Detroit Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood Announces Retirement from NHL at 38 –NHL Update
After some attempts at undermining Chris Osgood, the 38-year-old veteran goalie finally announced his retirement on Tuesday, July 19, from professional ice hockey and the National Hockey League (NHL) after 17 seasons and three Stanley Cup championships under
his belt.
Osgood might not be considered one of the best in the league, but certainly was a huge contributing force as he helped lead Detroit Red Wings to two Stanley Cup’s as a starting goalie and a third championship as their first backup.
The past two seasons eventually led up to his retirement as he underwent surgery for a sports hernia in January that had greatly affected his game-play in a negative way. Osgood appeared in only 11 games last season as a backup to now Detroit’s main goalie,
Jimmy Howard.
"It means a lot to me," he said. "I feel like I do deserve to be there. It's never easy playing goalie for any team in the National Hockey League", Osgood said, describing the tough time he faced.
For next season, Detroit was on the look to replace Osgood since he became a free agent and allowed a quick scan of the market before attempting to negotiate with him. The Peace River, Alberta, Canada native, had already announced that he would retire if
Detroit would look for another goalie, so Tuesday’s retirement might not have been such surprise for most.
Osgood anticipates more time with his friends and family now that he is retiring.
"I feel as if I can move on", Osgood said. "I'm excited about my future as to what I'm going to do with the organization".
Drafted in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft as the 54th overall in round-three by Detroit, Osgood played eight consecutive seasons with Red Wings before joining New York Islander and St. Louis Blues for two seasons each, following a comeback with Detroit
up until now.
Winning 400 games throughout his career, Detroit general manager, Ken Holland, certainly recognizes his accomplishment.
"He's been an incredible competitor with tremendous mental toughness". Holland said. "If it was so easy everybody would be doing it. It's not easy to win 400 games".
Losing their second goalie, Detroit has announced their plans to fill in the gap left by Osgood by the end of this week.
Tags: