In the end, Joe Sakic held the deciding vote in his household when he chose to return to the Avalanche for another season rather than hang up his skates for good.

But hockey-playing son Mitchell might have wielded some influence as well.

"He demanded I play," the Avalanche captain said with a smile Thursday, one day after signing a one-year, $6 million contract to play for a 20th NHL season.

Sakic said the feelings among family members -- wife Debbie, Mitchell and twins Chase and Kamryn -- were "mixed" when it came to their input.

"It wasn't unanimous in the house," he said. "You know what? Everybody -- Deb and the kids -- they were supportive of whichever way it went.

"I'm excited to be back. It was a long summer. (There were) a lot of things to think about. I'm excited with the decision I made. I'm looking forward to the start of the season and getting on the ice. I'm going to start skating (Friday).

"The body and mind are fresh, and I'm ready to go. I'm excited about it."

Looking fit and happy, Sakic, 39, spoke before teeing off at The Sanctuary in his 11th charity golf tournament that benefits Food Bank of the Rockies' nutritional programs for children.

Sakic said he did "a lot of wavering" about his future after the Avalanche season ended with a second-round playoff loss to the Detroit Red Wings. He was the team's leading scorer in the playoffs with 10 points in 10 games, but he missed 38 games in the regular season to recover from a groin injury and surgery for a sports hernia.

"It was a frustrating year with the injury," he said. "Three months of rehab wasn't a lot of fun. I'll explain more in detail on Tuesday (at a formal news conference scheduled for the Family Sports Center in Centennial), but at that point, I was really contemplating what I was going to do.

"It took longer than I thought, but I'm excited and I'm happy that I took the time I needed to come to this decision and make the right one. Like I said, I'm excited and I'm really looking forward to the season.

"Right to the end, you wonder what the right thing to do is. Obviously, I know I'm ready to play. My body's healthy and I'm excited to go another year."

Sakic could have entered the free-agent market and probably gotten a more lucrative contract elsewhere, but he has no desire to play for another team. His family has become entrenched in the Denver community, and he and Debbie are heavily involved in charity work.

They raised more than $58,000 for Food Bank of the Rockies during a silent auction at Inverness last week, and Sakic said the tournament Thursday would raise enough money to provide 1 million meals for 185,000 needy children.

"We feel so privileged and blessed," he said. "We get to play a game for a living, and we do well at it. We're in the spotlight. Whether you like it or not, you're in the spotlight and you want to do what's right, and what's right is to give back when you're so fortunate to have what you have. It's important to give back to the people that really need your help."