Edmonton Oilers
John Klingberg Announces His Retirement From Hockey, Lands New Job
Defenseman John Klingberg is officially announcing his retirement from professional hockey after 700 NHL career games played.
According to a statement by the NHLPA, defenseman John Klingberg is officially announcing his retirement from professional hockey after 700 NHL career games played. The former blueliner, who spent time with the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks, was unable to secure work this summer as an unrestricted free agent.
Once considered an elite offensive defenseman in the NHL, he played from 2014 to 2026, scoring 92 goals and 443 points. Injuries became a real storyline in the latter part of his career. “I feel like as soon as I push myself and be athletic, my body doesn’t want to anymore. And when you give so much, but don’t feel like you’re getting anything back. Eventually the motivation runs out. I’ve had those thoughts a bit in recent years, hoping that the last surgery would make me feel one hundred percent again. But that hasn’t really happened,” he explained. He added, “There were a lot of injections there towards the end of my time in Dallas, and during the time in Anaheim and the first time in Toronto. Then there were a lot of injections until I chose to do this surgery where they replace the entire joint. But beyond that, I’ve played on anti-inflammatory pills and painkillers really my entire career.”
His career was also hampered by his decision to turn down a lucrative contract extension with the Stars, which ultimately made it harder for him to secure long-term deals with other NHL franchises. He’ll be remembered for turning down an 8x$7M contract extension in 2021-22. That decision cost him ~$40M.
Klingberg is 34 and will retire as a player who had two very unique phases in his NHL career. He was widely regarded as one of the league’s best offensive threats, then seen as a player who made one of the bigger career mistakes of a generation and hard to work hard to get deals as a bit of a journeyman.
He also played in multiple World Championships with Sweden and was an excellent international player.
Klingberg has already found a new role as the new hockey expert for SVT. “It feels very inspiring, actually. It’s something that I’ve thought I could do well moving forward in life when I’m done with hockey. So I’m very excited to get this chance,” he said. SVT’s events manager Marcus Törngren explained the decision to hire Klingberg:
“With John we get an incredibly exciting profile who has just finished his career in the world’s best hockey league. As one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL of his time, he will contribute a lot to our coverage. In addition, he has a huge interest in the SHL and will work with the league in Hockeykväll and on our news channels.”
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