Hip Surgeries force Pittsburgh Penguins' Mike Comrie to retire at 31 -NHL Update
Mike Comrie became another player to have to retire at a young age from the National Hockey League (NHL) due to continuous surgeries and injury related issues as the 31-year-old broke the news on Monday, February 13, 2012, through his agent, Ritch Winter.
The announcement came after Comrie underwent his third hip surgery in five years, which became unbearable for the player as conditions could have gotten worse had he chosen to continue playing in an extremely physically demanding environment.
A 10-year veteran, Comrie leaves behind a legacy of being one of those players that rose above the rest purely due to hard work and dedication to the sport but had it cut short due to unavoidable circumstances.
The Edmonton, Alberta, Canada native, was picked up by his hometown team, the Oilers, as the 91st overall pick during round-three of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft and remained with them for three straight seasons until joining Philadelphia Flyers for
the next.
"Playing at home in Edmonton in front of friends and family on the team I followed since I was young was something special," Comrie said in a statement. "My career has afforded me a series of phenomenal opportunities to play and become friends with some
of the greatest people I have ever known and some of the greatest players who have ever played this game.”
He spent the next half with Philadelphia before being shipped off to Phoenix Coyotes followed by Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, another season with Edmonton and the last with Pittsburgh Penguins.
Comrie saw his prime with Edmonton Oilers during the 2001-2002 regular season in which he put up 60 points (33 goals, 27 assists) and again with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2005-2006 for 60 points (30 goals, 30 assists).
Having played in the NHL for so many years, one thing the player will definitely cherish is the people he has gotten to know.
"To have made the lasting friendships I enjoy today with so many of my former teammates is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life,” Comrie added.
The retirement comes a month before he is expecting his first child with celebrity wife, Hilary Duff in March.
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