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Sakic wielded deciding vote not to retire

By Rick Sadowski, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 28, 2008 at 11:25 a.m.

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Avalanche captain Joe Sakic's son Mitchell leaves his dad's locker after the team was eliminated from the playoffs in May.

Photo by Barry Gutierrez / The Rocky

Avalanche captain Joe Sakic's son Mitchell leaves his dad's locker after the team was eliminated from the playoffs in May.

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In the end, Joe Sakic held the deciding vote in his household when he chose to return to the Avalanche for another season rather than hang up his skates for good.

But hockey-playing son Mitchell might have wielded some influence as well.

"He demanded I play," the Avalanche captain said with a smile Thursday, one day after signing a one-year, $6 million contract to play for a 20th NHL season.

Sakic said the feelings among family members -- wife Debbie, Mitchell and twins Chase and Kamryn -- were "mixed" when it came to their input.

"It wasn't unanimous in the house," he said. "You know what? Everybody -- Deb and the kids -- they were supportive of whichever way it went.

"I'm excited to be back. It was a long summer. (There were) a lot of things to think about. I'm excited with the decision I made. I'm looking forward to the start of the season and getting on the ice. I'm going to start skating (Friday).

"The body and mind are fresh, and I'm ready to go. I'm excited about it."

Looking fit and happy, Sakic, 39, spoke before teeing off at The Sanctuary in his 11th charity golf tournament that benefits Food Bank of the Rockies' nutritional programs for children.

Sakic said he did "a lot of wavering" about his future after the Avalanche season ended with a second-round playoff loss to the Detroit Red Wings. He was the team's leading scorer in the playoffs with 10 points in 10 games, but he missed 38 games in the regular season to recover from a groin injury and surgery for a sports hernia.

"It was a frustrating year with the injury," he said. "Three months of rehab wasn't a lot of fun. I'll explain more in detail on Tuesday (at a formal news conference scheduled for the Family Sports Center in Centennial), but at that point, I was really contemplating what I was going to do.

"It took longer than I thought, but I'm excited and I'm happy that I took the time I needed to come to this decision and make the right one. Like I said, I'm excited and I'm really looking forward to the season.

"Right to the end, you wonder what the right thing to do is. Obviously, I know I'm ready to play. My body's healthy and I'm excited to go another year."

Sakic could have entered the free-agent market and probably gotten a more lucrative contract elsewhere, but he has no desire to play for another team. His family has become entrenched in the Denver community, and he and Debbie are heavily involved in charity work.

They raised more than $58,000 for Food Bank of the Rockies during a silent auction at Inverness last week, and Sakic said the tournament Thursday would raise enough money to provide 1 million meals for 185,000 needy children.

"We feel so privileged and blessed," he said. "We get to play a game for a living, and we do well at it. We're in the spotlight. Whether you like it or not, you're in the spotlight and you want to do what's right, and what's right is to give back when you're so fortunate to have what you have. It's important to give back to the people that really need your help."

Comments

  • August 28, 2008

    1:48 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    grisgris writes:

    Hooray for Super Joe! We're going to need him desperately.

  • August 28, 2008

    11:41 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Tigreo writes:

    I think it is great that Joe Sakic has made the decision to come back for another year and treat you fans with the magic he can make happen on the ice. I wrote at the end of the season here if he decided to retire that you guys would be losing one of, if not the best class act in the NHL.
    I am happy for you Denver fans and the rest of the NHL fans that like the style of game this man plays and the knowledge of hockey he brings to your younger guys. I wish you all a great season and strong deep hunt for Lord Stanley.

    A Redwing fan.

  • August 29, 2008

    1:05 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    carmela_avs writes:

    It's also very classy of you Tigreo to make that comment, especially coming from a Redwing fan. And I agree that one of the reasons I admire and like Sakic so much is because of the style of his game/plays. I hope there's a lot more players like him.