Do hockey players ever retire?

Admittedly, I haven't watched hockey regularly since about 1992 - I guess there were only so many times I could tolerate Mario Lemieux and the Penguins torturing my Capitals in the playoffs by coming back from 3-1 deficits - but I started flipping through channels for anything to watch other than the Wizards and I saw Chris Chelios on the ice during a Red Wings-Flames playoff game with a stat saying it was his 22nd postseason appearance in the NHL, a league record.

This guy was an established star when I was watching hockey in the late '80s. If you would have asked me what Chris Chelios was doing right now, before I saw him on TV, I would have been more likely to say he was hooked up to a dialysis machine than playing in the NHL Playoffs.

I also had a co-worker inform me that Mark Recchi is still in the league, as well. MARK RECCHI?!

Is Ron Francis still playing, too?

As a Caps supporter, I want to know where Rod Langway is. He didn't even wear a helmet, it seems they could use a guy like that. How about Dale Hunter? He would keep everyone in line. Can you imagine Alexander Ovechkin teamed with Mike Gartner?

How do hockey players do it?