[Retirement] Brian Campbell

[Axeman33]

Solid career!

https://twitter.com/NHLonNBCSports/s...32880529776641

Brian Campbell officially hangs up his skates

[lucafen4]

kinda surprised he didn't come back for one more with Chi.. but also not surprised he's done, he was almost done last year... pretty solid career.

[CascadeFilly]

Oh wow, this maybe shouldn't surprise me, but it does. He can still play. Great career. Kudos to him!

[StuntMan12]

Surprised he didn't give it one more crack at it but he had a good career and happy retirement. Still remember when he first got from Buffalo to San Jose ... ages ago now

[Bass56]

Oh wow, this maybe shouldn't surprise me, but it does. He can still play. Great career. Kudos to him!

Ya, I agree! There's a few teams that need a 4th-5th or even 6th puck moving D. I guess he feels he's not at the level of compete that he used to be and might as well call it a career rather than being dragged around for another year or 2 at $1m/year.

Man, the Habs are considering getting Streit at $1.5... I'm pretty sure they could have upped the ante a tad more to get Campbell here?! But again, I guess the travel and relocation was just not worth it for him.

[Jouko-Pouko]

I think Campbell only wanted to play in Chicago, and Chicago didn't want him back. They couldn't find much use for him last season. Good player, it's a bit shame that they signed him to that huge contract which made him useless in salary cap leagues for a long time. Not his fault of course.

[Pengwin7]

^Yup, that was a massive contract. I had it on my team for a while in our "actual salary" league.
I hated it because it was one of those contracts that didn't have a nice even ending... 000s or 500s or something.
It was like $7.291m, something like that.

I always remember him for the Savard-ian like puck-possession spins he'd make going up ice.
Not too many players try that.

[There was an edgework thread a few months ago... and though Campbell wasn't a "power" edgework guy, he could transition front-to-back or back-to-front among the best of them... hence puck spinoramas were so simple for him]


Solid early career - great smooth puck D-man at his prime!
Best wishes to him on retirement - likely an extended hockey position career somewhere when he's ready.

[2014olympicgold]

Dude must not have OCD with numbers with his crazy 7.291mill contract and ending a career after 17yrs. 18yrs just sounds better to me.

[ericdaoust]

I don't think he would have had issues finding a spot to play in the league. Either continue or step away on your own terms.

[Axeman33]

I think it was Chicago or bust for Campbell and I am assuming we have Chicago's answer.

He took a crap load less money last year to re-sign with them (rumors were he was offered close to $5M to say in Florida last year) and he seems content to retire instead of moving his family again. Hard to fault a man for that choice.

[Bass56]

As per a TSN broadcast I heard earlier today, he's supposedly joining the Hawks' front office in a role revolving around marketing as well as community and youth hockey initiatives.

Guess his desire to stay in Chicago outweighed a couple of extra millions down the road.

[dejeanneret]

As per a TSN broadcast I heard earlier today, he's supposedly joining the Hawks' front office in a role revolving around marketing as well as community and youth hockey initiatives.

Guess his desire to stay in Chicago outweighed a couple of extra millions down the road.

I heard the same thing. And as mentioned in some report I heard, Campbell's wife is from the Chicago area and he'd made it clear that's where he wanted to settle down after the playing days are over.

Anyway, kudos to Campbell on a nice career. I always enjoyed watching him play. His ascent into the league corresponded with an exciting time for Sabres fans. Fluid skater, and I'll never forget that hit he laid on Umberger in the '06 playoffs (not the leading candidate who typically comes to mind when thinking of huge open ice hits -- and yes, I recognize that some have strong opinions against that hit for various reasons (Umberger's reaction is tough to watch)).

[Bass56]

...I'll never forget that hit he laid on Umberger in the '06 playoffs (not the leading candidate who typically comes to mind when thinking of huge open ice hits -- and yes, I recognize that some have strong opinions against that hit for various reasons (Umberger's reaction is tough to watch)).

Ya I remember that one too! It sucks when a player who is on the receiving end of a big hit like that gets hurt... but man was that a violent collision!

[2014olympicgold]

Ya I remember that one too! It sucks when a player who is on the receiving end of a big hit like that gets hurt... but man was that a violent collision!

I think that was actually his last hit that left the player on the ice.

[Princeton]

Great career and has some good songs too.

"Shape of you" and "Thinking out Loud" were big.