After 13 productive but controversial seasons, winger Alex Burrows is hanging up his skates and calling it a career in the NHL.

A forward who will go down as one of the best wingers to ever play with the Sedin twins and a former 20-30 goal scorer in Vancouver, Burrows will also be remembered for often crossing the ethical hockey line, getting under the skin of his opponents and seeing his production rapidly decline in his last few seasons before calling it a career.

Burrows, if nothing else, was the type of player if you ever played with him or against him, you would always remember the experience.

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Daniel Sedin said of his time with Burrows, “We played with a lot of great wingers. But for the two of us, he was the best one there ever was.” From 2009 through 2013, Burrows scored 109 even-strength goals, the sixth most in the NHL and while he doesn't get a lot of credit for it, Burrows was also key to the Sedins success and will be one of the reasons they become first-ballot Hall of Famers in the NHL.

During seasons when the Canucks were a Stanley Cup contending team, no one embodied the Canucks' persona like Burrows did. He was the kind of player that made you hate the Canucks if you were not from Vancouver but absolutely loved them if you were. He was a legend in that city while the rest of the NHL loathed almost everything he did.

But, as the NHL game has changed, so too did Burrows' value. The game became one of speed and skill and where one bad penalty — or in Burrow's case, one too many suspensions — could mean real harm to the organization. He was often seen as more of a liability than a productive part of the team.

Having said that, Burrows impact on hockey will continue on. Quickly after announcing his retirement, The Laval Rocket announced on Monday the appointment of Burrows as their new assistant coach.

“We are very lucky to have a candidate of Alex’s caliber join our new coaching staff,” said Bouchard. “His recent experience as an NHL player and the extent of his background in professional hockey will prove to be excellent assets for the development of our players.”

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