Triple Gold Club member No. 18 has won his last gold medal. Fredrik Modin, 36, has decided to retire. Constant back problems have contributed to the Swede’s decision.

Despite a splendid career which has included an IIHF World Championship gold medal (1998), a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2004) and Olympic gold (2006), Fredrik Modin is one of the least conspicuous members of the Triple Gold Club, currently at 24 members.

But the numbers tell the true story. Apart from collecting the three biggest team prizes in hockey, Modin played 898 NHL games, scoring 232 goals while adding 230 assists. He also represented Sweden in the IIHF World U20 Championships (silver in 1994), the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and in three other IIHF World Championships, where he added the 2001 bronze to his 1998 gold.

Modin also took part in the Vancouver Olympics last year, and along with 21 other Triple Gold Club members was officially honored and inducted during an unforgettable ceremony on February 22 in the House of Hockey.

His most successful years were 2004 – 2006. Modin had 19 points (8+11) in Tampa Bay’s run to the 2004 Stanley Cup victory and later that fall he scored eight points (4+4) in four World Cup games for Tre Kronor. He contributed with two goals and one assist to Sweden’s Olympic victory in Turin.

His trade mark was the booming shot, one of the hardest and most precise in the business.

“It is not an easy decision to make,” said Modin to the Swedish Dagbladet newspaper. “But it the right decision for the future. The most important thing is to be healthy and my back has been hurting for a while now. After all, I am soon 37 and things don’t get any easier.”

Modin looks proudly back on his career:

“It’s amazing to be mentioned among the other players who are on the Triple Gold Club. It’s nothing you think about when you are playing, but now when you are reminded and you think about it, it’s a fantastic thing,” said Modin, who ranks the Stanley Cup win as his greatest achievement.

Fredrik Modin, originally from Njurunda, Sweden, has not yet decided what he will do in the future and he and his family will, for the time being, stay in Columbus where he played 2006-2010, before rounding off his NHL career with stops in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Calgary.

Before his time in Tampa Bay 1999-2006, Modin also played with Toronto 1996-1999.

“I will definitely do something in hockey in the future,” said Modin. “Whether it will be as a coach or in another function, we’ll see. I will definitely take my time to consider what I really want to do.”

FOOTNOTE: Fredrik Modin is the 16th Triple Gold Club member to retire. The still active ones are: Jaromir Jagr, Nicklas Lidström, Chris Pronger, Niklas Kronwall, Henrik Zetterberg, Mikael Samuelsson, Eric Staal and Jonathan Toews.