Riley Sheahan announces retirement from NHL after twelve seasons in the league

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Graham Montgomery
October 12, 2024 (9:03 PM)

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Long time NHL veteran Riley Sheahan officially announced his retirement today after missing the entire 2023-24 season.

Sheahan most recently played for the Buffalo Sabres in the 2022-23 season where he appeared in just two games and averaged less than 9 minutes of ice time. However, he did have a long and successful career, appearing in more than 600 regular-season NHL games, primarily with the Detroit Red Wings, who have recently dealt with drama regarding a top prospect.

Sheahan appeared in 292 regular season games for Detroit, scoring 38 goals and 60 assists for 98 points. Sadly, it appears as though injuries played a significant role in ending the veteran's career, as was put on IR back in October of 2022 and never returned to the NHL from that point on. Furthermore, he did have stints on IR that may have contributed to his decision earlier in his career as well. After all, he is only 32 years old and still has a lot of life ahead of him. He has to take into consideration his health in the future. Perhaps he could have rehabbed and made a return to the NHL, but at what cost?

"Sheahan struggled with injuries through his later career, landing on IR in 2019, 2021, and 2022. The final designation - a move to IR on October 7, 2022 - was the result of an undisclosed injury, and Sheahan would only play in eight more games in North American pros before his career came to a close."

Meanwhile, other players are willing to sacrifice the body in order to extend their careers. For example, Phil Kessel, who just announced a partnership with the World Poker Tour is reportedly still looking to sign with an NHL team even at the age of 37, despite the fact that like Sheahan, he missed the entirety of last season.

Sheahan was drafted in the first round, 21st overall by the Red Wings in 2010. While most people think of 1st round picks as being elite players, the majority of them have careers more like Sheahan, especially in the later half of the round. Even just playing 600 games after being selected 21st overall is a pretty good outcome that a lot of prospects will never live up to. Sheahan joins a growing list of notable NHL players who have announced their retirements recently.

The Blade of Steel family would like to send our best wishes to Sheahan and his family in his retirement. Enjoy the golf course Riley!