Veteran Dallas Stars forward Brenden Morrow retires after 15 NHL seasons

Forward Brenden Morrow retired Thursday after 15 NHL seasons.

Morrow, 37, signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Stars, who took Morrow in the first round, No. 25 overall, in the 1997 NHL draft.

Morrow recorded 265 goals and 310 assists in 991 career regular-season games with Dallas, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Tampa Bay. He played in Stanley Cup finals with the Stars (2000) and Tampa (2015).

Morrow appeared in 118 career playoff games, registering 46 points (19 goals, 27 assists) and won Olympic gold with Canada in 2010 in Vancouver.

"The game of hockey has given me so many opportunities in my life," said Morrow. "Winning a gold medal for Canada at the Olympic Games and appearing in two Stanley Cup final series are things that I only dreamed of growing up.

"Being able to put on an NHL sweater was something that I never took for granted, and it's with a full heart that my family and I have decided that it's time for me to officially retire from the National Hockey League."

Morrow, a six-foot, 205-pound native of Carlyle, Sask., spent 13 seasons with Dallas, serving as captain from 2006 to '13, the second-longest tenured captain in club history.

"Brenden exemplified what a captain should be," said Stars president Jim Lites. "He left an indelible mark on this franchise, leading with heart and passion.

"There wasn't a night where he didn't give every ounce of energy he had, and we deeply appreciate all of his contributions to the game."