Radek Dvorak announces retirement

Radek Dvorak is hanging up the skates after 18 NHL seasons.

The forward from the Czech Republic announced his decision through the NHLPA on Tuesday, ending a career that included eight NHL teams and a few brief stops in Europe.

Dvorak appeared in 1,260 regular-season games, recording 590 points. He was drafted 10th overall by the Florida Panthers in 1995 and made his NHL debut as an 18-year-old, helping Florida reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1995-96 before being swept by the Colorado Avalanche.

Dvorak's best season came in 2000-01 with the New York Rangers as part of the "Czechmate" line with countrymen Petr Nedved and Jan Hlavac. Dvorak set career-highs in goals (31) and points (67), but never scored more than 19 goals or 50 points in any other season.

Dvorak enjoyed plenty of international success during the Czech Republic's dominance of the IIHF World Championship. The Czech team captured five championships in a 10-year span and Dvorak won gold medals with them in 1999, 2001 and 2005, finishing with 25 points in 37 World Championship contests.

Dvorak returned to the Stanley Cup Final with the Edmonton Oilers in 2006, but his team fell short once again, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games. Dvorak eventually joined the Hurricanes for his final season, recording nine points in 60 games in 2013-14.