Well…it’s the day we all saw coming but we hoped would never get here…Pavel Datsyuk announced today that he is retiring from the NHL to go home to Russia. There is something about Russia that seem to pull it’s people back to their homeland, and Pavel is no different…he just wanted to go home to be with his teenage daughter and the rest of his family…and who can fault that? I will always remember his magic on the ice, and his sense of humor that came through even his broken english….he could do things on the ice that earned him the nickname “the Magic Man” and, as he has gotten older, he wanted to take what’s left of the magic and play in front of Russian fans to finish out his career…he is 37, after all, and age catches up with even magic…we will miss him playing for the Red Wings, but the highlight reels are still there to help us remember what he meant to us…bye, bye, Pavel…and good luck!