Former Habs center retires at just 24 years old due to injury.

Feel so bad for this kid.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Former Habs center retires at just 24 years old due to injury.
Anne Gauthier/La Presse

A young man has just had his dreams of one day playing in the National Hockey League shattered due to injuries.

In a post published on social media over the week-end 24 year old center Connor Crisp revealed that he was ending his career very prematurely due to a series of concussions that he suffered during his career as a professional hockey player. In the post Crisp describe in detail the type of post concussion symptoms that he has been dealing with and added that he has been dealing with them for several years now. 

It's with great emotion that I announce my retirement from professional hockey. The past several years I have been battling several post concussion symptoms that have continue to get worse every season, every hit and every fight. Daily headaches, migraines, anxiety, depression, blurred vision, the list goes on. It's been the toughest summer of my career and life having to make this decision. I want to leave the game I've loved for so long, on my terms. To all the great friends I have met along the way, coaches who have guided me, trainers and fans, my life to this point wouldn't be the same without you. Hockey has done a lot of great things for me in my life but the bond it's created with my family is like none other. Mom, Dad, and Brooklyn, there is no words to express what you guys mean to me and how appreciative I am of everything you've done for me since day 1.The achievements I've accomplished in life this far go beyond hockey, but I said ti then, and I'll say it now, the looks on your three faces on draft day when my name was called is something I will never forget, and it's reasons like that why I love this game. I am excited to continue this amazing life, move forward with my beautiful girlfriend Chelsea, who has done nothing but support me for the last 3+ years battling these symptoms and announce the start of my new skills development business Elite Hockey Training!. Throughout my career I have learned from some of the best to ever play and coach the game. My passion for hockey is as strong as ever and I want to have the opportunity to pass that knowledge onto today's young stas, and help them experience draft day the way it should be one day!

Given the kind of symptoms he was suffering as well as how long he has been suffering from them I'm very happy that he decided to get out at this stage of the game. As hockey fans we know all to well what happens to players who continue to go down that dark road and far too many former players have already been taken from this world far too early. 

Crisp was drafted in the 3rd round (71st overall) of the 2013 National Hockey League Entry Draft but unfortunately his battle with concussions resulted in him never getting a real shot at playing in the NHL. Over the course of 4 seasons playing for the Canadiens American Hockey League affiliate, first the Hamilton Bulldogs and then with the St. John's Ice Caps, Crisp was able to appear in a total of just 65 games due to his ongoing injury issues. This serves as yet another sign that walking away was likely the best move for him at this time. 

I wish Connor all the best in his future endeavors although I must admit I am deeply saddened, especially after learning how much being drafted meant to him and his family, by the way this all turned out for him.

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