(Reuters) – Patric Hornqvist, who won the Stanley Cup twice with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins and a world championship gold medal with Sweden, announced his retirement from ice hockey on Wednesday.
The 36-year-old forward, who suffered multiple concussions during the 2022-23 National Hockey League (NHL) season where he was limited to 22 games, told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet that his injury history was a key reason behind his decision.
“Hockey has been a huge part of my life since I was a kid, so of course it’s a difficult decision to make, but I have my injury history and don’t want to risk anything in the future. Therefore I have finished playing,” Hornqvist told Aftonbladet.
The native of Sollentuna, Sweden had 543 points in 901 NHL games during a career spent with the Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers. His 264 NHL goals are tied for 10th most by a Sweden-born player.
In 2017, Hornqvist scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal for Pittsburgh late in the final period of Game Six against his former Predators team. Hornqvist also won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2016.
Hornqvist, who was taken by Nashville with the final pick of the 2005 NHL Draft, 230th overall, last played in early December when he sustained his second concussion in the span of a month while a member of the Panthers.
The concussions prevented Hornqvist from being a part of the Panthers’ run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final where they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights.
On the international stage, Hornqvist represented Sweden on numerous occasions, including at the 2018 world championships where he scored two goals in five games and celebrated a gold medal win over Switzerland in the final.
While Hornqvist acknowledged he will miss being around the locker room with his teammates, he is feeling better and excited for whatever comes next.
“It will be a big adjustment, but it feels good now, I’m looking forward to the rest of my life,” said Hornqvist.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Additional reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Chris Reese)
