Journeyman forward forced to retire due to blood clots.

This is the kind of story that just sucks, there's no sugarcoating it at all.

Blood clots continue to be a seriously problem in the National Hockey League impacting a significant number of players, the latest being the extremely high profile case of Steven Stamkos who may miss the entire postseason in a contract year as a result of a blood clot. They are more than just a hockey problem however, they are a very real and life-threatening issue, and one player has decided it's not worth the risk.

According to a report from Shawn Stepner ,of ABC Channel 7 Sports, general manager Tim Murray has revealed to him that journeyman forward Cody McCormick has made the decision to retire from professional play due to the health risk he is facing as a result of blood clots. McCormick missed the entire season as a result of the issue, and it appears that his young family was the primary motivator behind his decision to step away.

While McCormick was never considered a start, the gritty forwards career spanned 13 years, aduring that stretch McCormick spent time as member of the Colorado Avalanche, Buffalo Sabres and had extremely brief stint with the Minnesota Wild. Despite the fact that he was often sent down to the American Hockey LEague McCormick always kept plugging away and would always eventually find his way back to the NHL level. His career ends with 405 NHL games under his belt and he recorded 65 points and 550 penalty minutes over that stretch.

We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.

[pub]