Toronto, ON – Steve Staios announced his retirement after a 16-season playing career in the NHL and has joined the front office of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Staios, who played in 1,001 regular season games as a defenseman, was named the player development advisor of the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. He will advise the Leafs management team on the prospects and players at all levels of the organization.
"I am very excited about joining the Toronto Maple Leafs management team," Staios said. "I am looking forward to doing everything I can to help the team have success. The time is right for me and my family to step away from the game that I love to play and move on to a new chapter in my life. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Brian Burke and Dave Nonis and learn from their experience and knowledge."
Burke, who is the president and general manager of the Maple Leafs, managed Staios for some of his tenure with Vancouver from 1996-99.
"Steve Staios was a working man's player, ready to play every night, competed to the best of his ability regularly against the other team's best players and he was an exemplary teammate," Burke said. "Steve has tremendous character and leadership skills and he has a bright future."
Staios, 38, compiled 56 goals and 164 assists during his playing career with the Bruins, Canucks, Thrashers, Oilers, Flames, and most recently the Islanders.
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