Rangers winger Martin St. Louis retires after 16 NHL seasons

New York Rangers winger Martin St. Louis has retired from the NHL after 16 seasons.

New York Rangers winger Martin St. Louis has retired from the NHL after 16 seasons, he announced Thursday.

“I have been blessed to play for 16 years in the NHL; it has been an amazing ride,” St. Louis said in a statement. “I would like to thank the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers organizations and owners for providing me the opportunity to play the sport I love for so many years. I could have never played for so long or accomplished all that I have without the unwavering love and support from my wife, Heather, our three sons, Ryan, Lucas, and Mason, and my parents.”

Larry Brooks of the New York Post​ reported last month that St. Louis was unlikely to return to the Rangers. 

St. Louis, 40, played 1,134 regular-season games, primarily with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He scored 391 goals and recorded 642 assists in his 16-year career.

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The undersized winger led the league in scoring in the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season at age 37, becoming the oldest player in NHL history to do so. He asked the Lightning to trade him during the 2013–14 season and he was dealt to the Rangers in exchange for Ryan Callahan and multiple draft picks. St. Louis then led the Rangers in goals during their run to the Stanley Cup final. 

St. Louis had 21 goals this season, his fewest in a non-lockout-shortened season since 2001–02.

- Dan Gartland