FanHouse Joe Sakic

Colorado Avalanche star Joe Sakic announced his retirement Thursday. Sakic played for the Quebec/Colorado franchise his entire career, is a sure-shot Hall of Famer, and played a huge role in making the Avalanche viable in Denver.

The Avalanche deserve a lot of credit. The event they put together Thursday to officially announce Sakic's retirement was first-class, highlighted by one of the better tribute videos you'll ever see. Check it out after the jump.

When Joe Sakic officially announces his retirement, the NHL will not only be losing one of its best players of all-time, it's also going to be losing one of its best leaders and captains, and from nearly all accounts, an incredibly classy person. A rarity in the modern sports culture, Sakic spent his entire 20-year career with the same organization (Quebec/Colorado), scoring 625 goals and finishing with 1,641 points (eighth most all-time).

After 20 seasons in the NHL, Joe Sakic is expected to officially announce his retirement at a press conference on Thursday, according to the Denver Post.

Sakic was originally taken with the 15th pick in 1987, when the franchise was still in Quebec, and spent his entire career with the organization -- a career that will certainly be honored with a Hall of Fame ceremony in the near future.

The past two seasons were a challenge for the 40-year-old, as a multitude of injuries held him to only 59 of a possible 164 games. Sakic had surgery on a hernia two years ago and last season missed time due to a herniated disc and broken fingers from an incident with a snowblower. But regardless of the injuries, he was almost a point-per-game player until the end, amassing 52 points during those injury-plagued seasons.

Over the next week, FanHouse will preview the top players and teams in next Friday's NHL Draft. This is the third post in a six part series.

It is widely regarded that in this year's draft, there are three prospects that are head and shoulders above all the others. With the third pick in next Friday's draft, it is likely that the Colorado Avalanche will have a chance to select from the trio of John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene. This will be the first major decision for new GM Greg Sherman, who was promoted on June 3 after seven years as assistant GM.

During the Penguins' game 4 win on Thursday night, captain Sidney Crosby finally had his bust-out game of the Stanley Cup Final, recording a goal (the eventual game-winner) and an assist in Pittsburgh's 4-2 win to tie the series at two games apiece. The performance helped him eclipse the 30-point mark this postseason, joining his teammate, Evgeni Malkin, who is currently the leading scorer in the playoffs with 35 points, putting the duo in some elite, historic company.

There was a time when my favorite sport was, without hesitation, baseball. Recently, however, my interest in the game has been lost. Not because of a steroid scandal or the incompetence of Bud Selig, but mostly because the team I grew up cheering for, the Pittsburgh Pirates, has been a Major League Baseball team in name only and is currently working on its 17th consecutive losing season with no end in sight.

You might argue that makes me a fair-weather fan, but I disagree. My interest is so low that if, by some perfect storm -- like the rest of the National League halting operations and disbanding from the league -- the Pirates actually won something, I still probably wouldn't care as much as I should. I just don't care about baseball anymore, but I certainly don't begrudge those who still do. It's still a great game, even if my interest is at an all-time low.

It's been a rough season for Joe Sakic and the Colorado Avalanche. While the team has struggled to lottery status, Sakic has only played 15 games and been beset by injuries.

Complicating matters is the fact that there has been retirement talk surrounding Sakic this year. With speculation rampant about Sakic's future, he gathered the media Wednesday morning to give an update on his health.

I'm pretty sure I have said this before, but I'll risk being repetitive, because I think it's important. Coaches tend to get way too much credit when things go well, and even more of the blame when things go poorly. This has been especially true, for some odd reason, in the NBA and NHL over the years. Turnover is ridiculous.

Tony Granato is in his second stint as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche. His first shot at the job lasted not even two full seasons, before Joel Quenneville was brought in. When Quenneville left, Granato got a second opportunity. Unfortunately for him, the help from management and the players has been horribly inadequate.

Lately, it's become all the rage for fans and players around the NHL to pile on Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. The latest player to jump on the pile was Atlanta Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk, who responded to Crosby's criticism of Alex Ovechkin for his often times over-the-top goal celebrations.

On Saturday night, legendary Canadian hockey analyst Don Cherry offered up his opinion on Ovechkin, and, well, if you're familiar with Cherry, it shouldn't be much of a shock. Video after the jump.

There are certainly at least two really good teams in the NHL's Western Conference. Defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit and fast-starting San Jose appear in the clear to duke it out for the right to play for the Stanley Cup later this year.

Of course, we know that anything can happen in a best-of-seven series. In addition, we still have half a season left to play. What we don't know is which team in this conference is set up to challenge either the Red Wings or Sharks. They've beaten - at least once - pretty much everyone who has stood in their way, including each other.

While the top of the conference appears to virtually locked in place at this point, there are still serious battles to be fought, especially for the last four positions in the West. Currently, eight teams are separated by just six points. St. Louis, the last-place team in the West, is just nine points out of eighth.