Worst swan songs

[Roomtemperature]

Basically a very good to great player(s) who's last game or retirement made them look bad through a bad performance or being embarrassed other ways.

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[Professor Dangles]

Sakic.

nobody even knew they were witnessing the end of an era.

 

[kmad]

Oates' final season with Edmonton was forgettable.

 

[Zaphod]

Sakic.

nobody even knew they were witnessing the end of an era.

go on?

it's not like we witnessed his skills evaporate or anything, he was still just under a point-per-game in his last 50 games.

 

[JonathanK]

go on?

it's not like we witnessed his skills evaporate or anything, he was still just under a point-per-game in his last 50 games.

i think it's more the fact that after that game a snowblower almost cut off his hand and that was it, there wasn't any advanced warning that it would be his last game

 

[Rhiessan71]

Chelios, he wasn't even a shadow of his former self last season.
You saw absolutely no evidence that he was once one of the best in the league.

Ron Francis and Lindros in their final 2 seasons were both pretty sad.

 

[Ferjo]

Ron Francis and Lindros in their final 2 seasons were both pretty sad.

In what should have been Ron Francis' last game, I believe he was a healthy scratch. sad.

Doug Gilmour having his knee torn apart in his second period back as a Leaf and never playing again. He didnt even get a chance to play at home, which would have been quite the sight.

Phil Housley was absolutely horrendous in his 3 or 4 game stint in Toronto to finish his impressive career. The final time he suited up in the nhl, he played a 1:04 in a game that went to double overtime.

 

[DJ Man]

Dickie Moore was an all-star and a great scorer for many years, on some great Montreal teams. He had a couple of very forgettable combacks.

 

[eastcoaster]

Dickie Moore was an all-star and a great scorer for many years, on some great Montreal teams. He had a couple of very forgettable combacks.

Actually Moore went out with 14 points in 18 playoff games in 1968 so that wasn't too bad.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Brett Hull

Brett Hull with Phoenix - cut it very short.

 

[Ward Cornell]

Oates' final season with Edmonton was forgettable.

He played for Edmonton?

Geesh...I guess I forgot that!

 

[Ward Cornell]

I hate to say it.....Bobby Orr but what a warrior!

Wayne Gretzky traded to St Louis then onto NY.
Should have retired 2 or 3 years earlier!

Best retirements I can think of...
Barry Sanders
Jim Brown
Ken Dryden

 

[eastcoaster]

Terry Sawchuk hung around longer than he should have. In his case I think he needed the money.

 

[RememberRoger*]

Pat LaFontaine as a Ranger

 

[Briere Up There*]

Wayne Gretzky traded to St Louis then onto NY.
Should have retired 2 or 3 years earlier!

Why two years? Gretz could have skipped the last year but in his penultimate season he was tied for 3rd in league scoring, with HF pet Pavel Bure in his prime.

 

[SomeDude]

Mario's 2nd stint went out with a wimper. Similar to Sakic, he was still a reasonably productive player but health issues (irregular heart beat in Mario's case) finally ended it.

Jagr is another one, assuming he doesn't come back to NA. Fittingly, his last game was in Pittsburgh after the Pens elminated the Rangers.

 

[mrhockey193195]

Mario's 2nd stint went out with a wimper. Similar to Sakic, he was still a reasonably productive player but health issues (irregular heart beat in Mario's case) finally ended it.

Jagr is another one, assuming he doesn't come back to NA. Fittingly, his last game was in Pittsburgh after the Pens elminated the Rangers.

At the very least (for Rangers fans, at least), his last game in NY was very memorable.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Dave Andreychuk really should have hung them up after the Cup in 2004 instead of trying to come back again after the lockout.

Scott Stevens and Al MacInnis, two great defensemen who were injured in their final seasons and didn't play again.

Ron Francis being a healthy scratch for what would have been his final game was one of the most classless moves I can remember. Shame he had to go out that way.

I remember Grant Fuhr's final season in Calgary and it being evident that he'd hung on one year too long. The final game was in Calgary against the Oilers, and a large contingent of Oiler fans headed down to the Saddledome to bid farewell to an Oiler legend. To the dismay of many, Fuhr didn't get the starting assignment in goal that night. But he came out and played the third period, with the coach explaining afterwards that he didn't want to start Fuhr an risk him getting lit up and embarrassed in his final game (this was happening with regularity by that point). So in the end, it was actually a classy move by the Flames, but boy were us Oiler fans steamed at the beginning.

 

[Zam Boni]

Paul Coffey?

Played 18 games with the Bruins his last season, some guy named Ray also retired after the 2000-01 season and got most of the headlines.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Actually Moore went out with 14 points in 18 playoff games in 1968 so that wasn't too bad.

Yeah, a Finals appearance while leading the team in playoff scoring in goals and points...hardly one of the worst!

 

[SomeDude]

Also, John LeClair, Gary Roberts, and Dave Andreychuk: all 3 players ended up being waived and passed on by the rest of the league before finally giving it up.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

How about Michael Nylander? Theo Fleury also had one of the most undignified exits I can remember. Even his comeback last season was a mere publicity stunt for his book.

 

[Steve Kournianos]

Messier from 1997 onward was completely useless and failed to make the playoffs in 7 straight seasons.

He was a turnover machine.

 

[Steve Kournianos]

Mario's 2nd stint went out with a wimper. Similar to Sakic, he was still a reasonably productive player but health issues (irregular heart beat in Mario's case) finally ended it.

Jagr is another one, assuming he doesn't come back to NA. Fittingly, his last game was in Pittsburgh after the Pens elminated the Rangers.

Jagr was one of the top 3 forwards in the 2008 playoffs and I think he tied Crosby for PPG.

The Rangers sucked. Jagr certainly didnt.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

Messier from 1997 onward was completely useless and failed to make the playoffs in 7 straight seasons.

He was a turnover machine.

he was not useless for 7 straight seasons. This is basically a perception Canuck fans have spread. He was never actually useless. At age 43 he still put up 18 goals and almost 50 points.