Red Wings forward Dallas Drake retires after 16 seasons in NHL

last act in the NHL was hoisting the Stanley Cup. Not a bad way to cap 16 seasons as a pro. The Detroit Red Wings forward announced his retirement Tuesday, a month after he finally got to skate with hockey's Holy Grail. "I think it's a good way for me to go out," he said. The 39-year-old Drake said he's still mentally fit to play, but that "the wear and tear on my body" has become impossible to ignore. "I just don't recover very well anymore," he said. "Physically, I'm done." Drake ended the 2006-07 season on the Blues' injured reserve with a wrist injury. He has several minor injuries this season. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said Drake was "a big part of us winning the Stanley Cup this year." "The physical pounding that Dallas laid on the other teams' defences is something we didn't have in the last couple of... [read full story]