Jason Spezza shares the heartbreak of never winning the Stanley Cup.

On Sunday, Toronto Maple Leafs veteran forward Jason Spezza announced his retirement as a player in the National Hockey League. It marked the end of an incredible career in the NHL, one that saw him play for the Ottawa Senators, Dallas Stars, and the aforementioned Maple Leafs, but when speaking to the media following his big announcement Spezza would admit that it is a career that will also be tainted by regret.

In spite of the fact that he is an incredibly well respected player, both by fans and by his peers, Spezza never managed to capture the biggest prize in the NHL and he would admit on Sunday just how much that hurts.

"I don’t think I can ever put into words how much it means to me to try to win a Stanley Cup," admitted Spezza. "There’s definitely a huge void in my heart and my career without having been able to win it."

The now former Maple Leafs forward would go on to detail how it was something that had haunted him throughout his career and I can only imagine how he feels about it now that his opportunities have run out.

"I’ve had many sleepless nights over the course of my career wondering what I can do different and what I need to do differently and how I need to change to win a Stanley Cup and then to not win a Stanley Cup as a player is very difficult," said Spezza. "It’s my life work, hockey. And to not be a champion in it is hard."

Like any competitor though Spezza will use that pain that he feels at the goal he will never achieve to fuel the next phase of his career. In fact based on Spezza's comments on Sunday it may even be the biggest motivating factor in his move to becoming an NHL executive.

"But I think that will help me drive towards wanting to stay in the game, too," said Spezza. "It’ll never feel maybe the same as being a player but I’m going to try to win a Stanley Cup as an executive and as part of the organization now and that’ll keep me driven."