Lightning Round: Braydon Coburn retires from professional hockey

Yesterday, former Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Braydon Coburn announced his retirement from professional hockey at the age of 36. He spent 16 seasons in the NHL and played in 983 regular season games and 137 postseason games, including six seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was part of the Stanley Cup team in 2020.

Coburn was acquired by the Lightning at the 2015 NHL Trade Deadline in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers, who received defenceman Radko Gudas, a conditional first-round pick and a third round pick in 2015 NHL Entry Draft in exchange. In 350 overall regular season games with the Lightning Coburn scored 66 points (12+53). He also played in 65 postseason games with the Lightning, recording 9 points (1+8). His only playoff goal during that span was a game-winning goal in a seventh game of the first-round series against the Detroit Red Wings during the 2015 NHL Playoffs.

During the 2020 offseason, Coburn was traded to the Ottawa Senators alongside with Cedric Paquette and a 2022 second-round pick in exchange for for Anders Nilsson and Marian Gaborik, who also recently announced his retirement from professional hockey. Coburn played in 16 games with the Senators before getting traded to the New York Islanders at the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline, where he played in his last three games of his career.

Coburn also released a statement following his yesterday’s announcement [NHLPA.com]

“Walking into NHL buildings for the last 16 years, surrounded by hockey’s greatest players, coaches, management, trainers, officials, and fans, has been an incredible privilege. I’m very proud to have come into the league as an Atlanta Thrasher, proudly wore the orange and black as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers, won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning and finished my career with the Ottawa Senators and the New York Islanders.

“Thank you to my parents, grandparents, and siblings for the sacrifices you made helping me realize my NHL dream. Thank you to my minor hockey coaches for always making the game fun, and countless others that taught me how awesome it was to be a part of a team. I would also like to send a sincere thank you to my teammates, friends and family, especially my wife, Nadine, my daughter, Rory, and my son, Blair, for their patience, support and unwavering love. I’m thankful for the amazing people I have met along the way, and I am very excited for what is to come.”

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