Niklas Hjalmarsson Is Officially, Finally Retiring
The last time Niklas Hjalmarsson appeared in an NHL game was May 5, 2021 with the Coyotes. He skated 13:40 that night and blocked two shots in a loss.
News out of Sweden on Thursday morning is that Hjalmarsson is finally, completely calling it a career. He announced his professional hockey days are over after appearing in 17 games this season in an attempted comeback with HV71 Jonkoping in the SHL.
The tweet translates roughly to: “Niklas Hjalmarsson announces today that his active hockey career is over. HVTV met Niklas who tells how grateful he is that he was able to finish in HV71 and at the same time sends a big thank you to the HV audience for all the support.“
Hjalmarsson was originally a fourth-round pick by the Blackhawks in 2005 and went on to become one of the best defensive defensemen in the game. He won three Stanley Cup championships with the Blackhawks and was a rock on the back end during all three runs, but especially in 2013 and 2015.
We last saw the Hammer in Chicago when he was part of the ceremony retiring Marian Hossa’s number earlier this season. Maybe we’ll see him more frequently now that he’s putting the skates away.
