Florida Panthers forward Radim Vrbata announced his retirement from the NHL after 16 seasons. Vrbata announced his retirement through a statement from his agent Rich Evans.

Radim Vrbata Announces Retirement

Radim Vrbata was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the seventh round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He spent time with seven teams over his career – the Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks and most recently the Florida Panthers. Over his career, he scored 284 goals and added 339 assists for 623 in 1057 games.

He tallied in his last season, five goals and added nine assists for 14 points in 42 games.

Vrbata played his junior hockey in the QMJHL where he played with the Hull Olympiques and the Shawinigan Cataractes. In 167 career junior games, Vrbata scored 254 points. He was named to the first All-Star team in his final season.

In addition to his storied NHL career, Vrbata represented the Czech Republic multiple times over his international career. Most notably the gold medal winning team at the 2001 World Junior Hockey Championships as well as the gold medal winning team in the 2005 IIHF World Hockey Championships.

Also of note, Vrbata finishes his career as the 12th highest scoring player from the Czech Republic.

A Solid Career Coming to an End

While Vrbata never did get the privilege of hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup, he put up a solid career. Vrbata is a five-time 20 plus goal scorer. He registered his best season in the 2014-15 with the Vancouver Canucks where he scored 31 goals and 63 points and was named to the NHL All-Star game for the first time in his career. Vrbata was highly skilled, possessing tremendous hands and vision. He was a very good skater and was the type of player who made everyone around him better.

Vrbata wished to thank and praise his former teammates as well stating:

“I know for a fact that I wouldn’t have been able to play for so many years without the support and help of my teammates. I will always appreciate the chemistry and friendships both on and off the ice.”

We here at Last Word on Hockey would like to congratulate Vrbata on a tremendous career and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

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