*Photo from Editor in Leaf*
One of the stalwarts of the NHL is officially hanging them up. Toronto Maple Leafs C Jason Spezza has announced his retirement after almost two decades in the NHL, according to Pierre Lebrun of TSN. The news has been confirmed.
Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said of Spezza retiring that "The level of care and passion he has not only for the game of hockey, but in genuinely helping every staff member, every player, anybody who really needed any help whatsoever at all hours of the day, every moment he was a member of the Maple Leafs as a player was quite remarkable to see, and it was a truly an honor to have him as a member of our team."
The veteran Spezza retires just weeks away from his 39th birthday on June 13th. Spezza has played 19 NHL seasons, split between the Ottawa Senators, Dallas Stars, and the Maple Leafs most recently. Spezza retires without having won a Stanley cup in his playing career.
Spezza said of not winning a cup that "There is definitely a huge void in my heart and career without having been able to win it. To not win as a player, it's very difficult. It's my life's work, hockey, and to not be a champion in it is hard, but I think that will help me drive towards wanting to stay in the game. It will never feel maybe the same as being a player, but I'm going to try to win a Stanley Cup as an executive and as part of the organization now."
As Spezza eluded to in that statement, he is joining the Maple Leafs front office. Spezza will serve as a special assistant to Dubas, beginning immediately, so he will have a hand in offseason transactions by the Maple Leafs.
Dubas said of adding Spezza to the front office that "Because of his passion for hockey, his intelligence, the way he views the game and his ability to impart that knowledge on to others that we definitely would want to have him as part of our front office. There was an onus on us for everything he's done for our organization to ensure we had a plan and path for him when his days as a player came to an end."
Last season, his 19th in the NHL and 3rd with the Maple Leafs, Spezza potted 12 goals and dished out 13 assists, for a total of 25 points. Spezza had a -3 plus/minus rating in an average of 10:45 on the ice per game, playing in 71 regular season games and 5 playoff games.
Across Spezza's 19 seasons in the league, he has career regluar season numbers of 251 goals and 436 assists for 687 total points, with a +54 plus/minus with an average of 18:38 of ice time, playing in 686 regular season games. Spezza has 17 goals, 35 assists, and a -2 plus/minus in 56 career playoff games.
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