Former Canucks defenceman officially calls it a career
Photo credit: Yahoo Sports
Former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Jordie Benn has announced his retirement from professional hockey.
After over 600 games in the National Hockey League, along with a one-year stint in Sweden where he helped his team earn promotion, former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Jordie Benn has made the decision to hang up his skates.
Benn confirmed his retirement in an interview with Paul Haysom of CHEK News, saying that he proved everyone wrong when they said he wouldn't make it to the NHL and that his professional career "flew by".
"A lot of people thought I never should have made it, and maybe I shouldn't have, but I just worked as hard as I could every night and tried to be the best teammate possible." Benn said.
He added, "When I was younger, the veteran players told me the journey would be quick and this summer I was like 'holy cow, that flew by,'"
The 37-year-old signed his first NHL contract in 2011 with the Dallas Stars and went on to play parts of six seasons with them before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens.
After his time in Montreal, Benn signed with the Vancouver Canucks as a free agent, spending parts of two seasons with the organization. In 75 games as a member of the Vancouver Canucks, Benn had 16 points (two goals, 14 assists), 26 penalty minutes and was a minus-two. In April 2021, the Canucks traded Benn to the Winnipeg Jets for a sixth-round pick in that year's draft which Jim Benning used to select Connor Lockhart.
Benn's final two seasons in the NHL saw him make stops with the Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs before heading to Sweden where he suited up for Brynas IF in the second division, HockeyAllsvenskan. Benn helped Brynas IF win the HockeyAllsvenskan title, which promotes them to the Swedish Hockey League for the 2024-25 season.
With his professional career now in the past, Benn is focused on spending time with his family but plans to work in hockey at some point in the future.
Previously on CanucksDaily
POLL |
SEPTEMBRE 10 | 107 ANSWERS Former Canucks defenceman officially calls it a career Were you a fan of Jordie Benn during his time in Vancouver? |
Yes | 73 | 68.2 % |
No | 34 | 31.8 % |
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