WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Pavel Datsyuk announced Saturday he is retiring from the NHL.
Datsyuk was expected to announce whether he will continue playing for the Wings or return to Russia. He decided to retire and move back to Russia.
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"My family and I are grateful for our time in Detroit," Datsyuk said.
Datsyuk is running a youth hockey camp at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Ice Arena in West Bloomfield Township this weekend and made the announcement at noon.
The star has been with the Red Wings for the better part of the past 15 seasons. He has a year left and $5.5 million remaining on his contract. His contract carries a $7.5 million cap hit which will remain on Detroit’s salary cap since he signed the deal after he turned 35.
Datsyuk will be 38 in July.
In April, Detroit Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland said he expected the Russian forward to retire from the NHL this offseason.
During the team’s end-of-season locker clean-out, Holland said he had separate plans for the team to move forward with or without the Magic Man.
