Caroline Ouellette has left the rink.

Arguably one of the best women's hockey players in the world, Ouellette, bowed out, albeit quietly Tuesday, announcing her retirement from the Canadian National Team without the fanfare the megastar deserved but typically avoided in favor of her game speaking for her.

And oh, how her game spoke volumes from the onset.  Ouellette's national team ties and Olympic success was already tangible -- in the form of 2002 Olympic gold medal --  when the Montreal, Quebec native arrived on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus in 2002.  In three seasons with the Bulldogs, Ouellette compiled the third most points in program history -- a staggering 229 points on 92 goals and 137 assists, good for a 2.36 points per game average.  In her second season, she helped UMD win its third NCAA title, and was named the NCAA's Frozen Four MVP for her efforts, and earned her first of two First Team All-American awards.  In fact, as a senior in 2005-05, Ouellette turned in the third-most points by a UMD player in a single season (80), and was a Patty Kazmaier Top-Three Finalist, as well as again a First Team All-American.

"Caroline is one of the best women's hockey players to ever play the game," said UMD head coach Maura Crowell. "Her accomplishments on the ice are incredible as are her off ice contributions to the sport. She's an excellent role model to hockey players all over the world. We are so proud to call her a Bulldog."

If her success as a Bulldog wasn't enough on the ice, Ouellette came back in 2007-08 as an assistant coach, and helped UMD earn its fourth NCAA title.  Two of those UMD freshmen, Hailey Irwin and Jocelyne Larocque, Ouellette would later win Olympic gold medals with -- Irwin in 2010 and 2014, and Larocque in 2014.

While Ouellette's individual accomplishments at UMD had her named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's 1999-2009 All-Decade Team, her accolades as a stalwart of the Canadian National Team and her career in the NWHL and CWHL are even more well known.  She was twice named the most valuable player in the CWHL (2008-09 and 2010-11) and won one scoring title (2010-11). Three times in the World Championships she was named one of Canada's top three players, and scored at least a point-per-game at every level of competition over the course of her career. Ouellette also became the first player in CWHL history to eclipse the 300-point mark, a plateau she reached with a pair of assists on Dec. 11, 2016. 

The team accomplishments are no less staggering for Ouellette. In fact, Ouellette is the only Canadian in any sport to enter four Olympic events and win gold in all four of them, the last one of which she captained Canada to the gold medal in 2014. Add to that six World Women's championship gold medals, five titles in the NWHL/CWHL, one NCAA title as a player at UMD and one as a coach, and five World Championship silver medals.  

Ouellette, without question, is one of the game's all-time great players, and will undoubtedly be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2021, the year she becomes eligible.  But Tuesday, Ouellette stepped away from the ice as a player on her own terms, with her own statement.

"What a privilege it was to play for Canada, I cherished every moment and loved every minute of it," Ouellette said in a statement. "I shared my passion for hockey with great teammates, coaches and staff members that will remain lifelong friends.  My journey with Team Canada taught me the importance of outstanding teamwork, the desire to always want to be better, and the ability to perform under pressure."

Appreciative Bulldog fans will forever be grateful to Ouellette for including UMD in her historic and successful hockey journey.  Ouellette may have quietly exited the rink, but her legendary presence over women's hockey will linger long, long after.