last magical season.

But alas, Burnaby Joe has hung up his skates.

There shouldn't be a hockey fan of any alligience who isn't saddened by this expected news.

Seemingly no fan base, outside of Detroit, Vancouver and maybe Dallas, had a problem with Sakic. And even with those fans in rival markets, Sakic wasn't reviled the way Sidney Crosby is in places like Detroit or Philadelphia. About the worse thing you ever heard about Sakic was fear of his wrist shot when the game was on the line.

We're going to miss Sakic quite a bit as hockey fans. There was something about the Avalanche teams of the mid 1990s to early 2000s that seemed to excite anyone interested in the sport. When most teams were trying to bog down play and win games, 2-1, in the "dead puck" era, the Avalanche was trying to run and gun and beat you with 5-2 scores. And Sakic was the centerpiece of that offensive approach. When Avalanche games were on ESPN or ESPN2, you knew you would see something fun. You would see hockey played "correctly."

Sakic was one of the final few links to not only the Nordiques, but the high-flying brand of hockey of the 1980s and early 1990s. His first season with 100 points or more was 1989-90 when he had 102 for the sad-sack Nordiques who only won 12 games. That 102 points was good enough for 11th in the league's scoring race. Eleventh. Mario Lemieux had 123 for heaven's sake and was fourth.

That's probably what most people will remember about Sakic. His production. He just scored. Regardless of the era, he produced points. He had six 100 points seasons including one two seasons ago at the age of 37. That's an impressive feat considering he played much of his career when clutching and grabbing were essentially legal forms of defense.

The Penguins sure won't miss him. He ripped them up for 63 points in 40 career games.

The part of Sakic's game we'll always remember is his clutch, clutch scoring. Give him a few inches or a few seconds in the slot, he could bury a wrist shot on any goaltender in any game of consequence. He holds the NHL record for playoff overtime goals with eight. To put that into perspective, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier and Mario Lemieux never scored in a playoff overtime.

Additionally, Sakic's total of 19 career game-winning playoff goals is the fourth-best mark in NHL history.

If you're a hockey fan, you should feel a little like this kid in this video today. Hockey got a little less fun with Joe Sakic stepping away.

(Photos: Avalanche-Photobucket; Nordiques-The Quebec Nordiques Unoffiical Home Page)