After 18 seasons and 1200 games played, Owen Nolan has retired in teal.
The gritty 39-year-old power forward signed a one-day contract with San Jose on Tuesday, followed by a press conference announcing his retirement and celebrating his career:
San Jose made the playoffs in five of Nolan’s eight seasons in the Bay Area, including a huge upset of the Presidents Trophy-winning St. Louis Blues in 2000. He ranks second on the franchise leaderboard in goals (206) and power-play goals (75) and third in assists (245) and points (451).
The press conference was a who’s who of former and current franchise greats. Four of San Jose’s eight captains — Nolan, Doug Wilson, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thorton — were in attendance, along with a number of Nolan’s ex-teammates, including Dave Lowry, Mike Ricci and Jarome Iginla (the two won gold together for Team Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics.)
An emotional Nolan choked back tears while addressing the audience, thanking his friends, family, teammates, the San Jose organization and all the Sharks supporters.
“To all the fans, without you guys there are no sports,” Nolan said. “Thank you very much.”
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