Daniel Carcillo announced his retirement from the NHL on Thursday with an essay published in The Players’ Tribune.
“Today, I’m retiring from the National Hockey League,” Carcillo wrote. “My immediate goal is to help athletes transition to the next phase of their life — whether it’s continuing education, finding internships with companies, or networking with other athletes who are dealing with the same issues. My mission is to help guys who are dealing with anxiety, depression, and uncertainty about their future. Not down the line, not next week, but right now.”
Carcillo, 30, was an unsigned forward, who spent his offseason establishing Chapter 5, a not-for-profit organization designed to help players adjust to life after their hockey days are over.
For Carcillo, who’s battled his own issues within hockey and had one of his closest friends, former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Steve Montador, die in February, this is more important than playing again. On his Stanley Cup day, Carcillo hosting a party at the Dana Hotel and Spa in Chicago for fans with proceeds going to Chapter 5, which is named in honor of the number Montador wore.
“Thanks to the people of Chicago who came out to get their picture taken with Lord Stanley and who bid on gear donated by my Blackhawks teammates, we raised the first funds to get Chapter 5 off the ground,” Carcillo wrote. “The next step is to hire our first full-time staffer and get to work on talking with the leagues and players’ associations across all sports to plan out how we can provide immediate help — how we can connect what’s really going on in locker rooms and behind closed doors with what’s being talked about in conference rooms.”
Carcillo won two Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015. He recorded eight goals and 23 points in 91 games for Chicago. In his career, he logged 48 goals and 52 assists for 100 points with 1,233 penalty minutes across 429 regular-season games in nine seasons.