TORONTO (AP) – Doug Gilmour retired Monday after an NHL career in which he played 20 seasons and won a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989.

The 40-year-old forward, coming off a knee injury, made the announcement at a news conference at a Toronto restaurant.

“As an athlete, we all knew this day was going to come,” he said. “As a player in the National Hockey League after all this time, you never want it to come.”

Gilmour played for seven teams, totaling 450 goals and 964 assists. He was dealt to Toronto from Montreal at last season’s trade deadline but sustained a season-ending knee injury in his first game back with the Maple Leafs.

The unrestricted free agent spent most of the summer rehabilitating his knee and hoped to play with Toronto this season. Those plans were dashed last week when new Toronto general manager John Ferguson Jr. said Gilmour was not in the team’s plans.

“I can honestly say I wasn’t too happy with it,” Gilmour said. “I was just disappointed, but it’s part of the game.”

Gilmour said he has been strengthening his knee for the last four months.

He said the injury “just makes it a lot easier to move on with the rest of my life.”

Gilmour was drafted by St. Louis in 1982 and also played for Calgary, Toronto, New Jersey, Chicago, Buffalo and Montreal. In 1,474 regular-season NHL games he had 1,414 points.

Gilmour played with a combination of smarts and enthusiasm. He had a deft offensive touch – and nasty streak.

Those qualities won over Leafs fans when he followed Wendel Clark as captain.

He won the Frank J. Selke Award as the league’s top defensive forward in 1993 and played in the NHL all-star game in 1993 and 1994. He recorded a personal best 127 points during Toronto’s 1992-93 season.

“This has been such a great ride,” Gilmour said. “I have had so many great experiences, winning a Stanley Cup, playing at home . . . and playing with some great players and great teams.”

Gilmour’s wife Amy was teary as she sat beside her husband for the announcement. Gilmour’s friend, Toronto enforcer Tie Domi, introduced his teammate.

When asked about a possible return from retirement, Gilmour left the door open a crack.

“I can’t tell you how I’m going to feel in three or four months,” he said. “But I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

AP-ES-09-08-03 1632EDT