Veteran defenceman Tom Poti retires after 14 NHL seasons

Thursday, 05.01.2014 / 3:35 PM The Canadian Press

TORONTO - Veteran defenceman Tom Poti has announced his retirement after 14 NHL seasons.

Poti played in 824 regular NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and the Washington Capitals. He scored 69 goals added 258 assists for 327 regular season points.

Poti was an all-star with the Rangers in 2003 and helped the United States win a silver medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

"I was very fortunate to play in the National Hockey League for 14 years. It was a dream come true and I had an awesome ride and met so many great people along the way," Poti said in a statement. "I'd like to thank my family and my wife and children for all their love and support."

The six-foot-three, 190-pound native of Worcester, Mass., was a steady point-producer in his career but also a consistent team leader in shot blocking and penalty killing. He averaged 22:34 in ice-time per game, recorded a plus-minus of plus-44 and also accumulated 586 penalty minutes.

Poti, 37, also helped his teams reach the playoffs seven times, averaging 22:56 in ice-time per game and recording 19 points in 51 playoff games.

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