Veteran Defenseman Luke Richardson Retires

A day after being placed on waivers, Ottawa Senators defenseman Luke Richardson has decided to retire from the NHL. After clearing waivers on Friday, Richardson was eligible to play for Ottawa's AHL affiliate in Binghamton, but chose to retire instead. At the start of the 2008-09 season, Richardson was the fourth oldest active player playing in the league. The Senators resigned the veteran defenseman over the summer to a one-year contract, but informed him that it would be in a very limited role. Richardson played in only two games this season, scoring no points. Richardson was drafted back in 1987 by the Toronto Maple Leafs and was one of the pieces of the blockbuster trade that brought Grant Fuhr and Glenn Anderson to the Maple Leafs in 1991. Throughout his career, Richardson was a very gritty and tough defenseman. He played in 1417 games over 20 NHL seasons, scoring 35 goals and 166 assists for 201 points and 2055 penalty minutes with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Ottawa Senators. Now that he has retired, Richardson is eyeing a development coaching role with the Senators.