| | ST. LOUIS -- Goalie Grant Fuhr says he will retire at the
end of the season, bringing an end to his 18-year NHL career.
|  | | For his saves and Cups, Fuhr is a sure bet for the Hall of Fame. |
Fuhr, 37, discussed his retirement plans after the Blues beat
the Calgary Flames 6-5 Wednesday night in St. Louis. The loss ended
the Flames' playoff hopes, freeing Fuhr to reveal his intentions
without distracting his teammates.
"It's time," Fuhr said. "The body says this is it."
The former Blues goalie has been relegated by injury and age to
backup status with the Flames. But through most of his career, he
was a workhorse.
Fuhr is 5-12-2 for his first losing record since reviving his
career with the Blues in 1995. His goals-against average this
season is 3.79, which is high. His save percentage is .858, which
is low. But his final season was carved in half by knee surgery.
"How many knee operations? Six or seven," said Fuhr, who had
three in his four seasons with the Blues. "I gave up counting
them."
Fuhr plans instead to try his hand on the Canadian professional
golf tour. The Edmonton native will try for his tour card next
month at qualifying school.
"That's a tough one," said Fuhr, whose golf game is rusty now.
"They take 30-some guys, but it's open to anyone in the world. All
the U.S. college kids come up there. But there's another 'Q' school
in the fall, and that one's just for Canadians."
Fuhr has spent most of this season grooming his protege, Freddie
Brathwaite, who has had a breakout year. Fuhr, always good with
youngsters, made a special point to tutor Brathwaite, a decade his
junior. Brathwaite is 25-24-7.
Fuhr was expendable in St. Louis when the Blues acquired Roman
Turek last summer. He waived his no-trade clause to join the Flames
on the eve of training camp.
"We're a good young team," Fuhr said. "We're at the stage the
Blues were when I got here in 1995."
The waiting period for the Hockey Hall of Fame is three years.
With five Stanley Cup rings from his Edmonton heydays, and a perch
among the goalie leaders in almost every career department, he is
an almost certain first-ballot inductee.
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