The St. Louis Blues announced today that defenceman Carl Gunnarsson is retiring. The Stanley Cup champion will hang up the skates at the age of 34. He had 12 years and 629 games in the NHL.
After 12 NHL seasons, @carl_gun is hanging up the skates and saying goodbye to the game in an incredibly poignant and personal essay. https://t.co/ovoqn4u2GR #stlblues
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) June 23, 2021
Carl Gunnarsson Retires
Gunnarsson’s last game was played on February 22. He had nine minutes of ice time before a knee injury forced him to leave the game. That shift would be his last, as the Swedish-born defenceman would not return from this injury as he had with various others so many times throughout his career.
The Toronto Maple Leafs originally drafted Gunnarsson in the seventh round of the 2007 NHL Draft. He played five seasons with the Maple Leafs before signing with the St. Louis Blues for the 2014-2015 season. He went on to play seven seasons with the Blues, winning the Stanley Cup in 2019. Over the course of his career, Gunnarsson accumulated 30 goals and 108 assists for a total of 138 points. He was better known for his defensive play though, tallying an impressive 700 hits and 1,101 blocks. The Swede was also able to handle himself if he had to drop the gloves.
How Gunnarsson Will Be Remembered
Gunnarsson was a rock on defence during the Blues cup run three seasons ago. He played in 19 games where he averaged nearly 15 minutes of ice time. But it was the Stanley Cup Finals where Gunnarsson would have the biggest moment of his career. After losing Game 1 to the Bruins on the road, the Blues found themselves in overtime in Game 2. Desperate to not go down in the series 2-0, the Blues needed to score. The unlikeliest of heroes stepped up. Gunnarsson’s shot from the point beat Tuukka Rask blocker-side to send the Blues home with a split. Gunnarsson played in 68 playoff games over his career. That was his only goal.
