After a 21-season career, Rob Blake is retiring from hockey, CSN Bay Area is reporting.

http://www.csnbayarea.com/06/09/10/FONT-COLORFF0000EXCLUSIVEfont-Sharks-Cap/landing.html?blockID=250336&feedID=3431

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mechaphil

And now the Sharks have one massive hole on d.

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just call me Brad

Twitter @BUrbanowicz13

Wow that dude has played for a long time. I always respected that player and I wish I would have been able to watch him play more but you know how that West coast stuff goes. I remember he had to have both shoulder operated because he hit so hard with them, so then he started throwing hip checks out like it was the 1st of the month. Great open ice hitter, great talent, big, mobile, strong as an ox, just a rock solid all around player and one who I hope is going into the HoF. He deserves it!

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

Great career for him for sure.

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a yahoo poster seems to think we is not HOF material.....he has a point here.....

Doug Wilson, who played most of his career in Chicago, played only 16 seasons, amassed 827 points and retired with a +53 plus / minus ratio and was never inducted into the HOF. What makes Blake so special that he is expected to be inducted? Blake did not score as many points as Wilson despite playing more games, [color=#FF0000]his plus / minus is a negative 4.

Here is a list of HOF defensemen and this vital stat:

Bobby Orr +484
Ray Bourque +528
Paul Coffey +294
Scott Stevens +393
Larry Robinson +730
Brad Park +358
Denis Potvin +460
Al MacInnis +373
Tim Horton +81
Rod Langway +277[/color]

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"It is more about them than it is about the team...Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win." - Mike Singletary

Tyler Myers - Future captain of the Buffalo Sabres, and future Norris Trophy Winner

Manning the machine gun on the Tyler Myers Bandwagon - just in case any teams have an idea of prying him away from us (3 GM's shot already)

Connolly/Roy - 2 goals in the last 47 playoff games

I'm pretty sure that there are more than 10 defense men in the Hof and +/- is a pretty vague statistic although it does present some meaning.

Wilson should be in there, he had one of the heaviest shots I've ever seen, Blake should go in right after him.

Makes me wonder who else they are keeping out of the HoF?

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

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+/- from season to season can be a bit of a vague statistic, as the team around the player can be pretty poor, low scoring, etc. However, when it comes to a player's entire career it becomes telling, especially for defenders.

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True, but then again, if you're always against top line offensive players and you are only a -4 is still good, especially being on the Kings team in 06-07 and 07-08, and on the Kings team after Gretzky left also.

Those were his worst +/- stat, and that stat is skewed too much.

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i know...seems almost ridiculous....but he played on a lot of good teams, and he played for a long time too

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"It is more about them than it is about the team...Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win." - Mike Singletary

Tyler Myers - Future captain of the Buffalo Sabres, and future Norris Trophy Winner

Manning the machine gun on the Tyler Myers Bandwagon - just in case any teams have an idea of prying him away from us (3 GM's shot already)

Connolly/Roy - 2 goals in the last 47 playoff games