[News] Ray Whitney Announces Retirement

[flamesfan1297]

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=749729

Ray Whitney, who spent 22 seasons playing in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, announced his retirement Wednesday.

In 1,330 NHL games with eight teams, Whitney had 385 goals and 1,064 points. He was selected to two NHL All-Star Games.

[browna]

And his teammate in Spokane and San Jose (for 4 years, and they never clicked), and 2nd overall pick, Pat Falloon, was out of the NHL almost 15 years ago.

Falloon was the Pavel Brendl type guy that could light up junior (two back to back 60 goal years) whereas Whitney (who also put up good totals) had a bit of a different style. Falloon was also an very early product of the TSN hype around the WJHC...Whitney didn't play, but Falloon did and did well, so his stock rose just on that, to fall in behind Lindros in the draft.

Also, luck and timing are involved in a lot of NHL careers. All it takes it some lack of confidence for a year or two, playing on the wrong team or the wrong situation, then it snowballs with more bad decisions (ie going to the Oilers, for example). More inconsistent play or coaches playing guys in the wrong spots, or injuries, and then a stigma gets attached etc etc, and you're gone without really showing what you have. Meanwhile, a no namer or a guy with a quieter story is in the right place at the right time at each step in his career, and by luck or by choice and makes the right decisions and everything works out, and plays 15 more years..every NHL'ers story is different.

[FAN]

Originally Posted by browna

Also, luck and timing are involved in a lot of NHL careers. All it takes it some lack of confidence for a year or two, playing on the wrong team or the wrong situation, then it snowballs with more bad decisions (ie going to the Oilers, for example). More inconsistent play or coaches playing guys in the wrong spots, or injuries, and then a stigma gets attached etc etc, and you're gone without really showing what you have. Meanwhile, a no namer or a guy with a quieter story is in the right place at the right time at each step in his career, and by luck or by choice and makes the right decisions and everything works out, and plays 15 more years..every NHL'ers story is different.

The above generalization is so inapplicable here that it's a disservice to Ray Whitney.

Pat Falloon lacked the heart, work ethic, and conditioning to deserve a long NHL career. Ray Whitney, not unlike Martin St. Louis, worked his ass off to overcome preconceived notions about his ability to play in the NHL due to his lack of size. The way the two teammates' NHL careers turned out had little to do with luck and timing. It was about determination and competitiveness. Whitney had that. Falloon didn't.

[crapshoot]

Originally Posted by FAN

The above generalization is so inapplicable here that it's a disservice to Ray Whitney.

Pat Falloon lacked the heart, work ethic, and conditioning to deserve a long NHL career. Ray Whitney, not unlike Martin St. Louis, worked his ass off to overcome preconceived notions about his ability to play in the NHL due to his lack of size. The way the two teammates' NHL careers turned out had little to do with luck and timing. It was about determination and competitiveness. Whitney had that. Falloon didn't.

In all fairness, Pat Falloon had a 9 year NHL-career, playing almost 600 games. That would constitute a fairly long career to me. Maybe not as long as Whitney, but then again, not every player can go on for 22 seasons...

[Tinordi]

One of the all-time underrated players

[Northendzone]

always surprised me that he played for so many teams, but yet was very productive every place he went

[ForeverFlameFan]

Pretty underrated guy.

Will always remember going to the Coyotes' playoff games and how much of a crucial and key player he was with them as they made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2012.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by browna

And his teammate in Spokane and San Jose (for 4 years, and they never clicked), and 2nd overall pick, Pat Falloon, was out of the NHL almost 15 years ago.

First thing I thought of as well. That 1991 Spokane Chiefs team was always memorable for me because Trevor Kidd got traded from Brandon to Spokane and won the Memorial Cup. So much potential it seemed...

[Flamescat]

Ray Whitney, King of the videobomb.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-pu...144621172.html

[Steve Bozek]

Wasn't he also the Oilers' stick boy as a kid?

[RM14]

Hated the guy ever since I was 10... I can't believe he played this long!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT4mFuLcLQM

[Bourque's Twin]

He would be on the All Under-rated team along with Ron Francis

[shermanator]

As a 12 year old staying up late to watch game 7 of the 1995 playoff series with San Jose, #### Ray Whitney.

But in all seriousness, he's played at a high level for 15 years now, and won a cup, pretty satisfying career.

Funny how as soon as he left Edmonton in 1997-98 that he became a point per game player. NO GOOD!

[Sylvanfan]

A smaller guy who did have to do a lot to change a lot of the perceptions around smaller guys. His skills were never questioned, but he did have to prove himself for quite a few years until it seemed like teams would trust him with regular NHL duty. To think the Oilers had him and than waived him. I remember him and Falloon being big rivals of the Kamloops Blazers in the early 90's. The Oilers dumped him and than went after Fat Balloon the next season...the no good is deep with them.

[dustygoon]

Didnt sharks draft whitney really because they drafted falloon? A