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Jordin Tootoo, who played his final NHL season with the Blackhawks, announced his retirement from the league after 13 seasons.
Tootoo made history when he was selected by the Predators in the fourth round of the 2001 NHL draft as the league’s first Inuk player.
He played most of his career with the Predators (2003-2012) and also spent time with the Red Wings (2012-14), Devils (14-16) and Blackhawks. He last played in the 2016-17 season, when he had two goals and an assist in 50 games with Chicago.
Tootoo had 65 goals, 96 assists and 1,010 penalty minutes in 723 NHL regular-season games and three goals, seven assists and 65 penalty minutes in 42 playoff games.
The 35-year-old from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, announced his retirement Friday in Brandon, Manitoba, where he became a star with the Western Hockey League’s Wheat Kings. Tootoo scored 93 goals, 209 points and accumulated 874 minutes in penalties in 220 career games with Brandon.
After 220 regular season games with the Wheat Kings and 723 games in the NHL I have decided to retire from the NHL to focus on giving back to the Indigenous community. @NHLBlackhawks @PredsNHL @NJDevils @DetroitRedWings @bdnwheatkings
— Jordin Tootoo (@Jtootoo22) October 19, 2018