10-Year NHL Veteran Winger Officially Announces Retirement

It was rumored earlier in the summer, now he's made it official himself. After a 10-year career mainly with the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, Sven Baertschi has announced his retirement. In so doing, he's given up the two remaining years left on his contract with SC Bern in Switzerland. 

Sven Baertschi has officially announced his retirement from the @NHL.

Sven was drafted 13th overall to the @NHLFlames in 2011. Since then, he’s played in 292 regular-season games for the Flames, the @Canucks, and @GoldenKnights, and scored 138 points as a left winger.

Known in… pic.twitter.com/4VfV7Yu2YH

— NHL Alumni (@NHLAlumni) August 24, 2023

“Today I am announcing my retirement as a professional ice hockey player with mixed feelings. It’s a painful decision," said Baertschi in his announcement. "Ice hockey is a sport that demands everything from the body. Like most players, I’ve had a number of injuries that are now taking their toll. After months of training, I realized that my body can no longer perform as well as I need it to. And playing with less than 100% percent, I can’t accept that.“

Baertschi, only 30 years old, last played in the NHL in 2021 — one game with the Vegas Golden Knights. He signed a 3-year deal with SC Bern to head back home last season, but he will not fulfill the final two years of the deal.

He was drafted in the first round, 13th overall by the Flames in the 2011 NHL Draft, but never really established himself in Calgary. He asked for a trade, and after arriving in Vancouver, Baertschi had much more success, becoming a lineup regular, and posted three straight seasons in which he averaged 15 goals per campaign. He ran into some severe concussion problems, however, amongst other injures, and it's apparent that his body has never fully recovered. 

NHLTR wishes Baertschi good health and good luck in his post-playing career.

Photo: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports