Forward Colin Wilson announced his retirement from the NHL after 11 seasons on Tuesday.
Wilson, 31, was the No. 7 overall selection of the Predators in the 2008 NHL Draft. He played 632 regular-season games with Nashville (2009-17) and the Colorado Avalanche (2017-19), scoring 286 points (113 goals, 173 assists).
He added 33 points (17 goals, 16 assists) in 65 career playoff games.
Wilson played just nine games in the 2019-20 season with the Avalanche before undergoing double hip surgery. Last October, in an essay in The Players’ Tribune, he disclosed his lifetime battle with obsessive compulsive disorder and the effects of the medication he took to treat it.
“At this time, I am left to reflect on the 8-year-old kid from Winnipeg who couldn’t be dragged off a pond or outdoor rink. I can only imagine his excitement in learning of his career he would have in the NHL,” he said Tuesday in a statement issued by the NHL Players’ Association. “I would like to thank the game of hockey for the incredible experiences and amazing people I was exposed to along my path. It is very bittersweet to retire as I leave my childhood passion behind but look forward to what comes next.”
Before entering the NHL, the Connecticut-born Wilson played in the U.S. National Team Development Program and at Boston University. He was named USA Hockey College Player of the Year in 2008-09 — the same season the Terriers won the NCAA championship.
Wilson was a third-generation NHL player, following his father, Carey, and grandfather, Jerry.
–Field Level Media
