CHICAGO, Dec. 4 -- Chicago Blackhawks left wing Basil McRae, one the NHL's premier enforcers, Wednesday ended a 16-year career by announcing his retirement. McRae, who turns 36 on Jan. 5, made Chicago his seventh and final team. He signed with the Blackhawks as a free agent earlier this season after being released from the St. Louis Blues. 'I'm doing what's best for myself and my family and for the Blackhawks, too,' McRae said in a statement released through the team. 'Maybe this will give a kid an opportunity to play like I was given an opportunity 16 years ago.' In 576 career games, McRae had just 53 goals and 83 assists for 136 points, but racked up 2,457 penalty minutes. He played for the Quebec Nordiques, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota North Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning before he was traded to the Blues. 'I played so many tough games in Chicago against the Blackhawks during my career and it's truly an honor to retire with a Blackhawk sweater on my chest,' he said. 'I want to thank all of the teams that I played for during my career, especially the Blackhawks for giving me an opportunity to extend my career. I have no regrets and I enjoyed my years in the NHL.' The 6-foot-2, 210-pound McRae was scoreless with 12 penalty minutes in eight games this season. He had a goal and an assist with 40 penalty minutes in 18 games last season.
He led the NHL with 351 penalty minutes in 1989-90 and accrued 382 minutes in 1987-88. In spite of low point totals, McRae's leadership qualities made him a team captain in Minnesota and St. Louis. He reached double digits in goals once in his career and had double figures in assists three times. His best season was with the North Stars in 1988-89, when he set career highs with 12 goals, 19 assists and 31 points in 78 games.
