Say it's so, Joe

It’s a time to salute Joe Sakic. Salute him for his two Stanley Cups, his Conn Smythe Trophy, his 2002 Olympic MVP award. Salute him for being one of the top ten play-off scorers in NHL history, and for being the league’s all-time leader in overtime play-off goals. If Chauncey Billups is “Mr. Big Shot,” then Sakic is “Mr. Game Winner.”

It’s also time to offer up a salute – albeit slightly premature – to Sakic for STAYING retired. I’m going out on a limb here. Based on what we all know about Super Joe and how much time and thought went into the decision to put a timely and appropriate end to his stellar, Hall of Fame career, I think it’s safe to assume he will NOT go Brett Favre and un-retire any time soon. Can anyone see a scenario where Sakic sends a text message to Pierre LaCroix in September saying, “umm…on second thought…” Nah.

Sakic was and is a humble superstar. He was never a great interview because he never wanted to gain attention for his words. He clearly does not have an obsession with being in the pubic eye, nor an overpowering need to be noticed, a trait that now defines a few other prominent athletes like Roger Clemens and Favre, guys you could call “attention junkies” who’ve had a hard time letting go.

The old saying goes that what is a good decision today will be a better decision tomorrow. Sakic took a lot of time to reach the conclusion that it was time to hang ‘em up and start prepping his Hall of Fame induction speech. That’s an indicator that while it wasn’t an easy decision, it’s a decision he’s at peace with. When Sakic sheds tears at his retirement press conference, you can be sure that they are due to a legit feeling of sadness at the end of his playing days, and not the Favre “Now no one will pay any attention to me” kind of tears.

We’ve been fortunate around here to have had some world class athletes who knew how to go out in style. At the top of the list is John Elway of course, who won a pair of Super Bowls and then rode off into the sunset on top. Ray Bourque won his only Cup with the Avs before calling it a career, relishing the opportunity to retire a champion. Patrick Roy nearly did the same, missing it by a couple of seasons. Still, he retired well before his skills evaporated and he became a caricature of himself. These great men all knew when to say when. Because of that, they’re looked upon with even greater reverence today, Hall of Fame careers untarnished by the images of futile attempts to hang on for an extra year or three while lacking the same set of skills.

The list of those who’ve stuck around too long is far greater than the list of those who went out on their terms. Even today, baseball has players like Randy Johnson, John Smoltz and even Tom Glavine, all over 40 years old, ttrying to hang on while not being anywhere close to the Hall of Fame caliber pitchers they’ve been throughout their careers. Glavine was recently cut by the Atlanta Braves but still can’t bring himself to say he’s done.

Thankfully for us, Sakic is not of that mindset. He will join the short list of Colorado sports icons who played their entire career for the same franchise – immediately identifiable by jersey and number. There will be no resentments from fans and no media circus surrounding him. Joe will go on being Joe – staying active in local charity circles and being the same genuine person he’s always been. Hopefully he will stay in the Denver area, and be part of the Avalanche franchise is some capacity.

The only regret is that his final season was injury-plagued, and he was not given any sort of ‘farewell tour’ with the pomp and circumstances that he deserved. Then again, Sakic would have very likely nixed any idea like that before it ever got past the planning stage.

It’d be wonderful if every great player in every sport used Sakic as a role model, and if the term “Know when to say when” meant something more than a slogan on a beer commercial.
 

For more info: Colorado Avalanche Examiner Brian Thompson