{"id":466477,"date":"2026-09-17T06:38:26","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T06:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/466477\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T06:38:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T06:38:26","slug":"ex-san-jose-sharks-forward-ryan-reaves-announces-retirement-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/466477\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-San Jose Sharks forward Ryan Reaves announces retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former San Jose Sharks forward Ryan Reaves, one of the NHL\u2019s most feared enforcers<\/a> during an unlikely and memorable 16-year career, announced his retirement on Wednesday with training camps<\/a> across the league set to begin.<\/p>\n

A fifth-round draft choice by the St. Louis Blues in 2005, the 39-year-old Reaves played for seven teams and finished his NHL career with 140 points and 1,139 penalty minutes in 962 games, 11th most in his draft class.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to make this league. It\u2019s even harder to stay in it,\u201d Reaves wrote on his Instagram account.<\/a> \u201cFor everything I put into my 16 years, the game gave me back x1,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut unfortunately, Father Time remains undefeated. Every hit, every fight \u2014 it\u2019s taken its final toll on me. I love this sport more than almost anything in this world. It has taken me to places I never thought I\u2019d go and has introduced me to people I\u2019ll cherish for the rest of my life. The fans, the haters, the ups, the downs \u2026 I wouldn\u2019t trade it for anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought this day would come. I thought I was invincible. I thought I could play forever, but like all good things, it must come to an end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reaves played 419 games with the Blues from 2010 to 2017, and 209 games with the Vegas Golden Knights from 2018 to 2021, becoming a central figure in the team\u2019s rivalry<\/a> with the Sharks. He also had short stints with the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and Minnesota Wild before he signed a three-year contract with Toronto in 2023. But after a rocky second season<\/a> with the Maple Leafs, the Sharks traded for him in July 2025 in exchange for defenseman Henry Thrun.<\/p>\n

In 50 games with the Sharks, he scored three goals and collected 37 penalty minutes \u2013 getting into memorable fights with the Rangers\u2019 Matt Rempe and Mathieu Olivier of the Columbus Blue Jackets. But his value to the Sharks went far beyond the stats, as he became a fan favorite with his physical style, helped bring the group closer together, and formed friendships with Macklin Celebrini and others.<\/p>\n

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky credited Reaves for being like a coach on the bench.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started talking to him through the summer after that trade, and talking to the coaches that have had him, you knew he had a good personality,\u201d Warsofsky said in March. \u201cI think that\u2019s important to keep it loose at times, but also have an understanding of how to play the game this time of year and play in the league, and (Reaves) has seen a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, he\u2019s helped the younger players, he\u2019s helped set an identity for that fourth line. I think he\u2019s helped Barclay Goodrow find his game again, in a sense. He\u2019s helped Zack Ostapchuk, (Adam) Gaudette. He\u2019s helped us in more ways than one, and probably more than I expected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reaves\u2019 season ended on March 21 when he severely damaged his finger in a fight against the Philadelphia Flyers\u2019 Garrett Wilson. Even though he couldn\u2019t play, Reaves stayed on the Sharks\u2019 bench for the remainder of the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cReavo, he\u2019s been doing that his whole career. Unbelievable teammate,\u201d an emotional Goodrow said after the game of Reaves\u2019 support. \u201cHe\u2019s a guy that brings it all every night. Great, great friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the best guy. Even when he\u2019s not playing, he\u2019s there for everyone. He always works his butt off every day. I think everyone in the room can learn a lot from a guy like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw him in the locker room (after the injury) happened, and he was pretty emotional,\u201d Sharks winger Tyler Toffoli said a few days afterward. \u201cHe\u2019s an emotional guy, and he\u2019s done a really good job with our group this year. So, it sucks to see him leave that game, but obviously, his doing something like that doesn\u2019t surprise me as an ultimate team guy, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the game, former Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro recounted the Sharks\u2019 home date against the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 22 when he absorbed an illegal hit from Hayden Hodgson. Reaves then fought the 6-foot-2, 226-pound Hodgson midway through the second period.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat stuff kind of gives you goosebumps,\u201d Ferraro said. \u201cI\u2019m going to kind of get a little emotional about it, to be honest. But he\u2019s just one of those guys who is willing to do whatever for the team, and even if that means staying on the bench, and he\u2019s not going out there, he\u2019s pumping us up, he\u2019s leading all the time. So, he brings that energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his contract expiring, Reaves hoped to play one more season to reach 1,000 career NHL regular-season games and get another chance to win his first Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n

Reaves thought he could do both in San Jose, but Sharks general manager Mike Grier decided to not resign him in the offseason, feeling additions like Darnell Nurse, Jacob Trouba and Mason Marchment, along with Goodrow\u2019s return, filled that toughness need.<\/p>\n

Unable to latch onto another team with NHL camps set to begin on Thursday, Reaves authored a lengthy retirement note, which began with him writing, \u201cDear Hockey, It\u2019s hard to put into words what you meant to me. What you mean to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had dreams of being an athlete. Football, hockey \u2014 it didn\u2019t matter. I learned at a young age that I just wanted to lay people out. The physical part of sports was what I was always drawn to. I knew that\u2019s what I wanted, but tell 10-year-old Reavo he was going to play in the NHL for 16 seasons? I don\u2019t think he\u2019d believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reaves later added, \u201cI retire from the sport I\u2019ve loved since I was 5 years old. It was a hell of a ride. Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this journey. There are too many to single out, so you\u2019ll hear from me at some point. I may not be on the ice anymore, but I know I will always be close to hockey in one way or another.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can rest easy knowing the corners are a little safer today. Mic drop, gloves drop. Reavo out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Jose Sharks’ Timothy Liljegren (37), left, and San Jose Sharks’ Ryan Reaves (75), right, are introduced on stage during a pregame ceremony before the San Jose Sharks\u2019 home opener against the Vegas Golden Knights at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

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