Long-time NHL forward Artem Anisimov retires from professional hockey

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Cooper Godin
October 4, 2024 (7:43 PM)

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Long-time NHL forward Artem Anisimov retires from professional hockey after nearly 20 years.

After a lengthy career in professional hockey, including parts of 13 seasons in the National Hockey League, Russian forward Artem Anisimov has decided to announce his retirement.

Anisimov announced the news in a social media post on Friday, thanking the fans for their support over the years, as well as his teammates and coaches he played with & for throughout his time in professional hockey.

"Time to make it official. I gave hockey my all as a player and decided to hang up the skates. I have been blessed to have a wonderful career, playing alongside many hockey legends on the biggest hockey stages, making a lot of good friends along the way. I never took that experience for granted. I am not a big social media person and usually the man of the very few words publicly, but I just wanted to take time to thank everyone - my teammates and coaches through out the years, all the staff ( you guys are the best) from the teams I have played for, organizations I have been a part of, and of course the fans. Thank you all for your support!

Arty Party will live on! 🥳" Anisimov said.

The Yaroslavl native was a second-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2006. He appeared in 771 career games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, and Ottawa Senators, tallying 376 points (180 goals, 196 assists) and 214 penalty minutes. Anisimov also had 17 points in 43 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Last season, the 36-year-old signed a professional tryout (PTO) with the Detroit Red Wings, but was released before the start of the 2023-24 season. After taking a few months to ponder his future, Anisimov signed a PTO with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL, appearing in 18 games, before being released just over a month later.

After going unsigned all summer and not receiving any professional tryout offers in the National Hockey League, Anisimov decided that it was time to hang up the skates and he does so with his head held high after a solid career.