Mighty Ducks acquire Pronger; Yzerman retires

LOS ANGELES -- Star defenseman Chris Pronger was traded by the Edmonton Oilers to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday for right wing Joffrey Lupul, defenseman Ladislav Smid and three draft picks.

Pronger, the 2000 NHL MVP with St. Louis, led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup finals last month. They fell just short of a championship, losing Game 7 to the Carolina Hurricanes.

After Edmonton's surprising run was over, Pronger, 31, asked the team for a trade, citing personal reasons. His wife reportedly disliked living in Edmonton.

Anaheim jumped at the opportunity, sending its first-round pick in the 2007 draft, a 2008 second-round pick and a conditional draft choice to the Oilers along with Lupul and Smid.

End of an era in Detroit

Steve Yzerman has laced up his skates for the Red Wings for the last time.

That doesn't mean Hockeytown has to say goodbye to the longtime Detroit captain.

Yzerman, who led the Red Wings to three Stanley Cup titles and spent his entire 23-year NHL career in Detroit, retired from playing Monday, but said he plans to stay in the organization while devoting more time to his family.

One of Detroit's most popular pro athletes, the soft-spoken player known simply as "The Captain" is the Red Wings' career leader in playoff scoring. He ranks first in assists and is second only to Gordie Howe in games played, goals and regular-season points.

Many former coaches and players were at Monday's announcement to show support for Yzerman, who was 18 when he joined the Red Wings in 1983.

Yzerman played in 1,514 regular-season games, scoring 692 goals and tallying 1,755 points, sixth most in NHL history.

-- The Associated Press