"Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer confirmed to the Register that he will retire on Tuesday, ending his 18-year NHL career as one of hockey's best and most decorated defensemen in his generation.
Niedermayer did not comment on his decision but will do so when he and general manager Bob Murray meet with the media in a 1 p.m. press conference at Honda Center.
The stalwart defender notified Murray of his intentions in a conversation Monday night as he went through with a decision that he has contemplated for each of the last four seasons after he led the Ducks to their first and only Stanley Cup triumph in 2007.
Though he spent just five seasons in a Ducks uniform, the steely Niedermayer made an instant impact by giving the club an air of legitimacy when he signed as a free agent in 2005 and carried an underdog club to the Western Conference finals before falling to the Edmonton Oilers.
Spending four of those five years as captain, Niedermayer earned his place in franchise lore by shepherding the Ducks to the ultimate prize the next season while winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs.
The championship realized a dream of his as he handed the Cup off to his brother, Rob, after their five-game victory over the Ottawa Senators. The two had battled for the Cup in 2003 when Scott's New Jersey Devils beat Rob's then-Mighty Ducks in a seven-game final.
As the star of the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, Niedermayer was considered one of the most promising and talented defensemen ever out of Canadian major junior hockey when he was selected third overall in the 1991 NHL entry draft by New Jersey behind Eric Lindros and Pat Falloon.
Niedermayer established himself as an elite player during 13-plus seasons with the Devils where he teamed with rugged Hall of Fame defender Scott Stevens and goalie Martin Brodeur to form the backbone of a club that won Stanley Cups in 1995, 2000 and '03.
The cool and composed playmaker with one of the sport's most graceful strides on the ice earned his biggest individual honor when he won the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman in 2004, a season in which he largely took over for an oft-injured Stevens."
