Chris Neil retires after 15 NHL seasons

After 15 seasons, more than 1,000 games, and 2,522 penalty minutes, longtime Ottawa Senators enforcer Chris Neil officially announced his retirement Thursday via the team.

Neil was a sixth-round pick by the Sens in 1998, and spent his entire career in Canada's capital. He ranks third in franchise history in games played and first in penalty minutes.

During a tearful press conference, he credited his brothers for his toughness, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

"One of the things I've always been most proud of is that I've always been an underdog," Neil said.

He hoped to continue his career into this season, but the Senators didn't offer him a contract. The rival Montreal Canadiens did offer the veteran a professional tryout right before training camp, but he declined, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

"Thanks to this amazing city that I now call home," said the Flesherton, Ontario, native.

Neil's best offensive season came in 2005-06, when he notched a career-high 16 goals and 33 points. For his career, he scored 112 goals and tallied 250 points.