Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Mark Messier wants to return to the National Hockey League in an executive role four years after hanging up his skates.

``I want to get back in the game,'' the 47-year-old said in an interview that aired last night on Bloomberg Television's ``Night Talk'' program. ``I relish the opportunity to be part of a team in a different aspect than a player.''

Messier was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame last year after a 25-season NHL career that included five Stanley Cup titles with the Edmonton Oilers and another with the New York Rangers. While he hasn't ruled out coaching, he'd prefer to ``set the agenda and create the atmosphere it takes to be a champion'' in the front office of a hockey franchise.

``It's tremendously taxing to be a coach because of the interpersonal relationships that you have to develop,'' said Messier, the second-leading scorer in NHL history. ``It doesn't interest me as much as being the overall seer of an organization.''

Messier, who also spent three seasons in Vancouver, played his final four seasons and 10 overall with the Rangers. He also was a forward on five Stanley Cup winners with the Oilers from 1984-1990.

A two-time winner of the Hart Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player, Messier finished with 1,886 points, second on the all-time list behind former teammate Wayne Gretzky.

He came to New York in a trade in 1991 and was quickly tabbed as the player who would help the Rangers end a Stanley Cup drought that dated back to 1940. He won his second Hart Trophy in his first season with the Rangers and two years later led them to the Stanley Cup, beating Vancouver in the finals.

``It's amazing to me that it's been 14 years since we hoisted that cup,'' he said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Mason Levinson in New York at mlevinson@bloomberg.net; Mike Schneider in New York at mschneider12@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 26, 2008 00:00 EDT