Dane Swan was both a hero and a villain during his colourful 258-game playing career for Collingwood.

Adored by the public, loved by his teammates, followed relentlessly by the media, the knockabout bloke from Broadmeadows in Melbourne's north did things his way. 

When members of his family, teammates, coaches, staff, friends and the media packed into the Holden Centre auditorium on Tuesday afternoon, Swan was quick to deliver a classic one-liner. 

"This is a big crowd for a one-year deal, isn't it?" Swan said in typical deadpan fashion. 

"But yeah, obviously, my time's up so I'm retiring, that's the big announcement so thanks for coming and see ya's later." 

But this wasn't going to be a small tribute. Collingwood had gone all out to celebrate the career of one of its greats in his final goodbye, his swansong.

The fact that former coach Mick Malthouse was returning to the Magpies' base for the first time since executing the controversial coaching handover to Nathan Buckley underlined how big of a deal this press conference/panel discussion was.

As the Magpies' Twitter account posted prior to the presser, the Collingwood family was being reunited.

But this wasn't about burying the hatchet; Tuesday was about celebrating the career of one of the greatest players to ever pull on a black and white jumper.

"He’s the player of his generation," Magpies President Eddie McGuire said.

Malthouse said Swan, despite having his left foot planted to the west and his right foot pointing to the east, played a significant role in transforming the modern game. 

Swan's mix of power and speed were well suited to the six and a half minute bursts the Magpies employed him for as the club's interchange rotations increased markedly.

"He revolutionised the type of footballers that were growing through 2007," Malthouse said. 

"Swanny's idea was that if I don't get a kick in six and a half minutes, it doesn't matter, that's the rules I come off, freshen up and get back on again.

"By that that stage he was starting to wear players out midway through the second and third quarters and he just destroyed them by the last quarter."

Swan credited teammates Ben Johnson and Chris Tarrant for showing him the dedication required to reach the levels he did during his career. 

While Swan often jokes about his attitude to training, Buckley was quick to dispel the myth he did not put in the work during his career. 

"You wouldn't want to tell anyone that he's prepared to empty himself out or he works as hard as he actually did throughout his career, he wouldn't want to give the impression that he actually cared or tried," he said. 

"But that's what we saw internally. His 6x500s were his staple and doing it at a pace that no one else would be able to keep up with."

While Swan's on-field exploits were widely lauded, his off-field activities were followed just as intently throughout his career.

He admitted some of his misdemeanors had been "swept under carpet" and that he had been given numerous chances by the club along the way.

Swan described his relationship with the media as "frosty at times" while his father Billy summed up perfectly the level of attention the tattooed larrikin received on a daily basis.

"When your son gets drafted and you see his photo in the paper, you think 'God, this is fantastic'. But after a while you just dread it and think 'He's not in the paper again is he?'" Billy Swan said. 

Now "unemployed" Swan said he does not know what the next chapter of his life holds. 

First he's going to have a "gap year" and enjoy a six-month trip to Europe before venturing across to Los Angeles to attend the world famous Coachella music festival in April next year. 

Swan wanted to play on in 2017, but the seriousness of his foot injury did not allow him to do so.

Plus he didn't want to get to March next year and have the "coaches get the shits with him".

Swan said he did not care about how is remembered but decided it was better to finish his career without struggling through a final season.

"I'd rather die a hero than live long enough to die the villain," Swan said.