When the lockout ended and the 2013 campaign began, Dominic Moore didn’t join his fellow NHL players in returning. He needed to take a step back after his wife, Katie, tragically lost her battle with liver cancer on Jan. 7.
“It was just the timing of everything at that time, it just didn’t work out,” Moore told the Bergen Record. “I think everything came to a head. Unfortunately, it was an inopportune time in January, it was a very difficult decision to not play. At the same time, it was the right decision.”
He spent that time off regrouping and clearing his head in addition to lending his services to the Smashfest Charity Ping-Pong Challenge, which is linked to the Katie Moore Foundation.
Now he’s ready to return to the NHL and the team that originally drafted him back in 2000, the New York Rangers, had interest in inking him to a one-year deal.
The 32-year-old forward hasn’t played with the Rangers since the 2005-06 campaign and in that time he’s been around the NHL. He has been a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, and San Jose Sharks. After all that, he’s glad to be back where it all started.
“No doubt, coming back to New York is definitely what I wanted to happen, it was my first choice for a variety of reasons,” Moore said. “I’ve always been drawn back there. I’m grateful that it’s come to fruition.”