Breaking: NHL defenseman expected to announce retirement tomorrow after 17 seasons.

While not much of a surprise, this will certainly leave at least one fan base a little sad, after all a player this loyal is a rare breed in today's NHL.

After a career that spans 18 years and 17 National Hockey League seasons, veteran defenseman Chris Phillips is expected to announce his retirement on Thursday. While Phillips' desire to announce his retirement has not been officially confirmed, the Ottawa Senators did reveal that Phillips will hold a press conference tomorrow to provide "an update on his future."

Phillips spent his entire NHL career with the team that drafted him, a rarity in today's modern NHL with the restrictions of the salary cap often resulting in players changing teams at one point or another in their careers.

Phillips played a whopping 1179 games in the NHL, and recorded 71 goals and 217 assists over that stretch.

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