It's not about, 'Let me play as long as I can so I don't have to grow up.' It's about, 'Let me play as long as I enjoy it,' and when it's time to step away, I can step away gracefully even if I'm still good enough to keep playing, because I'm ready for that next phase.

There were no women's players I knew of. I didn't even know women's hockey existed.

I'm getting more towards that point where I'm ready to kind of pass the torch on and see the next generation succeed behind me.

As a veteran, you're a little more poised on that mental side. But athletically, I didn't really think I could get better.

It feels right. But it's emotional. Saying goodbye to anything you've done that long is hard.

I still love hockey. It's just I'm at a different stage of my life and I think I'm just ready to grow in other ways outside of just being a hockey player.

I find that I've tried to become a better hockey player every year and not just hold on. At the same time, I've also made it a point to increase or grow in some other area of my life. If I were just playing hockey, I would probably be done with the sport.