Scott Niedermayer needs to quit being so damned disrespectful.
To the game.
To his teammates.
To the fans.
Never mind any further fudging. He needs to make a decision about retirement.
Now.
Despite Niedermayer's status as one of the best defensemen to ever play the game, he is not bigger than the game. Maybe all those years of stardom have blurred his vision and he thinks he is.
That's the way I interpret this whole "Will he or won't he play again?" mess.
He needs to tell us he's going to return to the Anaheim Ducks or retire. It's that simple.
And, whatever he decides, he's got to set a date so we know he's serious.
If Niedermayer is going to get back on the ice — he's skated a couple times recently, fueling speculation that a return is imminent — he should do it with the Ducks. Pickup hockey is for never-has-beens, not future Hall of Famers.
If he does need more time to recharge, physically and mentally, so be it. If his body is telling him it's had enough, fine.
But he needs to tell us. Don't keep teasing us.
He owes it to hockey, the game that has given him everything in life.
He owes it to his teammates, those guys who watched his back en route to the Stanley Cup last spring.
And he owes it to the fans, the people who supported him and, indirectly, allowed him to even contemplate retirement at the ripe old age of 34.
Anything less shows contempt for everyone but Scott Niedermayer.