Four-time All-Star Vincent Lecavalier announces retirement

Four-time All-Star Vincent Lecavalier announced his retirement Tuesday to officially end a 17-year career.

Lecavalier, 36, spent the first 14 years of his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played two-plus seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers before finishing it off with the Los Angeles Kings.

He scored 421 goals and had 949 points in 1,212 regular-season games. His best season was the 2006-07 campaign when he won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal scorer in a season in which he had 52 goals and 108 points for the Lightning.

Lecavalier also helped Tampa Bay win the 2004 Stanley Cup.

"Thank you to the Tampa Bay Lightning for drafting me and providing me the opportunity to embark on my NHL career," Lecavalier said in a statement. "I will never forget winning the Cup together in 2004, and the incredible support from Lightning fans.

"To the L.A. Kings, thank you for providing me the opportunity to finish my career on a positive note. To the coaches who have developed me and challenged me -- you made me a better player and person."

Lecavalier was the No. 1 overall pick by Tampa Bay in the 1998 NHL draft.