Former American Hockey League and National Hockey League defenseman, Dennis Seidenberg, has announced his retirement from hockey after 16 professional seasons.
Seidenberg was drafted in the sixth round (#172 overall) in the 2001 NHL Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. He turned pro in 2002-03 after three years in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (Germany). He split his first two seasons between the Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) and Philadelphia Flyers (NHL). He played 19 games with the Phantoms during the 2002-03 season posting 11 points on five goals and six assists and 33 games during the 2003-04 season with 19 points on 7 goals and 12 assists. He was selected to the 2003-04 AHL All-Star game.
During the NHL lockout in 2004-05, Seidenberg spent the entire year with the Phantoms, playing in 79 games and tallying 12 goals and 28 assists for 41 points and was a +18 rating. Seidenberg was a huge part of the Phantoms 2005 Calder Cup run, picking up 10 points in 18 playoff games to help the Phantoms capture the 2005 Calder Cup Championship.
In total, Seidenberg would play 131 regular season games for the Phantoms, registering 71 points with 25 goals and 46 assists, and 27 playoff games. He played 92 total games for the Flyers before being traded to the Phoenix Coyotes during the 2005-06 season.
A native of Schwenningen, Germany, Seidenberg has played 859 career games in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers (2002-06), Phoenix Coyotes (2006-07), Carolina Hurricanes (2007-09), Boston Bruins (2009-16), and the New York Islanders (2016-18). He totaled 251 career points with 44 goals, 207 assists and 359 penalty minutes during his 16-season NHL career. Seidenberg has also represented Germany in the Olympic Games three times (2002, 2006, 2010).
Seidenberg was a vital part of the 2010-11 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins. He played in 81 games for the Bruins during the regular season and totaled 32 points. In the playoffs, Seidenberg played in all 25 games, leading the Bruins blueliners with 11 points on one goal and 10 assists, including two assists in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. He played on Boston’s top defensive pairing, alongside their captain, Zdeno Chara.
The now 38-year-old Seidenberg has spent the past three seasons with the New York Islanders (although he has not appeared in a game since April 7, 2018) serving as a mentor role for the Islanders young prospects, including Mathew Barzal. Barzal lived with Seidenberg and his family during his rookie season when he captured the 2018 Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year.
