Former NHL goaltender Thomas Greiss comes out of retirement

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Cooper Godin
September 25, 2024 (9:44 PM)

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Former National Hockey League goaltender Thomas Greiss has decided to come out of retirement.

After one year on the sidelines, long-time NHL goaltender Thomas Greiss is back in hockey, signing a deal in his home country of Germany on Wednesday.

In a post on their official website, Lowen Frankfurt, who played in the highest division in Germany, the DEL, have agreed to terms on a short-term contract with Thomas Greiss. The reason for the signing is because they're having injury issues in the crease with 2022 Olympic gold medalist Jussi Olkinuora and Cody Brenner.

Lowen Frankfurt sporting director Daniel Heinrizi said that the deal came together very quickly, as they only contacted Greiss on Tuesday, He added that they're very grateful to have him aboard starting with their games this weekend. Heinrizi says that Greiss will remain with the team until Olkinoura and Brenner are able to return to the lineup.

Note: the quotes in this story are translated from German.

"We made contact with Thomas yesterday, Tuesday, and he immediately agreed to support us in this challenging situation. He will be with us for the time when Cody and Jussi are not available, and will bring his many years of experience and qualities as a top goalkeeper. In the current situation, this is the ideal solution for us, as he is not entitled to a contract until the end of the season. This was always an understandable request with the other personnel options that were available to us at short notice. We are pleased that Thomas is coming to us tomorrow and will be available for the next game weekend," Heinrizi said.

Greiss commented on his decision to join Lowen Frankfurt amid their injury situation, saying that he's looking forward to being back on the ice in front of a German league crowd for the first time since the 2012-13 season when he was with the Hannover Scorpions.

"I would like to thank the Lions that everything worked out so quickly and I hope I can be of help to the team for the few games. I am looking forward to seeing some old friends again and to being able to experience the great atmosphere in the German ice rinks again," Greiss said.

The 38-year-old spent parts of 14 seasons in the National Hockey League with the San Jose Sharks, Phoenix (Arizona) Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings and St-Louis Blues. In 368 NHL games, the Fuessen native had a record of 162-130-37 along with a 2.77 goals against average, a .911 save percentage and 16 shutouts.

Greiss also represented his nation on several occasions, including the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics. However, ahead of the 2021 IIHF World Hockey Championship, the German Ice Hockey Federation cut ties with Greiss for his political beliefs, with the DEB saying that they don't represent the values of the organization.

If Greiss' stint with Lowen Frankfurt goes well and he plays as he did in his NHL days, it'll be interesting to see if he'll want to continue playing once his short-term deal comes to an end.