Tyson Barrie announces retirement from NHL

Veteran NHL defenseman Tyson Barrie is hanging up his skates, announcing his retirement from the NHL after 14 seasons. 

The 34-year-old unveiled the news on Monday morning, wrapping up a career that saw him play 809 NHL regular season games for five teams, including the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames. 

Through those games, he put up 109 goals and 822 points, establishing himself as one of the top offensive defenseman in the league throughout his career. While he never captured a Stanley Cup, he also played in 47 Stanley Cup Playoff games, scoring two goals and 21 points. 

Drafted 64th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft by the Avalanche, Barrie debuted in the NHL in the 2011-12 season, before moving on to the four other teams through his career. His most productive offensive season came in 2018-19, where he hit a career high 14 goals and 59 points. 

In 2020-21, he also played a critical role with the Oilers, leading the blueline on the NHL’s top powerplay, lofted by the outputs of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl among the forwards. That season, he also posted just five minor penalty minutes. 

Come the end of his career on the man advantage, he put up 32 power-play goals and 212 powerplay points.

His retirement comes after a 2024-25 season that saw him split time between the Flames and their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. With the NHL club, he had one goal and three points in 13 games, while he scored two goals and five points in 11 games with the Wranglers.

Additionally, he made his mark at the international level with Team Canada, contributing to the gold medal effort at the 2015 IIHF World Championship, and also winning silver medals at the 2017 World Championship and 2011 World Junior Championship.