Matt Duchene was pulled from the ice Sunday in Brooklyn with news breaking soon after that the longtime Avalanche center had been traded to the Ottawa Senators in a three-team deal.

The No. 3 overall pick in 2009 by Colorado, Duchene spent the first eight-plus seasons of his NHL career in Denver. The Haliburton, Ontario native grew up an Avalanche fan and went on to score 178 goals and 250 assists with Colorado. He was twice named an NHL All-Star for the Avs and skated in eight playoff games.

On Monday morning, Duchene posted the following message to his Twitter account, thanking Colorado for his time and wishing the fans, teammates and the organization well.

The body text reads as follows, for those unable to view the image:

“I want to thank the Avs organization, coaching, equipment and training staff for all you did for me in my 8+ years. I appreciate everything so much. It was an absolute honor and privilege to live a crazy childhood dream and play for my favorite team.

“To my teammates, thank you. I truly love you guys and thank you for your friendship. It was great going to battle with you ever night, I will miss all of you. All the best going forward!

“To the fans, you guys are unbelievable. The love and support you showed me in my time as an Av was incredible, especially this past summer and this season. It was truly humbling and I’m so grateful for you. Thank you!”

The Avalanche next travel to Stockholm, Sweden where they were face none other than the Ottawa Senators for a pair of games Friday and Saturday.