Blackhawks' Brian Campbell Announces Retirement

By ESPN

Defenseman Brian Campbell, who won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, announced his retirement Monday after 17 seasons in the league.

The Blackhawks tweeted that Campbell is "not done with the Hawks! Soupy will join the front office, assisting with marketing, community and youth hockey initiatives."

"I'm excited to transition into the next step in both my professional career and life," Campbell said in a statement. "I'm grateful to the countless number of teammates, coaches, team staff and fans that I have crossed paths with throughout my playing career in Chicago, Buffalo, Florida and San Jose. The Blackhawks organization has allowed me to take on this challenge and I'm thankful for this new opportunity."

Campbell, 38, was a four-time All-Star, who also played for the Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks and Florida Panthers.

He finishes his career with 87 goals, 417 assists and was a plus-63.

Campbell spent his first six-plus seasons in Buffalo, establishing himself as an All-Star. He was traded to San Jose at the deadline in 2008 and then signed as a free agent with Chicago that offseason, becoming one of the building blocks around young stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

The 2010 Blackhawks won the franchise's first Stanley Cup since 1961.

Campbell was a salary cap casualty in 2011 and was traded to Florida, but he returned to Chicago as a free agent before last season. He had five goals, 12 assists and was a plus-12 and then became an unrestricted free agent.

The smooth-skating, left-shooting, offensive-minded defenseman played in 423 consecutive games from 2011-16. His ironman streak ended in December not because of injury but when coach Joel Quenneville made Campbell a healthy scratch.

Andrew Ference Retires After 16 Years

Defenseman Andrew Ference, who won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011, is retiring after a 16-year career.

"As I graduate from my time of playing in the NHL, I realize I have the problem of being unable to properly thank the hundreds of people who have helped me achieve my goal of playing in the best league in the world," Ference said in a statement. "No one gets here on their own, especially average sized guys with average skills. If you think you deserve a thank you from me, you probably do... Thanks!

"My girls, Ava and Stella, and my wife, Krista, however do deserve a proper thanks and my infinite gratitude. They tended my broken bones and bruised ego more times than I can count and gave me unending love and support even when I missed a Christmas concert for a road trip."

Ference, 38, played in six games in 2015-16 for the Edmonton Oilers and none last year because of a hip injury that required surgery.

He was an Oilers captain from 2013 to 2015 and endorsed current captain Connor McDavid for the job when he realized he likely wouldn't play again.

Ference also played for the Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins.