Carl Hagelin was drafted by the New York Rangers in the sixth round (168th overall) in the 2007 NHL Draft. He comes from Sweden.
For being a sixth-round pick, he carved out a very nice NHL career that he should be proud of. Unfortunately, he is going to be retiring early due to injury.
On March 1st, 2022, Hagelin took a stick to the eye. He hasn’t played since and now it is forcing him to quit the game he loves at 35 years old.
It is a bit of a sad story. Hopefully, his vision is good enough to live his life well for the rest of his days.
Penguins Cup winner Carl Hagelin is retiring from the National Hockey League.
Unfortunately, another injury-related retirement, as Carl Hagelin announces the end of his career: 713 games and a two-time Stanley Cup champion pic.twitter.com/gQ5w8BjzfQ
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 30, 2023
In Hagelin’s 713 game NHL career, Hagelin scored 110 goals and added in 186 assists for 296 points.
Of course, he wasn’t an offensive superstar or anything like that but he was very good as a two-way player.
He wasn’t Marian Hossa or anything like that but he was a perfect two-way winger for the middle six of any lineup.
There is a reason that he was almost exclusively on good teams. If he was a legit third line forward on your squad, you were cooking.
His best work came as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. There, he helped form the “HBK Line” with Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel.
Together, those three created a lot of magic. That included winning the Stanley Cup twice. They really helped Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin add two more to their collection and cement them as all-time greats.
Hagelin started his career with the New York Rangers before moving on to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He also had a cup of coffee with the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. His time in southern california was short but not forgotten.
Following all of that, Hagelin finished his career with the afformentioned Washington Capitals. There, he had a few good years before his eye injury.
Hagelin did what was asked of him as a role player, scored some goals when his team needed it the most, played great defensively, and was a stud in the playoffs when things mattered the most.
Again, his career was great and he should be proud. He will be missed in the National Hockey League. Hopefully, the future is bright for him (hockey related or not) away from playing the game.