Niedermayer to pass on retirement, rejoin Ducks

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Dec. 5, 2007 CBSSports.com wire reports

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- NHL playoffs MVP Scott Niedermayer will rejoin the Anaheim Ducks and delay his retirement. The Ducks called a 9:30 p.m. EST news conference Wednesday "regarding the playing status of Scott Niedermayer." A person familiar with Niedermayer's situation said it would be announced that he's going to play again. The person requested anonymity because the announcement had not been made. The 34-year-old defenseman had taken time off to decide whether he wanted to retire. Another star in the Ducks' drive to their first Stanley Cup championship last season, 37-year-old Teemu Selanne, also hasn't played this year and hasn't said whether he will play or retire. Unlike Niedermayer, Selanne is a free agent. Ducks general manager Brian Burke and the rest of the team's management apparently were not disturbed that Niedermayer and Selanne took the time off. The Ducks, however, got off to a slow start in their defense of the Stanley Cup and were third in the Pacific Division with a 12-12-4 record heading into Wednesday night's game against Buffalo. Niedermayer hoisted the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in June and won his first Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs MVP. He previously played on three Cup champions with New Jersey before coming to Anaheim in 2005, when he joined his brother Rob on the Ducks. Scott won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman for the 2003-04 season when he was with the Devils. When this season began, he had two years and $13.5 million remaining on his contract. According to league rules, the Ducks suspended him without pay because he did not report to training camp. When he and Selanne were on hand for the unveiling of the team's Stanley Cup championship banner early this season, the fans chanted, "One More Year!" AP NEWS The Associated Press News Service Copyright 2006-2007, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

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