Forward Matt Calvert has announced his retirement from the NHL after 10 seasons and 566 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche.
Calvert made the announcement in a statement released by the NHLPA.
“I’ve been lucky enough to play the game I love since I was five years old. I never played to make it to the NHL. I played to compete. I played for my teammates. I played for the fans. I played for my family. I played because I loved to battle, and I played to win,” he said. It was an absolute honour to wear the Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche jerseys throughout my career. I would bleed for those organizations any day.”
The 31-year-old was limited to just 18 games last season with the Avalanche due to an undisclosed upper-body injury.
He was originally a fifth-round pick by the Blue Jackets in 2008 and made his NHL debut with Columbus in 2011 before joining the Avalanche as a free agent in 2018. He retires having scored 95 goals and 203 points in the regular season and 17 more points in 32 playoff games.
“Thank you to all the special people I met along the way,” Calvert said. “What an amazing journey. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have had this opportunity. I look forward to skating on the outdoor rinks with my boys in retirement.”
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