goodbye Drapes...

as expected,Kris Draper announced his retirement,after seventeen years,as a Red Wings' player,and twenty years in the NHL,today... a third round entry draft pick in 1989 NHL Draft,by the original Winnipeg Jets,he made his NHL debut,on October 4th,1990,when he scored his first NHL goal,and his first fighting major,in a 7-1 drubbing of the Toronto Maple Leafs... he played twenty games,for Winnipeg,from 1990-1991 through 1992-1993,before being traded to Detroit,on March 30th,1993,where he spent the next seventeen years sporting the Winged Wheel,of the Red Wings,proudly... on February 2nd,2009,against the St. Louis Blues(a 4-3 shootout win,for Red Wings),he became just the 235th player,at that time,to play 1,000 games,and on March 17th,2009,against Philadelphia,he joined Gordie Howe,Alex Delvecchio,Steve Yzerman,and Nicklas Lidstrom,to play 1,000 games,in a Red Wings' sweater... he played in 222 playoff games(two,with Winnipeg,and 220,with Detroit(second behind Nicklas Lidstrom's team-record 258 playoff games,and ninth all-time,in NHL annuls)... he played in 1,157 games,in the regular season,and in his seventeen years,with Detroit,he never missed the playoffs... he won gold medals in World Junior Championships,for Canada,in 1990,and 1991... he won gold medal at 2003 World Championships,and silver medal,at 2005 World Championships,both for Canada,and a gold medal at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey,and was member of seventh place Canadian Olympic hockey team,in 2006....