OTTAWA, Ontario -- Senators defenseman Chris Phillips is closing out his career with the only NHL team he has ever known.
Drafted first overall by the Senators in 1996, the 38-year-old Phillips announced his retirement Thursday. He had 71 goals and 217 assists in 1,179 career regular-season games but missed this past season because of back issues.
"Nineteen years of professional hockey takes a toll on a body," Phillips said. "I prided myself on playing through a lot of ailments, but because of back problems that required surgery last spring that I could not fully recover from, I've made the decision along with family and doctors to retire from the game of hockey.