Source: TSN.ca
Niedermayer may still return this season
It came as a surprise to almost everyone in the hockey world when reports surfaced this summer that Anaheim Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer was seriously considering retirement - just after leading the team to its first Stanley Cup.
But when the 33-year-old NHL veteran returned to his hometown of Cranbrook, B.C., with teammate and brother Rob to show off the Cup on Monday, he admitted that a return next season is still very much a possibility.
"Obviously, it's a lot different after the Stanley Cup playoffs," Niedermayer told TSN. "You're tired, you've been through a long year. And after having some time off, you're feeling better physically."
The Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP informed general manager Brian Burke of the possibility of retirement during the players' exit interviews a few days after Anaheim won its championship. But a couple of months away from the ice has the future Hall of Famer in a somewhat different mindset.
Burke has given his captain as much time and space as possible to make a decision, and signed unrestricted free agent defenceman Mathieu Schneider to a two-year contract on July 1 as a contingency plan.
Niedermayer fully endorsed the team's offseason moves, and Burke has already said that the four-time Stanley Cup winner would be welcomed with open arms if he returned.
"I wanted to him (Burke) to try and know where I was at, especially at that time," said Niedermayer. "As a teammate, you want to support and help your teammates as much as possible. Whether you're on the ice or whether you're not, you want to at least help your teammates and do the right thing. That's what I thought, and Brian said 'we can make it work any way you want it to work.' It's a big decision and hopefully I can come up with the right one at the right time."
Niedermayer, New Jersey's first choice, third overall in the 1991 NHL entry draft, has 140 goals and 608 points in 1,053 career regular-season games - including a career-high 69 points in 79 games this past season. He also added 11 points in 21 playoff games, giving him 86 career points in 183 career games.
Niedermayer - who turns 34 next Monday - is the only player in hockey history to have won the Stanley Cup, Memorial Cup, world junior gold, men's world gold, Olympic gold, and a World Cup of Hockey title.
