Tuesday was a big day for the NHL and for notable defensemen retiring from the game. All of P.K. Subban, Zdeno Chara and Keith Yandle announced their official retirements from hockey and each took to different platforms to share the news.
Subban to Pursue Other Options
After 834 NHL games, P.K. Subban is calling it quits. Thanking everyone from the organization to the fans, he wrote a statement on Twitter saying, “I look forward to the road ahead, and the many exciting opportunities to come. I’m excited to share what those are with all of you when the time comes.”
The last anyone had heard about what was going on with the Subban was that he wasn’t in a rush. His agent had publicly stated there was interest in him over the summer, but recent reports surfaced that Subban might be leaning more towards not coming back to the NHL. Clearly, the latter was more where Subban’s head was at and it sounds like he’ll pursue other options.
Chara Hangs Up Skates, Will Do So as a Bruin
In a post on Instagram, Chara also called it a career. He wrote the following statement:
After 25 seasons of professional hockey 1,680 NHL regular season games, 200 Stanley Cup Playoff games, and hundreds of international games I am proud to announce my decision to retire from the National Hockey League. In doing so, I am honored to return to TD Garden today to sign a one-day contract with the Boston Bruins and officially finish my career with the team that has meant so much to me and my family.
There are so many people that have helped contribute to my success, including all of you, and I look forward to properly thanking everyone this afternoon.
Chara went had an incredible run that saw him spend time with Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders.
Keith Yandle Taking It Easy
Keith Yandle’s retirement announcement came around the same time as the others, but he used the Spitten’ Chiclets podcast to share his news. He said to his buddies on the show, ‘I am literally taking my talents to South Beach and doing nothing.” He noted that it was something he’d been thinking about for a while and is really at ease with his decision.
Yandle retires with the longest “Ironman” streak in NHL history after skating in 989 consecutive games from March 26, 2009, to March 29, 2022. As the hosts of the show pointed out, it was an insane run that is almost hard to believe.
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