Patrik Elias remembers how his body started shaking the first time he found out he would play in an NHL game. He was on the bus with his minor-league teammates from Albany, an 18-year-old from the Czech Republic who was still learning English, when he was told that his coach wanted to see him.

"We're going to drop you off here," he was told. The bus had stopped at an airport in Providence where the private jet belonging to team owner Dr. John McMullen was waiting on the tarmac. He was needed in New Jersey, a one-game call-up to face the Toronto Maple Leafs.

This was Dec. 6, 1995. He had no idea that the next night would be the first of 1,240 games with the same franchise, that he would go down in team history as the greatest forward to ever wear the Devils jersey. He just knew he had to get on that plane, and that he was still scared to death of flying.

"I have no idea how I even played that game," he told NJ Advance Media on Thursday with a laugh. "I was all nerves. I was like a fireball."

Elias was beginning to talk about his career in the past tense for the first time. He and the Devils will announce on Friday that he is hanging up his skates for good, a decision that is not surprising giving the cartilage replacement surgery to his right knee that has sidelined him all season.

Still: When he asked the people closest to him what he should do, the answer was almost unanimous. "You should play!" they told him, but after months of rehab and contemplating his future, the voice in his head was telling him something else entirely. It wasn't enough to play just for the sake of playing, to be anything but fully committed to chasing another championship.

It was time.

"You realize, 'Hey, do I still want to do it?'" Elias said. "You've got to be honest with yourself and come to the realization. The Devils gave me a lot of time and opened the door to still feel part of the team. I didn't make a decision overnight and that helped me come to be okay with the decision."

He will put on the uniform one final time on April 8 when the Devils host the Islanders. He will skate with the team during warmups before the game and then take a final lap around the ice alone, and while Elias hopes it will be a "fun night" for him and his family, he knows he'll be fighting tears.

Then, sometime next season, the Devils will put his No. 26 in the rafters alongside No. 4 (Scott Stevens), No. 27 (Scott Niedermayer), No. 3 (Ken Daneyko) and No. 30 (Martin Brodeur). Without question, it belongs up there, because outside of those four players no one has worn the Devils uniform with as much pride and success as Elias has.

He will finish his career with 408 goals and 617 assists, statistics that should merit serious consideration for the Hockey Hall of Fame. Remember: Elias put up those numbers on a team built to stop opponents from scoring, a franchise that in its prime was perfectly happy to win every game 1-0 as long as it meant celebrating a Stanley Cup.

Elias' brilliance as a two-way player should not be diminished. His 40-goal, 56-assist season in 2000-01 is arguably the best ever for a Devils forward, and the left wing looks back on the chemistry he shared with center Jason Arnott and right wing Petr Sykora that season with a sense of wonder.

"We had so much fun, on and off the ice," Elias said. "We couldn't wait to get to the rink and to the games. I'm still amazed when I see some of the highlights of the play we were making. And we were constantly pushing each other: If Jason had a goal or if Sykie had a goal, I wanted one."

That competition, he said, is what he'll miss the most. Elias had hoped for a few more seasons, looking to 44-year-old countryman Jaromir Jagr as an example that, in hockey, age is just a number. But he knew the grind of the NHL season would be too much.

He isn't ready to think about the future -- yet. He wants to spend time with his wife and two young daughters and travel to Europe to visit his parents, then make a decision about the next phase in life. His former teammates have chased second careers in all phases of the NHL, and there is little doubt that the well-spoken and thoughtful Elias would be a natural as a broadcaster.

He'll still be a fixture around New Jersey, a place he calls his "second home" after two decades. Elias doesn't hesitate when asked what makes him most proud of his long NHL career, and it's an accomplishment that this franchise may see again given the changes in the sport.

"Playing for this one organization, this one team, this one logo," Elias said. "That's the most important thing for me, honestly. I'm not saying it's always been nice and rosy, but it's been a great journey. And the ups and downs make that journey worth it."

Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevePoliti. Find NJ.com on Facebook.