One of the great ironies for the player who never slept on the job was that perhaps no player ever slept as much off of it as Adam Foote.

No Avalanche franchise defenseman played more games, scored more points or took more naps than Foote, who announced his retirement Friday before a large crowd of family and friends along with current and former teammates at the Pepsi Center.

“I haven’t gone a single day without taking one in my whole career. I mean, every single day,” Foote said.

Pro athletes need their rest after all, but after Sunday’s Avalanche home game against the Edmonton Oilers, Foote won’t be needing any more pregame naps. Despite a possible cracked bone in his leg, Foote hopes to suit up one final time for the Avs before turning out the lights on his 19-year career.

Friday was a time for Foote to give thanks, and he had a long list, starting with wife Jennifer, whom he called his “rock.” He thanked the current Avs team, on which he served as captain the past two seasons, and the many former teammates on hand such as Joe Sakic, Darcy Tucker and Curtis Leschyshyn. He thanked the fans of Colorado for making his family feel this is where his “heart now belongs, where our kids were born” and also those of the other cities he played — Quebec and Columbus, Ohio.

He even thanked former Nordiques captains Sakic and Mike Hough for the snickers when he was so nervous around them that he couldn’t complete a tape-to-tape pass to them.

Casting a glance at Avs rookie Cameron Gaunce, whom Foote said suffered from the same jitters around him at training camp last fall, Foote remained the encouraging captain to the end.

“You’ll get there some day too,” Foote said.

Foote managed to avoid needing a Kleenex box for his roughly 15-minute farewell address, though there was a slight glistening of the eyes when a videotape started to roll showing highlights of his hockey life going back to pee-wee days growing up in Whitby, Ontario. With his parents and two sisters sitting in the front row, Foote said he was lucky to have such a strong example of how a person should conduct his or her life.

“My first five years in the league, they always told me to act like a rookie, and I’d be fine,” he said.

Tributes to Foote came from many quarters of the hockey world, including his roommate of nearly eight seasons, Hall of Famer Patrick Roy.

“He was not only a great roommate and a great friend, but he was most importantly an outstanding warrior, someone you can count on every night,” Roy said in a statement.

Foote said he got a Harvard-equivalent education in hockey from Roy, including the time he was awakened at 2 a.m. by Roy, sitting at the desk in their hotel room in Calgary after a loss.

“It shows his competitive nature: He showed me how I blew the 2-on-1 that cost us the game,” Foote said. “But he made you realize that you were there to win, and win only, and that’s why he won championships.”

Who will succeed Foote as Avalanche captain remains an open question. Paul Stastny could be a leading contender, however, and he said he would gladly accept the “C” if offered.

“It’s tough to look down the road, but like Footie said, his first couple years he just kind of sat there and learned, and I was fortunate to have Joe Sakic for the first three years of my career and then Footie,” Stastny said. “Nobody’s going to be the same person, but after being around guys like that, it helps you become a better person.”

Foote, 39, said he decided around the NHL trade deadline in late February that he would retire, though he said he had a strong feeling before the season that this would be his last.

“Maybe around training camp next year or so, he’ll probably miss it a little, but when your body tells you it’s time to go, it’s a lot easier than if you’re 28 or something and have to quit because of an injury,” Sakic said. “He was a great leader and a great teammate.”

Foote will coach a 13-and-under team, the Colorado Thunderbirds, this fall and hinted that he might be open to joining the Avs some day in a management or coaching capacity.

“But right now, it’s time to live a more normal family life,” Foote said. “This isn’t a sad day for me, it’s a celebration.”

Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com