Few players are named to a postseason NHL All-Star team for the first time at age 40. But Whitney was -- he was voted a Second-Team All-Star in 2012, a few weeks after his 40th birthday, following a season that saw him finish with 77 points (24 goals, 53 assists) with the Phoenix Coyotes.

The forward, a stick boy for the Edmonton Oilers during the Wayne Gretzky era, was the second player ever selected by the San Jose Sharks, who took him in the second round (No. 23) of the 1991 NHL Draft. Whitney and San Jose's first-round pick (No. 2), forward Pat Falloon, were junior teammates and helped Spokane of the Western Hockey League win the Memorial Cup in 1991.

After playing two games for the Sharks in 1991-92 and 26 the following season, Whitney became a regular in 1993-94 and finished with 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) in 61 games, helping San Jose advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time. However, after a disappointing 1995-96 season, Whitney spent most of 1996-97 in the minors and wasn't re-signed by San Jose. He signed with the Oilers on Oct. 1, 1997 and played nine games with them in 1997-98 before being claimed on waivers by the Florida Panthers on Nov. 6, 1997.

The move to Florida revived Whitney's career. He scored 32 goals in 68 games after joining the Panthers, then scored 26 and 29 in the following two seasons. He continued to put up solid offensive numbers after being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2000-01 season, then spent the 2003-04 season with the Detroit Red Wings.

Whitney became a Stanley Cup champion after signing a two-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on Aug. 7, 2005. He finished the 2005-06 regular season with 55 points (17 goals, 38 assists) in 63 games, then contributed 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games to help the Hurricanes win their first championship.

He played four more seasons with Carolina, with at least 21 goals in each and scoring an NHL career-high 83 points (32 goals, 51 assists) in 2006-07. But Whitney was on the move again on July 1, 2010, when he signed a two-year contract with the Phoenix Coyotes. In 2011-12, Whitney led the Coyotes in scoring (77 points; 24 goals, 53 assists) and plus-minus rating (plus-26), earning Second-Team All-Star honors. He also scored his 1,000th NHL point with an assist against the Anaheim Ducks on March 31, 2012.

He then opted for free agency and signed a two-year contract with the Dallas Stars on July 1, 2012, and scored 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) in 32 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, then scored 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) in 2013-14 before announcing his retirement.

Whitney finished his career with 1,064 points (385 goals, 679 points) in 1,330 NHL games, as well as 53 points (21 goals, 32 assists) in 108 Stanley Cup Playoff games, with more points than any other player selected in the 1991 draft.