Ryan O’Byrne’s professional hockey career has officially come to an end. The 32-year-old made the announcement via his Twitter account earlier today.
O’Byrne’s professional career lasted a total of 10 years. In the NHL, he played for the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs. He also played for the Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL), Florida Everblades (ECHL), Prague Lev (KHL), Ambri-Piotta (Swiss-A) and HV71 Jonkoping.
In 308 NHL games, O’Byrne had five goals, 39 points and 369 penalty minutes.
Unfortunately for O’Byrne, one of the things he’ll be remembered for is the own goal he scored when he was with the Montreal Canadiens (top).
On a more positive note, O’Byrne was part of the special ceremony when the Canadiens retired Emile Bouchard’s number three jersey. O’Byrne, who was wearing number three at the time, gave up his jersey number and switched to number 20.
This was O’Byrne’s message on Twitter:
After 10 years, I'm retiring from Pro Hockey. Can't begin to thank everyone enough for the support and friendship over the years! (1/2)
— Ryan O'Byrne (@ryanobyrne84) July 21, 2016
(2/2) Now what - I'm heading back to Cornell University to finish my degree.📚📝 Thanks for an amazing ride! pic.twitter.com/xRfYwjOlTd
— Ryan O'Byrne (@ryanobyrne84) July 21, 2016