Andy McDonald ’00 Announces Retirement From NHL
HAMILTON – Former Colgate standout and 12-year National Hockey League veteran Andy McDonald has decided to hang up his skates after a fantastic career of over 700 games played.
According to Andy Strickland of TrueHockey.com, McDonald is calling it quits, citing ongoing post-concussion concerns. He has had five documented concussions over his career. The former NHL All-Star cites the threat of another head injury with the chance of long-term effects as a reason. McDonald was also a unrestricted free agent going into this offseason.
“I’m fortunate to get out now,” McDonald told Strickland. “I know I could play two or three more years and I love the game of hockey, but health-wise I know I shouldn’t be playing.”
For some it was surprising news. The 35-year old had seven goals and 14 assists in 37 games this season. He played 685 regular season games with 489 points on 182 goals and 307 assists for both the St. Louis Blues and the Anaheim Ducks. The appeared in 56 playoff contests in his career with 37 points on 18 goals and 19 helpers.
“The last few years, too much of the focus became worrying about the next hit,” McDonald said. “I was always thinking about it.”
McDonald played four seasons for Colgate and head coach Don Vaughan from 1996 to 2000. He amassed 155 career points for the Raiders in 137 career games, which ranks him 17th all-time in points and his 88 career assists are 16th all-time. He averaged 1.13 points per game during his career and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 2000 with 58 points on 25 goals and 33 assists.
The Strathroy, Ont., native spent six-plus seasons with the Ducks, starting with 16 games in 2000-01. He was signed as a free agent after graduating from Colgate and went on to record 282 points for the Ducks, including a career-high 85 in 2005-06. He had 78 points on 27 goals and 51 assists during the regular season in 2006-07, but made a name for himself during Anaheim’s run to the Stanley Cup. McDonald had 10 goals and four assists for 14 points during that postseason. According to many, including TSN’s Bob McKenzie, McDonald had a huge impact on Anaheim’s run to the Stanley Cup in 2007.
He played one more season with the Ducks and then moved onto the St. Louis Blues, where he spent the final six years of his career. He tallied 244 points with the Blues and played in three postseasons, including this year. His best season with St. Louis came in 2009-10 with 57 points on 24 goals and 33 assists.
