CBH1926 Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook announces retirement after 15 seasons 9:33 AM CT Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook announced Friday that his NHL career is over after 15 seasons. "After several surgeries, countless hours of rehab and training to get back on the ice at the level of my expectations, it will not be possible for me to continue playing hockey," Seabrook said in a statement Friday. "This is what is best for me and my family." Seabrook, 35, has not played in an NHL game since November 2019. Over a three-month period from December 2019 to February 2020 he had surgery on his right shoulder as well as on both hips. The defenseman "tweaked" his back in a pre-training-camp session this January. Blackhawks team doctor Michael Terry said it was an issue with the right hip that prevents Seabrook from playing. Terry said the team has "tried all available conservative treatments, and nothing has worked well enough for him to live his life as an athlete." Chicago placed Seabrook on long-term injured reserve. He was signed through the 2023-24 season, with a $6.875 million cap hit and full no-move clause. Seabrook, a first-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2003, finished his career having played in 1,114 games and scored 103 goals and 361 assists. Most important to Blackhawks fans, he played in 123 playoff games (20 goals, 39 assists) and helped the team to three Stanley Cups. "Without Brent Seabrook, the Chicago Blackhawks would not have three Stanley Cups," Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman said in a statement. "He concludes his career as not only one of the best defensemen in franchise history, but one [of] the greatest Chicago Blackhawks of all time. We cannot thank Brent enough for what he did for the Blackhawks organization, the city of Chicago and this fan base. He will always be a part of the Blackhawks family and we wish him well in his life after hockey." The Blackhawks are currently undergoing a rebuild, with Bowman telling ESPN this summer that his team has a "ways to go" before it can sustainably win again. There was a commitment to play more young players this season. The Blackhawks, however, have been one of 2021's pleasant surprises. At 12-7-5, Chicago is in fourth place in the Central Division, which would qualify for the playoffs. "I sacrificed everything for this team in our quest to lift three Stanley Cups and gave it everything I had for you," Seabrook said in a statement. "I couldn't have asked for a better fan base to play for. You, more than anyone, kept me honest and always pushed me to be better -- while also cheering me as your All-Star and Champion. Lifting the Stanley Cup in 2015 in front of all the fans at the United Center will be a memory I'll never forget. You have truly made Chicago a second home. My family and I will be forever grateful for your love and support and I look forward to always having a special connection with you the fans. I will always be a Blackhawk." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwijibo Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalie13 Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Retiring, yet not retiring. He's still owed over $15M and has a no-movement clause, so the Hawks will have to protect him in the expansion draft. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post J-Dizzle Posted March 5, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 5, 2021 4 minutes ago, goalie13 said: Retiring, yet not retiring. He's still owed over $15M and has a no-movement clause, so the Hawks will have to protect him in the expansion draft. Nice to see someone else getting messed up by one of those long term contracts. 1 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalie13 Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Just now, J-Dizzle said: Nice to see someone else getting messed up by one of those long term contracts. It's the Hawks so they will probably find a way to wiggle out of it. I wonder if Seabrook can waive his NMC so that he can be eligible for the draft? I can't remember if that's what happened with Fleury and Vegas. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoCanucks16 Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Great career--always a sad thing when a player goes out to injuries rather than of their own volition. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Blight Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 42 minutes ago, goalie13 said: Retiring, yet not retiring. He's still owed over $15M and has a no-movement clause, so the Hawks will have to protect him in the expansion draft. I don't think they will have to protect him as he will not object to waiving his NMC. * All players with no movement clauses at the time of the draft, and who decline to waive those clauses, must be protected and will be counted toward their team's applicable protection limits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownky Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 35 minutes ago, goalie13 said: It's the Hawks so they will probably find a way to wiggle out of it. I wonder if Seabrook can waive his NMC so that he can be eligible for the draft? I can't remember if that's what happened with Fleury and Vegas. You can almost guarantee it. At this point it doesn't matter who pays the bills. I anticipate he gets 'traded' like Pronger etc to a "cap floor team" like Phoenix was at the time, or else Chicago uses their own LTIRetire cap space anyway. Seabrook doesn't care, he's getting paid either way, the name on the cheque makes no difference if he's never playing a game for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Fire Bowman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammertime Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 As much as I loathed losing year after year to that Hawks team I always had a huge level of respect for Seabrooks game. I always hated that hit Raffi threw on him. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME Posted March 5, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 5, 2021 43 minutes ago, goalie13 said: It's the Hawks so they will probably find a way to wiggle out of it. I wonder if Seabrook can waive his NMC so that he can be eligible for the draft? I can't remember if that's what happened with Fleury and Vegas. Since Seabrook was born in Richmond, and lives in the Okanagan, I’m sure Bettman will announce shortly that the Canucks will be covering any remaining cap hit on his contract. 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewbieCanuckFan Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 (edited) 47 minutes ago, goalie13 said: It's the Hawks so they will probably find a way to wiggle out of it. I wonder if Seabrook can waive his NMC so that he can be eligible for the draft? I can't remember if that's what happened with Fleury and Vegas. It's the Hawks. The league will let them find a "loophole". Much like how New Jersey's penalty on their cap circumventing contract was lessened (no longer a 1st round pick). But the Canucks? **** them. Canucks will keep on paying more than their fair share in the revenue sharing (to support continual money losing franchises) and can't do anything about it. As for Seabrook. At his peak, one of THE premier shutdown D. Probably doesn't get enough credit for that. Edited March 5, 2021 by NewbieCanuckFan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podz92 Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Just now, SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME said: Since Seabrook was born in Richmond, and lives in the Okanagan, I’m sure Bettman will announce shortly that the Canucks will be covering any remaining cap hit on his contract. Lol yeah Bettman will figure out a way to nail the Canucks with another cap recapture penalty... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HKSR Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Doesn't he just go on LTIR? In which case his cap hit doesn't matter... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HKSR Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 18 minutes ago, hammertime said: As much as I loathed losing year after year to that Hawks team I always had a huge level of respect for Seabrooks game. I always hated that hit Raffi threw on him. Hated the hit? That's a bit strong... afterall, it was a war out there on the ice. He was a casualty just as Daniel was with Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Mind Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 1 hour ago, goalie13 said: Retiring, yet not retiring. He's still owed over $15M and has a no-movement clause, so the Hawks will have to protect him in the expansion draft. If he doesn't play a game this season, wouldn't that make him exempt from Seattle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Blankenship Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Can’t wait to see how Chicago gets outta this one. No way Bettman allows the hawks to have that much wasted cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 18 minutes ago, JamesBlondage said: Lol yeah Bettman will figure out a way to nail the Canucks with another cap recapture penalty... It all goes back to a little known MoU that Bettman drafted years ago. The document itself is quite simple and actually only three words long. It reads “**** the Canucks.” This agreement renews annually, in perpetuity, and copies are sent out, at the start of each season, to every department within the league, all the other teams, and various media outlets. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mll Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, goalie13 said: Retiring, yet not retiring. He's still owed over $15M and has a no-movement clause, so the Hawks will have to protect him in the expansion draft. (...) Players who have no chance of recovery are automatically exempt from the expansion draft. The NHL with the NHLPA makes that determination. There were 12 players last draft. Edited March 5, 2021 by mll 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coconuts Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Hopefully they've gotta suffer through the rest of that contrast, Chicago already got lucky/unlucky with Hossa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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