Forward won the Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006 and the Blackhawks in 2010 after playing 1,001 games across 6 clubs.
After 16 seasons, Andrew Ladd left the NHL on Sunday.
With the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes, where he made his professional debut, and the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks, the forward, 37, leaves as a two-time Stanley Cup champion. On November 18, 2010, he was named captain of the Atlanta Thrashers, and he kept that position when the team moved to Winnipeg for the 2011–12 season.
On X, the website that replaced Twitter, Ladd posted, “The time has come for my next chapter.” “When I was younger, I never imagined that I would be able to support myself by playing hockey. I also had a soft spot for the game. I enjoyed competing and working as a team. The next chance to win was wonderful. I cherished the difficulty. I cherished the sense of escape provided by being fully present. The sense of belonging was wonderful. I cherished the assurance it offered me. I like disproving people.
Ladd’s last NHL season was in 2021–22 when he appeared in 51 games for the Arizona Coyotes and recorded 12 points (seven goals, five assists). On March 24, 2019, while playing for the New York Islanders against the Coyotes, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). He was placed on long-term injured reserve before the 2018–19 season after failing a physical.
Ladd was selected by the Hurricanes as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft. He played for the Hurricanes, Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Blackhawks, Islanders, and Coyotes throughout his 1,001 NHL games, and he also scored 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 65 Stanley Cup Playoff contests. On April 22, 2022, he had one shot on goal in 17:38 of ice time in a 2-0 loss to the Washington Capitals at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, becoming the 370th skater to play 1,000 NHL games and the 15th in Coyotes/Jets history.
“As I reflect on the journey, the 1,001 games, the two Stanley Cups, and the opportunity to captain a Canadian city, what I’m most grateful for is the people,” Ladd said. “My parents for their sacrifice, the fundamental principles they taught me, and the love they demonstrated through compassion or adversity. I’ll always be appreciative of how the game changed me and the people it introduced into my life.
On July 1, 2016, Ladd agreed to a seven-year deal with the Islanders. In his debut season with New York (2016–17), he had 23 goals, and in 2017–18, he had 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 73 games. However, after the 2018–19 season, he was only allowed to play in 55 games for the remainder of his NHL career. On July 17, 2021, the Islanders dealt Ladd to the Coyotes in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and conditional picks in the 2022 and 2023 NHL Draft.