Avalanche goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere retires

Colorado Avalanche goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere announced that he is retiring on Thursday. He had played in the NHL for 16 seasons.

Giguere made the announcement in Quebec. He is in Quebec spending time with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada hockey team. He is part owner of the team that plays in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Giguere was drafted in 1996 by the Hartford Whalers, who no longer exist. He also played for the Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Anaheim Ducks, where he spent the majority of his career, from 2000 to 2009, according to Sports Illustrated. He was with the Avalanche as a backup for the last three seasons.

"On behalf of the Colorado Avalanche, I would like to congratulate Jean-Sebastien on an outstanding hockey career," Avalanche executive vice president of hockey operations Joe Sakic said. "His achievements speak for themselves, from winning the Stanley Cup to winning the Conn Smythe, Jiggy was always a top-notch goaltender. He was also a very important part of our team during the past three seasons, providing veteran leadership and stability in net. We wish him and his family the best of luck."

As a backup for the Avalanche Giguere played in 72 games. He played in 22 games last season. In those 22 games he had an 11-6-1 record with a 2.62 goals-against average (GAA) and two shutouts. In his three seasons with the Avalanche Giguere had a 31-21-8 record with a 2.51 GAA and a .914 save percentage, according to NHL.com.

Giguere finished his careers with a 262-216-50 record with 25 ties, a 2.53 GAA, a .913 save percentage, and 38 shutouts. He played in 52 playoff games in his careers. In the playoffs he had a 33-17 record with a 2.08 GAA and a.925 save percentage. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs. He won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007.