While no firm date has been set, future hall of famer Joe Sakic says he's getting closer to making a decision on whether to play another season or retire.
"I needed some extra time this year," Sakic told Denver's "FM Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan". "It's been a very, very difficult decision to make. I'm hoping to have something here in the next couple of weeks, make my final decision and go forward with it."
Sakic said he's been staying in contact with Colorado's general manager Francois Giguere and new head coach Tony Granato.
"When I talked to Francois in June, we both understood that the team was going to go forward, regardless of what my decision was going to be, and that enabled me to take as much time as I could," Sakic said. "Right now, I know training camp's approaching rapidly. Summer's gone by pretty fast. I'm going to make my decision here pretty shortly."
Sakic missed 38 games in 2007-08 due to hernia surgery, but still recorded 40 points in 44 games.
"The sports hernia could happen to anybody at any age," he said. "It just happened. . . But after the surgery, I felt good. I was prepared. It was a long rehab. Rehabbing for three months wasn't a lot of fun, so it didn't make last season very exciting for me. Right around a couple of weeks before playoff time, I really started to get my legs back and feeling like I was playing back to my old self. So that hasn't really weighed on anything."
In 19 NHL seasons, the Burnaby, B.C. native has recorded 623 goals and 1,006 assists in 1,363 career NHL games, scored 50 goals twice, registered at least 100 points in six different seasons and raised the Stanley Cup twice.