Sakic follows heart back to ice

For Joe Sakic, the decision to continue his Hall of Fame hockey career was easy. He merely listened to his body and followed his heart.

The Colorado Avalanche center, who is ranked No. 8 on the National Hockey League's career scoring list with 1,629 points, is back for a 20th season. He waited until late last month to make the call to return because he wanted to be absolutely sure he still wanted to come to the rink every day.

"If I didn't feel that way, I wouldn't have come back," Sakic said of his unyielding passion for the game. "I love being around the guys, and I love to play hockey. ...

"I wanted to make sure I was ready to do the things you have to do, off-ice stuff, to prepare yourself to play."

Sakic and the Avalanche were back in Las Vegas on Saturday, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in a shootout in the 11th annual Frozen Fury preseason game at the MGM Grand Garden.

Many believed Sakic was going to retire a couple of years ago. Yet here he is at 39, still playing. Sakic was slowed by a hernia injury last season which limited him to 48 games. He finished with just 13 goals and 40 points. However, he said that wasn't a factor in his decision to come back.

"I'm healthy right now, and I just hope to stay that way," he said. "I don't think I've made any real adjustments as I've gotten older. Just try to play smart positionally, take care of my defensive responsibilities and trust my instincts."

Avalanche coach Tony Granato is glad he has No. 19 back for this year. "I wasn't surprised, but I was nervous about the 'what if' scenario," he said of Sakic's possible return. "When you realize what he means to our organization, we felt we could squeeze one more year out of him."

Sakic is the face of Colorado's franchise. He has been with the Avalanche his entire career, going back to when the team was in Quebec as the Nordiques. Sakic said he feels fortunate to have played his entire career with one team.

"That's definitely special," he said. "A lot of things have to happen for that to happen. You have to have a commitment from the organization. But they've treated me well throughout my entire career."

A 13-time all-star and a Stanley Cup winner in 1996 and 2001, Sakic doesn't think much about what his legacy will be once he decides to retire.

"It's all about winning," he said. "We've had great management, great scouts, great players. I'm grateful to have been part of it."

He also has enjoyed the annual visit to Las Vegas. Sakic said the Frozen Fury game is unique because of the atmosphere.

"This is my favorite preseason game, not just because it's in Vegas. The building's alive. The fans are so into it," he said. "Both teams have their fans here. The intensity and the emotional level is so high, it feels like it's for real."

Sakic's favorite Grand Garden memory is from 2005. One of the glass partitions became dislodged during the game, and the Kings' Jeremy Roenick decided to entertain the crowd by dancing on his skates while the ice staff tried to put the glass back in place.

"That was so funny watching J.R. dancing away," Sakic said. "It cracked all of us up."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.