Veteran NHLer of over 800 games retires and is immediately hired

Updating a story from last week here, but longtime NHL forward Derek Stepan has officially retired from professional hockey and has accepted an executive position with the Minnesota Wild.

“After 13 years in the NHL I’ve decided to retire. I want to thank my family and friends for always supporting me and allowing me to live my dreams. I want to thank the four organizations I had the privilege of playing for, and to my teammates for allowing me to be part of their family. Finally, I want to thank the fans, it was an honor to play in front of you. I’m forever grateful for this game and I look forward to the next chapter.”

Read below for our earlier report on this developing story from last week.

According to a report from Minnesota Wild insider Michael Russo, the team has hired former NHL forward Derek Stepan to work underneath GM Bill Guerin.

Now... if you're sitting here thinking, "Hey, I didn't know Stepan retired," well... you're not alone. The 33 year old native of Hastings, Minnesota played last season with the Carolina Hurricanes, putting up five goals and 11 points in 73 games. Well, evidently that's a wrap on his NHL career.

Again from Russo:

In total, Stepan put up 182 goals and 515 points in 890 career NHL games split between the New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, Ottawa Senators and Hurricanes.