Former Bruins defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk announces retirement after 14 NHL seasons

By Conor Ryan After 14 seasons in the NHL ranks, Kevin Shattenkirk is hanging up his skates.

Shattenkirk announced his retirement via social media on Tuesday evening, with the playmaking defensemans final stop in the pro ranks coming with the Bruins during the 2023-24 season.

After 14 amazing years in the National Hockey League, I have decided to retire, Shattenkirk said in a statement on X .

I never knew hockey would take me this far.

...

To the Boston Bruins, for valuing my qualities as a player and a leader in the locker room.

Thank you to all of my great general managers and coaches for treating me with respect and teaching me some great life lessons along the way.

Brought in last year to add some veteran mettle to Bostons blue line, the 35-year-old Shattenkirk appeared in 61 games with the Bruins last season scoring six goals and adding 18 assists.

Beyond his contributions from the back end, Shattenkirks postseason experience (91 playoff games, one Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2020) came in handy during Bostons first-round series against the Maple Leafs.

Congratulations on a tremendous career, Shatty! Wishing you and your family all the best in this next chapter! pic.twitter.com/e16cxfbG8i Following Bostons overtime triumph against Toronto in Game 7, several Bruins veterans credited Shattenkirk for inspiring the team ahead of an eventual 2-1 victory at TD Garden.

Shatty gave the group an incredible speech, Brad Marchand said postgame .

That really allowed us to kind of settle down and understand where we were at and how we had to play and what we needed to believe to get the job done.

Shattenkirk already had plenty of familiarity in Boston ahead of signing with the Bruins in 2023.

He played three seasons at Boston University, helping the Terriers win a national championship in 2009.

NCAA champion Stanley Cup champion Olympian Terrier Congrats on an incredible career, Shatty! Proud to call you a Terrier.

pic.twitter.com/7TT5xkvquv A first-round pick (No.

14 overall) by the Colorado Avalanche in 2007, Shattenkirk concludes his NHL career with 103 goals and 484 total points over 952 career games.

I want to say one final thank you to all the fans who have supported me along the way, Shattenkirk added in his social media post.

Your passion for hockey is what made me stepping onto the ice every night so much fun and playing in front of you was a privilege that I never took for granted.

Conor Ryan Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

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