After 21 seasons in the NHL, Brendan Shanahan has decided to put an end to his Hall of Fame career. The former New Jersey Devils forward, now 40 years old, announced his plans to retire on Tuesday.

After all went well during training camp, he left the club in October when they informed him that there was no room for the left winger anywhere in the top three lines.

After the Rangers failed to offer him a deal to return to New York for a third season, Shanahan came back to New Jersey, where he was selected with the No. 2 pick in the 1987 draft. He went on to score six goals in 34 games last season, adding a goal and two assists in the Devils’ first-round, seven-game playoff loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The eight-time All-Star, who scored 656 career goals, ranks 11th on the NHL’s career goals list and recorded 1,354 points in 1,524 games. Shanahan’s most impressive stat may be that he’s the only player with 600 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes. He also played for St. Louis, Hartford, and Detroit, where he enjoyed three Red Wings Stanley Cup titles.

Shanahan’s influence on the game wasn’t felt on the ice alone. He did his share of hard work during the 2004-05 lockout when he conducted a summit which in part led to some important rules changes after a new collective bargaining agreement was reached.

“I would like to thank my family and all of the friends who have helped me achieve and maintain my childhood dream of playing in the National Hockey League,” he said in a statement to the league. “While I always dreamed of playing in the NHL, I can’t honestly say that I would have ever imagined that I’d be this fortunate and blessed. I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has helped me fulfill this dream.”