Jonathan Cheechoo Officially Retires From Professional Hockey

Though he hasn’t played in the NHL since 2010, Jonathan Cheechoo has officially announced his retirement from professional hockey. The 37-year old winger had played the last four seasons in the KHL, though wasn’t part of a professional team for the 2017-18 season. The San Jose Sharks, Cheechoo’s most recognizable team, will honor him before their game on March 24th.

Selected in the second round of the 1998 draft, Cheechoo was a dynamic offensive player in the OHL and quickly turned that goal scoring prowess into success in the NHL. In 2005-06 after the lockout, Cheechoo took home the Maurice Richard trophy for leading the NHL in goals with 56. He, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau were nearly impossible to stop (especially on the powerplay), scoring 93, 92 and 86 points respectively that season for the Sharks. Though Thornton and Marleau are still excellent players in the NHL, Cheechoo’s flame would burn brightly and quickly extinguish.

After another impressive season with 69 points, Cheechoo’s offensive production would quickly deteriorate to the point where he registered just 14 points in his final season with the Ottawa Senators. He’d continue to score in the AHL, until leaving for the KHL in 2013 to become one of the league’s more dangerous offensive threats. In four seasons in Russia, Cheechoo put up 164 points in 217 games and was named an All-Star three times. Cheechoo’s NHL career ended with 305 points in 501 games.

In his announcement, Cheechoo thanks the Sharks for giving him a chance in the NHL:

First of all, I would like to thank the San Jose Sharks organization for drafting me and giving me the opportunity of playing in the National Hockey League. We had many awesome years of incredible hockey! I want to thank all of my former teammates. It was an awesome experience to play alongside all of you. You made the game enjoyable and helped me to become a better player and person.