Report: Veteran forced to retire after scary health crisis.

It's a tough break for a relatively young man who feels he's had to end his career prematurely.

Now former NHL center Rich Peverly has officially announced his retirement, and along with it his decision to join the Dallas Stars in a new role, taking the first step in his career after hockey.

“It was working out, monitoring how I was doing, continuing to see doctors to exhaust every avenue and find out exactly if I could play,” Peverley said of his rehab. “It’s a case that’s very complicated, and what I have learned is there is no 100 percent to medicine and, unfortunately, I can’t play anymore.”

There is a happy ending to this story however, despite the fact that Peverly is obviously crushed he can't play any longer he has found some enjoyment in Hockey off the ice since his injury.

“I’ve kind of been in a small development role in Cedar Park, and I really enjoyed that,” Peverley said as per The Dallas Morning News. “I also was able to be almost an assistant coach as the eye in the sky, and that was something I was very proud of and I took very seriously. And that helped me get through those months and days when I really wanted to play.”

It's unclear even if Peverly was able to comeback if any team would have been willing to give him a shot, the incident that saw him collapse on the Stars bench was a horrifying moment that will remain engrained in the minds of many hockey fans for years to come.

Peverly will now take on a player development role within the Stars organization, and we wish him all the best in his future off the ice.

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Image courtesy Keystone Press.