[panoo]

TSN.ca Staff
12/6/2006 4:53:07 PM

Florida Panthers centre Joe Nieuwendyk has been forced to retire because of recurring back problems. Nieuwendyk announced his retirement Wednesday.

Nieuwendyk, 40, in his twentieth NHL season, scored eight points while playing just 15 of the team's first 29 games, because of injuries. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that he visited a back specialist in Cleveland last Friday.

Nieuwendyk Bio

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[BE-LEAF-ABLE]

That's a shame. Even at 40 he was a pretty good player in the NHL.

He got something like 56 points in 65 games last year. Quite impressive.

He didn't go out too good, but he'll be remembered for being a great leader in the NHL, winning 3 Stanley Cup and scoring countless big goals. Time and Time again he was clutch when it mattered most:

In the playoffs.