"I've played a long time and had a lot of fun," said Dallas Drake, Tuesday, upon announcing his retirement as a player.

Drake logged 1,009 regular-season games, but had never advanced beyond the conference final (only getting that far once) before winning the Stanley Cup this spring with the Red Wings.

"Definitely winning the Stanley Cup was icing on the cake for me," said Drake. "If we would have found a way to lose, it would have made my decision a lot harder, especially if I had the opportunity to come back and play for the Detroit Red Wings. The Detroit Red Wings are going to be good for a long time. After winning it, it made my decision a lot easier."

"I love this game probably as much as I ever have. Mentally, I still really wanted to play. But my body … it just got to the point where I just don't recover well any more. I don't play up to the level any more that I've become used to playing at. I just don't recover well any more. I think the years wore me out a little bit. Physically, I'm done. You keep telling yourself play as long as you can and I did that."