Colorado Mammoth forward Gary Gait, the National Lacrosse League's alltime scorer, announced today that he will retire after the 2005 season, his fifteenth year in the league.

"This game, this team and this town have been great to me," Gait said. "I want every game I play in the upcoming season to be a chance for me to say thanks to fans across the league."

Gait, entering his eighth season with the Mammoth (including the team's days as the Baltimore Thunder, Pittsburgh CrosseFire and Washington Power), will retire with the most regular season goals (563 through last season) and points (1010) in league history.

"We wish Gary nothing but the best as he enters his final season as a player in the league," NLL commissioner Jim Jennings said. "We will be sad to see him go, but we're glad that he made this announcement now so that fans can make sure they don't miss their last chance to see him play."

Gait's farewell tour opens on New Year's Day, when Colorado hosts the Calgary Roughnecks in a rematch of last year's Western Division Final.

Gait was held to just one goal in that game, a rare showing for the man who rewrote the record books over and over again.

In addition to his alltime marks, Gait holds or shares the record for goals in a game (ten), points in a game (fourteen), and goals in a season (61).

He's also a six-time NLL Most Valuable Player, a four-time All Star, a seven-time goal-scoring champion, and a seven-time points champion -- all league records, as well.

The one record that's unlikely to be approached in our lifetime, though, involves his All-Pro trophies. He's been selected fourteen times. In a row. Always to the First Team.

Gait has played precisely fourteen seasons.

Only two other players have played that long (Dallas Eliuk and Tim Soudan), and while they're both NLL royalty, neither approaches Gait's All-Pro perfection.

Gait began his career in 1991 with the Detroit Turbos, winning the Major Indoor Lacrosse League championship and the Rookie of the Year award.

In 1993, he and twin brother Paul were traded to the Philadelphia Wings, where they added a MILL championship in 1994.

While Paul left the Wings for Rochester in 1995, Gary continued with the club for a few more seasons before being traded to Baltimore just prior to the 1998 season.

The brothers were reunited by Paul's midseason trade to Pittsburgh in 2000, and continued to play together during the team's disastrous stint in Washington (during which the Power teetered on the brink of bankrupcy).

Paul retired after the 2002 season due to foot injuries, but Gary followed the team to Denver, where the Mammoth has built a huge fan base and become one of the league's success stories.