American Langenbrunner retires after 16 seasons
(Reuters) - Jamie Langenbrunner announced his retirement from the National Hockey League on Wednesday after a career that spanned 16 seasons and included two Stanley Cups championships. Known as a versatile and dependable forward, Langenbrunner was also a two-time Olympian and captain of the silver medal-winning U.S. ice hockey team at the 2010 Vancouver Games. "The friendships I developed with my team mates, and also the people in the communities where I played, will always be cherished by my family and I," Langenbrunner, 38, said in a statement released by the NHL Players' Association. Langenbrunner scored 243 goals and 420 assists for 663 points in 1,109 games during a career spent with the Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues. He made his NHL debut with Dallas late in the 1994-95 season and solidified himself as a full-time player during the 1996-97 campaign. Langenbrunner's clutch play during the 1999 playoffs helped lead the Stars to their first Stanley Cup title. In 2002, Langenbrunner was traded to New Jersey as part of a blockbuster deal that re-shaped both franchises. He won a second Stanley Cup a year later and had his best statistical season with the Devils when he recorded career-highs in goals (29), points (69) and plus-minus (+25) in 2008-09. Langenbrunner returned to the Stars organization for the last half of the 2010-11 season before signing with St. Louis in the offseason. He has not played since suffering a hip injury last February. (Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Gene Cherry)
