Two-time Stanley Cup champion retires after 11 seasons in the NHL over ‘severe’ eye injury

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Washington Capitals forward Carl Hagelin, who won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, is retiring after 11 seasons in the NHL because of a "severe" eye injury that has sidelined the veteran winger for more than a year. 

Hagelin, 35, announced his decision on Instagram Wednesday. 

Carl Hagelin, #62 of the Washington Capitals, skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 24, 2022 in New York City. (Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)

"It’s been an amazing ride, but it ends here. Unfortunately my eye injury is too severe to keep playing the game I love," he wrote in a post. 

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"I’m extremely grateful for all the memories hockey has given me, and I’ve loved every single day of it."

Drafted by the New York Rangers in the sixth round of the 2007 NHL Draft, Hagelin has played for five different teams across 11 seasons. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He also won an Olympic medal for Sweden in 2014. 

Carl Hagelin, #62 of the Pittsburgh Penguins, celebrates with the Stanley Cup trophy after defeating the Nashville Predators 2-0 in Game Six of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Bridgestone Arena on June 11, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

"I’m gonna miss going to battle [with] my teammates on a daily basis, I’m gonna miss the ups and downs of a season," he continued. "Nothing excites me more than stepping on the ice in front of 20,000 passionate fans."

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Hagelin has not played in an NHL game since sustaining a serious eye injury in March 2022, when he was struck in the left eye with an errant stick blade during practice. 

He underwent surgery and two subsequent hip surgeries, including one this past February. 

"I want to thank all my amazing teammates, coaches, Doctors and other staff members that I’ve met and played with throughout the years," Hagelin wrote. "Lastly, I want to thank my family, my wife and my kids for all their support. They made it possible for me to live out my dream." 

Carl Hagelin, #62 of the New York Rangers, celebrates his first period goal against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 22, 2014 in New York City. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

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Hagelin retires with 110 goals and 186 assists across 713 regular-season game appearances. He played in 141 playoff games, where he had 22 goals and 28 assists.