Sept. 12: Messier retires from NHL after 25 seasons

THIS DATE IN HISTORY: Sept. 12
2005:
Mark Messier
announces his retirement after 25 seasons in the NHL.

Though Messier is a key figure in the Edmonton Oilers run of five
Stanley Cup championships
in seven seasons from
1983-84
through
1989-90
, he makes a bigger splash with the New York Rangers after being acquired in a trade with the Oilers on Oct. 4, 1991. Messier wins the
Hart Trophy
as MVP in his first season with the Rangers; two years later, he scores
the winning goal in Game 7
of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks to give New York its
first championship
since
1940
.

Messier finishes his NHL career with 1,887 points (694 goals, 1,193 assists) in 1,756 games. Only longtime teammate
Wayne Gretzky
has more points at the time Messier retires, and only
Gordie Howe
has played in more games.
"It's been a long career and I've achieved a lot," the 44-year-old says. "There was nothing really left of me to achieve."
The Rangers announce they will retire Messier's No. 11 on Jan. 12, 2006, prior to a game against the Oilers.

MORE MOMENTS
1941:The New York Americans officially change the designation of their home city to Brooklyn for the 1941-42 season. The Americans practice in Brooklyn and have their offices there, though they continue to play their home games at Madison Square Garden. They hope to build a new arena in Brooklyn, but World War II forces the Americans to postpone those plans. In their one season as the Brooklyn Americans,
they finish 16-29 with three ties
, last in the seven-team NHL. However, the Americans suspend operations in 1942 and later fold, leaving the NHL with what becomes known as the Original Six for the next quarter century.
1979:At age 31,
Bobby Orr
becomes the youngest member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Orr is inducted less than a year after he plays his final NHL game (Nov. 8, 1978) before being forced to retire because of knee injuries. Ironically, one of the other inductees is longtime NHL defenseman
Harry Howell
, the last player to win the
Norris Trophy
before Orr wins it eight years in a row from 1967-75. Also inducted are Montreal Canadiens center
Henri Richard
, an 11-time Stanley Cup winner, and Gordon Juckes, who's honored as a builder.