Al MacInnis to Announce Retirement

[yh]

Here's the story.

This was pretty much a foregone conclusion as he'd really be risking serious and permanent eye damage if he chose to continue to play. I always admired MacInnis as a player and was elated as all hell when the Blues were able to trade for him in 1994. Aside from my childhood hero, Garry Unger, MacInnis will go down as my all-time favorite player to wear the Note. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have Al MacInnis as a member of the St. Louis sports community for the past 11 years and I hope that he will continue to maintain a residence here and continue to be a part of this community for many years to come.

I think it's a toss-up right now as to whether the Blues will retire #2. They've only retired four numbers (3-Bobby Gassoff, 8-Barclay Plager, 11-Brian Sutter, 24-Bernie Federko). Those guys all spent the majority of their careers with the Blues whereas MacInnis will still have logged more games as a Flame. However, he did spend nine years here, won a Norris trophy here, and will be the Blues' first non-Gretzky first ballot hall of famer. That may be enough to warrant raising the deuce to the rafters of the rink.

[CC97]

I'm sad to see him go... a great player, and apparently a really great guy.

Goalies across the league are breathing a sigh of relief, they won't have to worry about that 105mph slapshot with their new tiny equipment.

[Ez Street]

Damn, that sucks. I always liked Al. Was hoping to see him again in a Blues sweater.

Tap of the stick to #2.

[Cujo]

MacInnis was a class act. First-ballot HOFer all the way.

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Post #2,100

[-kj]

I'd like to see #2 raised to the Kiel roof, or at the very least given the unofficial #16 treatment. Mac was a damn fine player, likely my all-time favourite Blue.

It also wouldn't surprise me to see Calgary retire his number, given the number (and nature of the) seasons he spent there.

[Cujo]

I'd like to see #2 raised to the Kiel roof, or at the very least given the unofficial #16 treatment.

Are they just waiting for Hull of hang'em up for good, or is there some other reason why it's not being retired?

[Roger Clemente]

Probably the #1 question asked on the Cape over the past 15 months has finally been answered.

Easily the most accomplished athlete from Cape Breton, it was awesome how he made himself that much more a notorious player by having a legendary slapshot, a Conn Smythe trophy, and an Olympic Gold Medal to his name. His number deserves to hang from the Saddledome and likely from the Savvis too.

My hat's off to him. I bow, in fact. As a minority owner of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, I hope he puts in an appearance or two this year. His jersey is more than likely going to hang in the concourse of Centre 200, like most other famous Caper NHL players (There's even a NY Americans jersey hanging there, for who I don't know.)

It's not hard to say that the entire island loves him. We all are eager to say "Welcome Home!" with smiles all around.

--Roger "2" Clemente.

[STL FANATIC]

I think Al's number will get retired.

Does anybody know if an NHL player goes into the HOF team specifically? Like, will Al have to choose between the Flames and the Blues?

I had always hoped we could get him that Cup as a Blue...but it's not like we've gotten any other Blue that Cup...

Anyways, I read recently that Al has moved primarily to St. Louis, but I'm not sure if that's entirely true.

Back to the number thing, I'll note that Eric Brewer choose number 4 instead of number 2, because he knew who 2 belonged to. Whether that was because there was a chance of Al coming back, or because he figured it'd be retired, I don't know, but I suspect it was more in relation to the latter.

As for the Golden Brett...I'm rather sure they are just waiting for him to retire. There's been a couple of times the Blues have snubbed him, and vice versa probably, but I don't think they'd be THAT dumb. I'm still calling for Hullie as our trade deadline acquistion.

[pollux]

Does anybody know if an NHL player goes into the HOF team specifically? Like, will Al have to choose between the Flames and the Blues?

No. Unlike baseball, a player goes into the HOF as himself, not as a member of the team he chose to represent. This way, the merit goes to his entire career rather than the years he spent with a team.

I think this year, for example, Ray Bourque has been inducted to the HOF. Undeniably, he would have represented the Bruins, for which he played so many years. But he did win his only cup with the Avs...

IMO, it's better off this way, as the HOF recognizes a player for his skills, stats and sportsmanship over all seasons rather than what he accomplished with a particular team.

[Kess]

Sad for us, happy for Al. It wasn't worth the risk for him to come back. Add me to the "one of my all-time favorite Blues" list.

Thanks for everything, Chopper.

[yh]

1. Anyways, I read recently that Al has moved primarily to St. Louis, but I'm not sure if that's entirely true.

2. As for the Golden Brett...I'm rather sure they are just waiting for him to retire. There's been a couple of times the Blues have snubbed him, and vice versa probably, but I don't think they'd be THAT dumb. I'm still calling for Hullie as our trade deadline acquistion.

1. Yes, he has. I have seen him on a number of occasions eating breakfast at Schneithorsts' on Lindbergh and Clayton over the past year and I ran into him 2 weeks ago checking out (no pun intended) the new Polo stuff at the West County Lord & Taylor.

2. I think you are correct that they are waiting for him to retire, although I presume that whomever the new owners of the team wind up being will likely be the ones who make that call. If it turns out to be the local consortium being put together by the Shanahans and Tony's Novelly and Sansone, I'd say chances are good to excellent that #16 will be retired officially.

[Kess]

If it turns out to be the local consortium being put together by the Shanahans and Tony's Novelly and Sansone, I'd say chances are good to excellent that #16 will be retired officially.

What's the buzz up there, yh? Is there a good chance the local group will purchase the team? Have fears of the Blues moving died down?

At least we have real concerns, like training camp and line pairings to take our mind off the ownership woes.

[Roger Clemente]

I find it fitting that the best Nova Scotian to play in the NHL retires the very day the next great Nova Scotian signs his first NHL contract.

--Roger "Time?" Clemente.

[yh]

If it turns out to be the local consortium being put together by the Shanahans and Tony's Novelly and Sansone, I'd say chances are good to excellent that #16 will be retired officially.

What's the buzz up there, yh? Is there a good chance the local group will purchase the team? Have fears of the Blues moving died down?

At least we have real concerns, like training camp and line pairings to take our mind off the ownership woes.

I think it's looking pretty good that the group I mentioned before is in good posture to buy the team. The Kiel Opera House, a 2,000 seat theater and concert venue which is attached to Savvis (it's the Greek Revivalist building that fronts Market St.) was recently sold to developer Don Breckenridge. Concurrent with that sale was the sale of the old Abrams Federal Building next door which will be converted into a parking garage for the Opera House. It was believed that the Abrams Building sale would not have gone through had there not been assurances in place that the Blues were staying. Clearly there would have been no need to build a new garage if the Savvis garage was going to be available thanks to the lack of a long term tenant. SLU basketball is not considered a long term tenant because they are building their own arena and will be gone within 4 years. Accordingly, it would seem like the Shanahan group is likely getting close to finalizing the financial package that would allow the Lauries to get a sale done with minimal interference from the NHL. It's very well known that the Lauries want to get the team off their books asap and don't want to get hung up in NHL purgatory by a lengthy approval process.

[CC97]

I find it fitting that the best Nova Scotian to play in the NHL retires the very day the next great Nova Scotian signs his first NHL contract.

--Roger "Time?" Clemente.

Passing the torch...

[HatCityEnforcer]

Kinda had a feeling this was coming...

As a fan of a team far from St. Louis or Calgary, it was a treat to see Chopper do his thing out there whenever he made a visit to either the Hartford Civic Center or Madison Square Garden.

Props on a great career, Al...

[Stampman]

After his eye injury and the lock out it's not unexpected--still Chopper will be missed. He was a big part of the 89 Cup win for the Flames (well he did win the Conn Smythe).

Now there's a lot of talk about retiring his number...

[Sharky99MB]

After his eye injury and the lock out it's not unexpected--still Chopper will be missed. He was a big part of the 80 Cup win for the Flames (well he did win the Conn Smythe).

Now there's a lot of talk about retiring his number...

80 Cup win??? Ya re seriously mistaken.. Al won the Cup in 1989 with Calgary... and oh yeah he did win the Conn Smythe as MVP of the playoffs...

[Stampman]

Hey it says 89 in my post!

That's what I get for not using the number pad--

and using the numbers on the main keyboard--

Yeah it was a typo---

[Andy]

He certainly always made the hardest shot competition fun, and usually a foregone conclusion as I vaguely remember.

Ah, it's so surreal to see the players who have been playing for my entire lifetime retire. Hopefully he stays with hockey in some capacity, as he's easily one of the most recognizable names in the game.