Former NHLer Artem Anisimov announces retirement from hockey

Artem Anisimov, who played 13 NHL seasons and spent the last two years playing in the American Hockey League, officially announced his retirement from the game on Friday.

Anisimov made the announcement on Instagram.

“Time to make it official. I gave hockey my all as a player and decided to hang up the skates,” Anisimov said. “I have been blessed to have a wonderful career, playing alongside many hockey legends on the biggest hockey stages, making a lot of good friends along the way. I never took that experience for granted.

“I am not a big social media person and usually the man of the very few words publicly,” he added, “but I just wanted to take time to thank everyone – my teammates and coaches through out the years, all the staff (you guys are the best) from the teams I have played for, organizations I have been a part of, and of course the fans. Thank you all for your support!”

Through his 13 NHL seasons, Anisimov scored 180 goals and 196 assists for 376 points in 771 career regular-season games with the New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators. He’s also appeared in 43 Stanley Cup Playoff games, scoring eight goals and nine assists for 17 points.

Anisimov, 36, recorded four 20-goal seasons in his career, as well as three 40-point seasons.

Drafted in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Anisimov spent two seasons with the KHL’s Yaroslavl Lokomotiv before going to North America, scoring 20 goals and 28 assists for 48 points in 63 regular-season games. When he made the move to the U.S., he spent two full seasons with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, scoring 53 goals and 71 assists for 124 points.