One of the highest-scoring Czech players of all time is hanging up his skates.
Martin Rucinsky -- who sits 12th all-time among Czech NHLers in points -- has announced his retirement from professional hockey at the age of 44, according to iSport.
The 20th overall pick at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, Rucinsky spent 17 years in the NHL with Edmonton, Quebec/Colorado, Montreal, Dallas, New York (Rangers), Blues and Canucks.
His best season came when he was involved in one of the biggest trades in NHL history -- the Avs sent him to Montreal in ’95-96 as part of the Patrick Roy deal, and Rucinsky went on to finish the year with a career-high 75 points in 78 games. All told, Rucinsky scored 612 points in 961 contests.
Though his last NHL action came in 2008, Rucinsky continued to play at a fairly high level right up until his retirement. He spent parts of three seasons with Czech side Sparta Praha before moving to HC Litvinov and, last season, finished second on the team in scoring with 54 points in 51 games.