*Photo from Howlin Hockey*
Another career has reached its end. Veteran forward Andrew Ladd on Sunday announced his retirement from the league after over a decade and a half at the NHL level.
His last season in the league came in 2021-2022. Prior to the beginning of last season, Ladd failed his physical and spent the entire year on LTIR. Ladd retires a two time Stanley Cup champion, winning in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes and 2009-2010 with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Ladd said in a statement on social media that "The time has come for my next chapter. When I was a kid, I never thought I had a chance to make a living playing hockey. There was my love for the game. I loved being a part of a team, I loved competing. I loved the next chance to win. I loved the challenge. I loved the escape of immersing myself in the moment. I loved the feeling of belonging. I loved the confidence it gave me. I loved to prove people wrong."
"As I reflect on the journey, the 1,001 games, the two Stanley Cups, the opportunity to captain a Canadian city, what I'm most grateful for is the people. My parents for their sacrifice, the core values they instilled in me, and the love shown through compassion or a challenge. I'll forever be grateful for how the game shaped me as a person and the people it brought into my life!"
Ladd's last season came in 2021-2022 with the Arizona Coyotes. He scored 7 goals and added 5 assists for 12 points, averaging 14:07 of ice time while posting a -20 rating in 51 games. Last season was the final year of a 7 year, $38.5 million contract, which was buried on LTIR for the Coyotes.
After winning the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks, Ladd joined the Atlanta Thrashers and was immediately named the captain. When they relocated to Winnipeg the following year, Ladd became the first captain of the new Jets franchise, helping them make the playoffs in 2014-2015 for the first time since relocating.
In 2018-2019, the 3rd season of Ladd's 7 year contract signed with the New York Islanders, he tore his ACL in a game against the Coyotes. Since the injury, he was limited to just 55 games over the rest of his career before failing his physical prior to last season.
Towards the end of the 2021-2022 season, Ladd became the 370th player to reach 1,000 games played and 15th in the Coyotes/original Jets history. Before the 2021-2022 season, Ladd, a second round pick, and a pair of conditional draft picks were traded to the Coyotes by the Islanders.
Ladd suited up for 6 different teams over the course of 16 NHL seasons (I am counting the Thrashers and Jets as two separate teams). He posted 256 goals and 294 assists for 550 points, posting a +20 rating while averaging 16:30 of ice time in 1,001 regular season games. Ladd also had 9 goals and 9 assists in 65 playoff games.
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