Josh Gorges retires after 13 NHL seasons

Josh Gorges is calling it quits.

The rugged blue-liner announced his retirement after spending 13 NHL seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, and Buffalo Sabres.

View this post on Instagram

I would like to take the time to officially announce my retirement from the #NHL and the game of hockey. Even though this is a sad day I am extremely excited about the next chapter in my life and the opportunity to be back at home with my family. There is too many people to thank on here, but those of you who helped me along the way and helped me make my dreams come true I am forever greatful. I love the game of hockey and always will. It has given me everything I have today, taught me to be a man, taught me valuable life lessons that I would not have gotten anywhere else. Coming to the rink knowing I got to compete with and against the best in the world is one of the greatest feelings there is. So to all the teammates I got to play with, thank you for everything along the way I will miss you the most! #nhl #nhlpa #canadiens #sjsharks #sabres #whl #kelownarockets #hockey

A post shared by Josh Gorges (@joshgorges2018) on Jan 14, 2019 at 9:00am PST

Gorges spent the bulk of his career - 464 of his 783 career games - with the Habs, where he became a solid shutdown defenseman at his peak.

The 34-year-old played in 34 games with the Sabres last season before going unsigned in free agency this summer.

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