Veteran defenseman Redden retires

Veteran NHL defenseman Wade Redden announced his retirement Thursday.

Redden, 36, split last season between the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins after the New York Rangers bought out his contract. Redden spent the prior two seasons playing for their American Hockey League affiliate, then the Connecticut Whale.

"I would first and foremost like to thank my family and friends for their unconditional love and support. I would also like to thank my teammates, coaches and staff for all the great memories created throughout the years. To the fans, I appreciate all your support throughout my career," Redden said in a statement released by the NHL Players' Association. "Playing in the National Hockey League has been a dream come true and I feel very proud and privileged to have played more than 1,000 games in 14 NHL seasons."

The second pick in the 1995 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders, Redden was traded to the Ottawa Senators for a package that included the No. 1 pick that year, defenseman Bryan Berard.

Redden made his NHL debut with the Senators and played all 82 games in the 1996-97 season, the first of 11 he would spend in Ottawa. Redden scored a career-high 17 goals in 2003-04 and had a career-high 50 points in 2005-06. The following season, Redden helped the Senators make it to the Stanley Cup Final.

Redden signed a six-year, $39 million contract with the Rangers on July 1, 2008, but his statistics declined during his first two seasons and he ended up in Connecticut starting with the 2010-11 season.

Redden's return to the League last season allowed him to pass 1,000 career games. He finished with 109 goals and 457 points in 1,023 regular-season games and 13 goals and 49 points in 106 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Redden, born in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, accumulated a great deal of international experience playing for Canada. In 2004, he played in the World Cup of Hockey, helping Canada win gold, and he played in the 2006 Turin Olympics. Twice he helped Canada win gold at the World Junior Championship (1995, 1996). He also represented his country three times at the World Championship (1999, 2001, 2005).