Zack Kassian officially announces his retirement from the NHL

Longtime NHL tough guy Zack Kassian has officially announced his retirement from professional hockey.

“To play in the NHL is one thing, but to make a 12-year career of it is pretty special,” said Kassian in a statement on NHL.com. “From coaches to equipment staff and fellow players I’ve met along the way, I’ve made so many relationships that are going to last a lifetime.”

The 32 year old forward had his contract bought out by the Arizona Coyotes this past offseason and was not signed as a free agent by any other NHL teams.

In total, Kassian suited up for 661 regular season games and 45 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He put up 92 goals and 203 points split between the Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Coyotes. He's probably best known from his seven seasons with the Oilers, where he put up his career best seasons. The big winger managed 15 goals and 34 points in just 59 games during the 2019-20 season thanks to some guy named Connor McDavid...

The native of Windsor, Ontario was the 13th overall selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and looked to be one of the league's hottest prospects. He captained his hometown Windsor Spitfires to a Memorial Cup in 2010 and was a star forward for Team Canada's 2011 World Junior squad. But, the Sabres and the Canucks hooked up on a swap of top prospects back in 2012 with Kassian heading to Vancouver and Cody Hodgson heading to Buffalo. Both Kassian and Hodgson were seen as young players in need of a change of scenery in order to fulfill their potential. And while injuries ultimately derailed Hodgson's career, Kassian would go on to play for more than a decade in the NHL.

Kassian was part of a core group in Edmonton that helped the team return to the post-season for the first time in a decade. He'd become a mainstay of the team's forward corps, playing on literally any one of the team's top four lines as needed. He was arguably the team's toughest forward and never had a problem dropped the mitts at a moment's notice. In short, Kassian was an All-Time Beauty and there are thousands of fans who'll miss seeing his toothless grin out there. All the best, Big Kass!