On Tuesday, former Pittsburgh Penguin Chris Kunitz announced his retirement from the NHL after 15 seasons. Last season, he suited up in 56 games for the Chicago Blackhawks, in which he produced five goals and five assists. Over his 16 seasons in the NHL, he appeared in 1022 games and tallied 268 goals and 351 assists. Over those 16 seasons, he played for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Atlanta Thrashers, Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Chicago Blackhawks. He also played for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and the Portland Pirates over his 118 games in the AHL, in which he recorded 87 points. Before breaking into the NHL, he played four seasons at Ferris State University, over which he appeared in 152 games and produced 175 points.
Kunitz was part of four Stanley Cup championships: the 2007 Anaheim Ducks and 2009, 2016, and 2017 Cups with Pittsburgh. He is possibly best remembered for scoring the double-overtime goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Ottawa Senators back in 2017 that pushed Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second year in a row. Kunitz was terrific Penguin and I wish he’d never left. Now, he has joined the Chicago Blackhawks front office and will work as the player development advisor and work with the Blackhawks and their AHL affiliate, the Rockford Ice Hogs.
My Personal Response: I loved Kunitz. He was a great player for the Penguins and I missed him when he left. I wish Kunitz all the best in retirement and I hope he enjoys his new job but I wish he’d come back to Pittsburgh.
Hockey Addict 