Patrick Sharp of Stars out for rest of season

DALLAS --Patrick Sharp of the Dallas Stars will have hip surgery Tuesday, ending a difficult season for the 35-year-old forward.
"It's tough to make that decision to sit out and get healthy, but I think it's the right thing to do," he said.

Sharp has 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 48 games this season. He's dealt with two concussions and constant hip pain, and his father, Ian Sharp, has leukemia.
"It's been tough," Patrick Sharp said. "I knew it was going to be a challenging year with my father and what he has been going through. Looking back on the season, I probably could have handled my emotions a little better maybe."
Ian Sharp was diagnosed with leukemia seven years ago, and the disease worsened this year. He received stem-cell treatments that have worked and he is home in Ontario.

Sharp is the Stars candidate for the Bill Masterton Trophy, given each season by the NHL to a player who displays the attributes of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
"He's given everything he's had," Stars general manager Jim Nill said. "He went through the bad times [with the Chicago Blackhawks] and the good times. He's come here and gone through good times and bad times. This was a tough, tough year for him, and he gave everything he had."
Sharp could have had the surgery earlier in the season with the Stars (30-33-11) slipping out of Stanley Cup Playoff contention (they entered Saturday 14 points out of the second wild card from the Western Conference with eight games remaining). However, he took pride in playing through the injury.
"It's easy to feel good about yourself when things are going good and your confidence is high and health is good," Sharp said. "I think you show your true colors when you're up against it, and that's something I probably learned from my dad."
Forward Jamie Benn had double hip surgery in 2015, and forward Ales Hemsky had a similar procedure in October and returned to the lineup on March 2.

"I've done a lot of research on it and I know what to expect," Sharp said. "I'm confident I can get it done with our great staff in Dallas and come back strong."
Sharp can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 but said he's not thinking about next season at this point. Nill didn't rule out bringing him back.
"We're going to get the surgery done, let him heal. He's going to train, and then let's take a look at him," Nill said. "We've had conversations. If he comes back, he wants to be in Dallas. He thinks he's a Dallas Star."