Veteran Dan Boyle officially retires from the NHL.

A long time National Hockey League veteran made his retirement official today.

We reported earlier this week that defenseman Dan Boyle was expected to announce his retirement during a press conference on Wednesday and that is actually what he did, revealing that he would retire as a member of the San Jose Sharks.

Boyle made a very classy statement published on the NHL's official website:

"Today, I would like to formally announce my retirement from the National Hockey League," said Boyle. "I've been fortunate and blessed to have had the opportunity to do what I most love to do. All I wanted to do as a young boy was have the opportunity to play ONE game in the NHL. Over a thousand games later, this whole experience seems surreal. I want to thank all four organizations for the opportunity, my teammates and the FANS for this amazing run that will cherish forever."

As always we wish him all the best on his future endeavors.