The St. Louis Blues today announced that former defenseman Al MacInnis’ No. 2 jersey will be retired on April 9 during a special in-game ceremony versus the Edmonton Oilers. He officially announced his retirement from a stellar professional playing career on September 9 after spending 23 seasons in the National Hockey League with the St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames.

“We are extremely pleased to announce that Al MacInnis will be the last Blues player to ever wear No. 2,” said Blues President & CEO Mark Sauer. “The sight of Al’s jersey hanging from the rafters of Savvis Center will serve as permanent testimony to his tremendous career in St. Louis.”

MacInnis will become only the fifth Blues player in franchise history to have his jersey number retired. Other Blues include: Bob Gassoff (No. 3 on Oct. 1, 1977), Barclay Plager (No. 8 on March 9, 1982), Brian Sutter (No. 11 on Dec. 30, 1988) and Hall of Famer Bernie Federko (No. 24 on March 16, 1991).

“I am truly honored that the Blues have elected to retire my number, and I’m flattered to join the list of players who have been recognized before me,” said MacInnis. “I will always consider myself part of the Blues family and will look back on my playing days here with fond memories of my teammates, my coaches, the staff and, last but not least, the fans.”

MacInnis, 42, finishes his career ranking third all-time among NHL defensemen in goals (340), assists (934) and points (1,274), and ranks fifth with 1,416 games played. He also ranks 12th all-time among NHL players in assists, 28th in points and 17th in games played.

“By retiring Al MacInnis’ No. 2 jersey on April 9 we are not only recognizing one of the best defensemen to ever play the game,” said Senior Vice President & General Manager Larry Pleau. “We are providing one last chance for our fans to see Al on the ice and personally thank him for all of the wonderful memories he provided over the years.”

The Port Hood, Nova Scotia native was drafted by Calgary as their first choice, 15th overall, in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut with the Flames on December 30, 1981 vs. the Boston Bruins. MacInnis spent 13 seasons with Calgary (1981-94), appearing in two Stanley Cup Finals (1986 and 1989) and capturing the Stanley Cup Championship in 1989 along with the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason’s most valuable player. He also appeared in six NHL All-Star Games as a member of the Flames, and was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team twice (1990 and 1991) along with being named to the Second All-Star Team three times (1987, 1989 and 1994) while in Calgary. MacInnis currently ranks first in Flames’ franchise history with 803 games played and 609 assists, and he ranks second with 822 points.

After spending over a decade with Calgary, the Blues acquired MacInnis on July 4, 1994. He spent 10 seasons in St. Louis, shattering franchise records for defensemen. MacInnis played in 613 games with the Blues, ranking first all-time among Blues defensemen in goals (127), assists (325) and points (452). While in St. Louis, he was selected to appear in seven NHL All-Star Games, was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team twice (1999 and 2003) and won his first James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman in 1999. During his final season in 2003-04 MacInnis played just three games for the Blues after suffering a season-ending eye injury.

MacInnis has also held the blueline for Team Canada on the international stage. He represented his country as a member of the Canada Cup-championship winning team in 1991, and captured a gold medal at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. The momentous victory broke a 50-year gold-medal drought for Canadian hockey at the Olympics. MacInnis also represented his country at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, while advancing to the bronze-medal game and finishing fourth.

MacInnis played three seasons of Junior hockey with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League and was named to the OHL’s First All-Star Team in 1982 and 1983. He amassed 198 points (74 goals, 124 assists) in 198 games, and tied Bobby Orr’s record for goals in one season by a defenseman with 38 during the 1982-83 season on his way to being named the OHL’s Most Outstanding Defenseman