Boychuk calling it quits
It was made official on Wednesday that New York Islanders’ defenseman Johnny Boychuk has decided to retire after numerous and extensive medical exams. Boychuk suffered an eye injury last season and has been unable to fully recover from it.
The 36-year-old suffered the second eye injury of his career when he was cut across his right eyelid by the skate of Montreal Canadiens’ forward Artturi Lehkonen back on March 3. He required stitches and plastic surgery but is still unable to resume his career. After 13 years in the NHL, Boychuk didn’t have much of a choice.
“When somebody tells you that you’re not going to ever play again – or that you shouldn’t – it’s tough,” Boychuk told reporters on a Zoom call on Wednesday afternoon, via NHL.com. “It’s been really, really tough.”
The veteran was originally cleared to play when the league resumed play in the summer to conclude the season. However, Boychuk wasn’t in the bubble in Toronto long before he realized it probably wasn’t a good idea for him to be playing.
During the first game against the Florida Panthers, Boychuk was hit by Mike Matheson and sustained a concussion as a result. It was then that he knew he was probably never going to be the same again.
“When I got hit, I realized it might have been a – I wouldn’t say a dirty hit – but I didn’t see him coming,” Boychuk explained. “I realized that I should have been able to see him a little bit, but I didn’t. I realized something was off.”
Boychuk did ultimately return to feature in the Eastern Conference final, playing two games against the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, after months of MRI and X-rays the defenseman understood there really wasn’t much of an option anymore for him to continue playing.
“I don’t even think it was a decision,” Boychuk said. “When you play with it and realize there’s something wrong. Then, you go and get tests – it wasn’t really a decision. It was a life choice. If I was to go and play again, not see somebody coming and get hit, I could be a lot worse than what I was.”
Boychuk was drafted 61st overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He was eventually traded to the Boston Bruins in June 2008 and won a Stanley Cup with the organization in 2011. He was traded to the Islanders in 2014 and would spend the final six years of his career playing in New York.
“There have been so many good memories,” Boychuk said. “It’s tough to process everything at one time…When I got traded to the Island, we had a good group of young players. Now, they’re veterans and they’ve got experience. I see potential. I think a lot of guys see potential in the Islanders. It’s a good place to play and to be with your family, to have a bond together as a team. It’ll continue to just get better and better. I didn’t realize it when I first got traded there, but I realized it after a year of what it was to be an Islander. You take pride in it.”
