The exact moment a career came to an end

[Babych44]

Dont want to find video or even see it, but Ian Laperriere getting slapshot to head on 2010 playoffs, although he came playing few more games after it

 

[Hot Water Bottle]

What about Linus Omark's spinorama shootout goal? I remember the hockey world doing a collective facepalm at that moment, nobody even cared that he scored.

 

[Big Phil]

Sergei Gonchar just letting Travis Moen of all people skate past him like he wasn't even there in Game 7 of the 2010 series with Montreal. The Pens could have repeated that year had they won that game. I realize Gonchar didn't want to take a penalty but why not try and hit him, rub him out on the boards? Fleury let in a bad goal there, and he didn't play well that game either but that was pretty much it for Gonchar. Whenever someone suggests he has a shot at the HHOF that play just gets burned in my mind.

Kariya getting hit by Suter. Seriously. Remember him in 1997? He was considered the superior player over Selanne and the Hart voting showed this. Then he foolishly holds out, but then returns in 1997-'98 and gets 31 points in 22 games and is expected to help Canada win Gold. Then the Suter hit, he gets concussed and even though he had some good point years like in 1999 and 2000 after that he was not the same explosive player. Became more of a perimeter player.

 

[Rebels57]

I will never, EVER understand why the media decided to selectively crucify Bertuzzi for the Moore incident, but nobody ever made a big deal out of this which is easily worse.

Hopefully Johnson is living under a bridge somewhere now. What a POS.

 

[The Panther]

Modano was not the same after that dirty Messier play

You never know, it might have been the stretcher-drop by the paramedics that did him in...


I must have seem that Tommy Salo Olympics gaffe a dozen times, and I still don't get what he was doing there. He obviously saw the shot coming, right...? Then, it looks like he suddenly froze and then decided to jump up...? I don't understand it.

 

[Terry Yake]

Chris Pronger getting whacked in the eye by Mikhail Grabovski

didn't end his career

he came back for a handful of games after that. it was a hit by hanzal that ended his career

 

[Say Hey Kid]

Players careers end when their last game ends.

 

[ShelbyZ]

Depending on which side you believe, John Scott's career in the NHL was (obviously almost done but) officially sealed by his winning the All Star game vote.

(Again, depending on what stories you believe) No ASG controversy likely means no demotion by AZ and subsequent trade to the Habs. He likely plays a few more games for a Coyotes team that was at the bottom of the league that season, and maybe attempts to get one last contract the next year or attends a camp as a PTO before hanging them up. Instead he had to put in a few weeks in St. John's before a one game send off with the Habs.

That said, in reality the ASG fiasco probably ended up making retirement easier for him... He got $90k (which was literally 15.6% of what he made on his last NHL contract) and a new Honda from winning the game and being the MVP, a movie deal and allegedly some endorsements, got paid to do some media/tv stuff that summer and at the next ASG, wrote a book, scored a guest role on a TV show and has a notoriety that will likely furnish fruitful opportunities for the next few years.

Probably much more comfortable than to try to slug out another NHL season at league minimum, or worse, end up in the AHL where he'd have a target on his back for being a former NHL heavyweight and ASG MVP, then fade out and only be remembered by team fanbases that either appreciated or hated you, guys that are fans of fighting, and Mike Milbury...

 

[thegoldenyear]

Dark thread. Three not yet mentioned:

1) Calgary’s Jamie Hislop took a stick to the eye from Anders Kallur midway through the 1983-84 season and retired after wobbling through nine more games.

2) Bob Nystrom took a stick to his eye from teammate Gerald Diduck during practice midway through 1985-86. Surgery didn’t help; he was done but for someone noticing he was at 899 career games. Al Arbour convinced him to suit up for puck drop during the home finale three months later; he skated off seconds later with #900 in the books.

3) Late in 1984-85, Pierre Mondou was struck by a flailing stick as he scored a game-deciding goal. Footage exists somewhere; I recall it from an early ‘90s Cherry Coach’s Corner or Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em rant. In trying (unsuccessfully) to find the clip tonight I found this assessment on a tape-trading page:

Pierre Mondou cruises by Hartford defenseman Ulf Samuelsson with the puck. Ulf was like a pylon that Mondou dashed around. Mondou shoots the puck as Ulf vainly tries to stop the Montreal player. Samuelsson tries to stop Mondou by swinging his stick at his head from behind, trying to hook the stick near his face.

All Ulf accomplishes is jabbing the point of his stick in Mondou's eye. Mondou's shot goes by the Hartford goalie, but Pierre is in trouble. He falls to the ice in pain and soon heads to the bench...”​

That was Mondou’s last shift in the NHL.

 

[streitz]

Dark thread. Three not yet mentioned:

1) Calgary’s Jamie Hislop took a stick to the eye from Anders Kallur midway through the 1983-84 season and retired after wobbling through nine more games.

2) Bob Nystrom took a stick to his eye from teammate Gerald Diduck during practice midway through 1985-86. Surgery didn’t help; he was done but for someone noticing he was at 899 career games. Al Arbour convinced him to suit up for puck drop during the home finale three months later; he skated off seconds later with #900 in the books.

3) Late in 1984-85, Pierre Mondou was struck by a flailing stick as he scored a game-deciding goal. Footage exists somewhere; I recall it from an early ‘90s Cherry Coach’s Corner or Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em rant. In trying (unsuccessfully) to find the clip tonight I found this assessment on a tape-trading page:

Pierre Mondou cruises by Hartford defenseman Ulf Samuelsson with the puck. Ulf was like a pylon that Mondou dashed around. Mondou shoots the puck as Ulf vainly tries to stop the Montreal player. Samuelsson tries to stop Mondou by swinging his stick at his head from behind, trying to hook the stick near his face.

All Ulf accomplishes is jabbing the point of his stick in Mondou's eye. Mondou's shot goes by the Hartford goalie, but Pierre is in trouble. He falls to the ice in pain and soon heads to the bench...”​

That was Mondou’s last shift in the NHL.

He actually played the some playoffs that year but that was his last year.

 

[brachyrynchos]

Pat Lafontaine when he collided with Ranger teammate Mike Keane. Lafontaine was already banged up from previous concussions and had been advised by doctors that he shouldn't play anymore, I think Buffalo refused to clear him and was traded to the Rangers where he wore a special helmet. He played well that season, too.. (67-23-39-62) . A real shame, his heart and skills were still there, plus he was a good guy. But seeing him laying on the ice like that again made it clear that his career was over, he officially retired that summer (1998). Still plays here in the New York-Long Island area for charitable events.

 

[District 5]

Henry Boucha was playing for the North Stars when he took a stick to the eye from Dave Forbes of the Boston Bruins in 1975. He never really recovered from the injury even though he played in 75-76 with the Fighting Saints and KC Scouts. When the Scouts moved to Colorado, he retired after 9 games in the 76-77 season.

 

[wetcoast]

Markus Naslund was never the same player again after getting hit by Steve Moore.

Speaking of Steve Moore, I thought he was the obvious answer to this thread

 

[ForsbergForever]

What about Linus Omark's spinorama shootout goal? I remember the hockey world doing a collective facepalm at that moment, nobody even cared that he scored.

That whole episode was insane... How dare a rookie come into the league and demonstrate his superior skills and embarass a savy veteran in the shootout like that. I remember TSN going g around NHL locker rooms to ask players what they thought and a it seemed the consensus was he was hot-dogging it and that "you just don't do that", talk about an old boys club...

 

[iamjs]

This was it for Philippe Boucher.

I don't recall him ever mentioning anything about free agency and playing another year after he won, but he didn't officially announce his retirement until around the time that training camps were starting up. His announcement only said that he admired those who retired as a champion and that he was fortunate enough to be among those who could say that.

Side note: what an odd ad to show up while searching for Philippe Boucher retirement.
https://www.hockeyfantshirts.com/vi...-drink-los-angeles-hockey-player-sports-fan-t

 

[Nick Hansen]

For one second, I thought that was Ovechkin's face photoshopped onto a Pittsburgh player.

 

[ShelbyZ]

The career of Stephen Weiss ended when he was bought out by the Red Wings.

There were a few articles over that summer that talked about how he was an available option at C, but then he just kinda disappeared. No offers of note, no PTO.

He wasn't exactly terrible that last season either. 10 pts in his first 11 games before and in between a couple of injuries, and then 15pts in 41 games the rest of the way while deeply entrenched in Babcocks doghouse playing wing on the 4th line and getting a little bit of PP time here and there. I have to think he took the $11M from his buyout and decided he didn't feel like dealing with injuries anymore.

 

[frisco]

Has anyone mentioned this one? I don't think Kypreos played again:


My Best-Carey

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

Anson Carter leaving Vancouver after scoring 30+ with the twins.

Only played one more (underwhelming) year split between Columbus & Carolina then was out of the league.

 

[Sentinel]

I know he played for many years after that, but I don't think Janne Niinimaa was ever the same player after the conclusion of his rookie year, when Darren McCarty turned him inside out for the Cup-winning goal in 1997.

 

[67 others]

Lindros was never the same after Stevens caught him

Kasparitus you mean.

The Stevens hit is famous but Kaspa was the one who nuked Lindros' brain in the corner. The Stevens hit just sealed the deal.

 

[TheAngryHank]

I know he played for many years after that, but I don't think Janne Niinimaa was ever the same player after the conclusion of his rookie year, when Darren McCarty turned him inside out for the Cup-winning goal in 1997.

My all time favorite goal , and the Clement call.

 

[The Wizard of Oz]

I know he played for many years after that, but I don't think Janne Niinimaa was ever the same player after the conclusion of his rookie year, when Darren McCarty turned him inside out for the Cup-winning goal in 1997.

He had some good years in Edmonton playing 26 minutes a night. I’d say it was the lockout that did him in as an NHL player. No idea if injuries played a part didn’t follow him closely.

 

[DingDongCharlie]

Well, if the announcers said he was "dangerous", I do stand corrected. I'm amazed opposing players actually stepped onto the ice knowing the devil incarnate was ready to take their heads off.

I remember Scott Stevens and he was seen as a dirty player back in the day. You can pretend all you want he wasn’t.

He wasn’t the only one, Ulf Samuelson was another you’d rather have on your team than play against. In an era where hockey was seen as tougher they stood out.

 

[The Panther]

I remember Scott Stevens and he was seen as a dirty player back in the day. You can pretend all you want he wasn’t.

My memory (starting from around 1986) is very clearly that Stevens was not regarded as a dirty player.