Oilers Goalie Ranford Retires

April 24, 2000 / 10:42 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Bill Ranford, who played 15 seasons as an NHL goalie, retired Monday from the Edmonton Oilers - the team with which he won two Stanley Cups.

"Goaltending is tough on the body and I wanted to be able to walk away from the game rather than crawl away from it," said the 35-year-old veteran, who played parts of 10 seasons with the Oilers.

Ranford also played for Boston, Washington, Tampa Bay and Detroit - all since the 1995-96 season.

"The last four years, we've moved around a little," said Ranford, who made his NHL debut with the Bruins in the 1985-86 season before returning a decade later to Boston. "My youngest daughter turned five a week ago and has not lived longer in one place than seven months. I feel I owe it to her, let her start school in one spot."

Ranford, who rejoined the Oilers prior to this season, said the best moments of his career came in Edmonton. He arrived in 1988 just in time for a playoff run that ended in a Stanley Cup, when he backed up Grant Fuhr.

Another championship followed in 1990, as well as the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. Ranford was named team MVP for four consecutive seasons.

In 1994, he was in goal for Canada's world hockey championship team.

The Oilers were eliminated in the first round of this year's playoffs, losing in five games to the defending Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars.