Roman Hamrlik, 20-season NHL vet, retires

NEW YORK, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Roman Hamrlik, the No. 1 choice of the 1992 NHL draft, Monday announced his retirement, officially ending a 20-year NHL career.

Hamrlik, 39, was taken by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992 and appeared in his first NHL game in the 1992-93 season. He also played for Edmonton, the New York Islanders, Calgary, Montreal, Washington and the New York Rangers.

The native of Zlin, Czech Republic, finishes his career with 155 goals and 483 assists in 1,395 games. He also played in 113 NHL playoff games.

"After much thought and consideration I have decided to end my hockey career as of today," Hamrlik said in a statement released by the NHL Players Association.

"As a kid growing up in communist Czechoslovakia, I never imagined that I would one day have the opportunity to play in the National Hockey League. It has been a great honor, and a privilege, to spend 20 seasons playing in the greatest hockey league in the world. I will always cherish the wonderful memories I have of my time spent in North America while playing the game I love, making sacrifices and pursuing my hockey dreams."

Hamrlik was named to the NHL All-Star Game three times and played several years with the Czech national team. He was on the team in 1998 when it won the Olympic gold medal.