Article content
Edmonton Oilers announced on Sunday afternoon that veteran centre Brandon Sutter has been released from his Professional Tryout and will be retiring from hockey at age 34.
A 13-year veteran with 770 big-league games with Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Vancouver to his credit, Sutter was attempting to revive his career in Edmonton against long odds. He had dealt with an extended battle with long COVID that had left him off skates for over two years. To borrow a metaphor from another sport, he gave it the old college try but his Hail Mary pass fell incomplete.
Article content
In a statement, Sutter cited health reasons as the decisive factor.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity that Ken, Jay and the Oilers organization have provided to me the past few weeks. You need to be 100 percent healthy to compete in the NHL, and although my health continues to improve, in consideration of my health and family, I am officially retiring from hockey.
“Thank you to the Oilers, Canucks, Penguins and Hurricanes, as well as all my past coaches, trainers and teammates for the incredible experiences throughout my 13 seasons in the NHL.”
Sutter played in both ends of this weekend’s back-to-back games in Calgary and Vancouver, pretty obviously a test of his stamina and ability to withstand the grind. His energy was clearly flagging in the third period on Saturday night when he made a series of uncharacteristic mistakes. That seems to have been the final straw; whether he retired because he was released or vice versa is a moot point. He didn’t want to leave his playing days behind without being sure, but it seems that question has been answered.
Do not be surprised if he resurfaces in some other capacity, as so many of his famous uncles did after their own long playing careers were over.
Share this article in your social network
