Scott Gomez said this week he is retiring from the NHL after 16 seasons.
He told the Alaska Dispatch News on Thursday that he has been contacting former teammates, coaches and trainers to tell them that his career is over.
"This has been my life,'' he told the newspaper. "It's so weird to think I'm never going to play hockey again.
"People say, 'You'll find something.' But saying that, there will never be that feeling again, of even playing a preseason NHL game. You're playing at the highest level there is.
"But I'm done. I'm done.''
Gomez, 36, was released by the St. Louis Blues last December, finishing his final season with one goal and eight assists.
He began his career with the New Jersey Devils, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1999-2000 as the NHL's top rookie. He won two Stanley Cups in his first three seasons with the Devils.
The two-time All-Star finishes his career with 181 goals and 575 assists in 1,079 regular-season games with the Devils, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators and Blues.
The native Alaskan told the newspaper that he hopes he made his home state proud.
"You have an obligation, a responsibility to your state,'' he told the newspaper. "The goal, the day I left here, was I always wanted to make Alaska proud. That's my state. That's my people.''
