Yannick Weber has announced his retirement from the NHL after 13 seasons. The defenceman played 499 career games, scoring 28 goals and 66 assists between the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Yannick Weber (@yanweber68) has officially announced his retirement following 13 @NHL seasons and 499 regular-season games played with the @CanadiensMTL, @Canucks, @PredsNHL & @Penguins. Congratulations Yannick on an incredible career and welcome to the #NHLAlumni Association. 👏 pic.twitter.com/V7S1jRtRLU
— NHL Alumni (@NHLAlumni) July 20, 2021
Yannick Weber Retires after 13 Seasons
Weber wraps up his NHL career at 32 years old. Born in Switzerland, he first landed in North America in 2006-07 at 17 years old, playing for the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers. The D-man was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round, 73rd overall in the 2007 Entry Draft. After another season in Kitchener, Weber finished his OHL career with 96 points in 110 games.
Weber spent the next three seasons bouncing between the Canadiens and the Hamilton Bulldogs. He landed his first consistent NHL roster spot in 2010-11. The diminutive defender then signed a one-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks in 2013-14; he would earn two more one-year extensions with the club. His career year was in 2014-15 with Vancouver, where he scored 11 goals and 10 assists in 65 games.
Closest to the Cup
Ahead of 2016-17, Weber signed another one-year deal, this time with the Nashville Predators. That was the season the Preds made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins. While he didn’t light up the score sheet, Weber did play in all 22 games of Nashville’s cup run. He was a third-pair defenceman on a team that boasted Ryan Ellis, P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, and Mattias Ekholm on its blue line.
Weber spent three more seasons in Nashville, finishing his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins with just two games played in 2020-21.
A Respectable Career
While Weber was not a superstar defenceman by any means, it’s respectable that he was able to have a consistent NHL career for over a decade. Furthermore, as a native of Switzerland, Weber had the opportunity to represent his nation on numerous occasions. In total, he suited up in 137 games for the Swiss national team, including an Olympics, three World Juniors and four World Championships.
In a statement on Instagram announcing his retirement, Weber wrote a letter to the Stanley Cup:
“Dear Lord Stanley Cup…Fifteen years ago, I left Switzerland with a dream: to be drafted by an NHL team. With only a handful of Swiss players ever playing in the best league in the world, for me, it seemed more of a hope than a possibility to be next in line.”
“Even though I can’t call myself a champion,” he continues, “You left me with a lifetime of memories and great friendships. Now it’s time to head back home and enjoy time with my family.”
