Vancouver Canucks forward Derek Dorsett was forced to cut short his hockey career on Thursday after a doctor’s recommendation that Dorsett should retire due to ongoing back issues.
In a statement released by the Canucks, Dorsett would’ve faced “long-term, significant health risks” had he continued to play with her cervical disc herniation. Dorsett had experienced stiffness in his back and neck and was sent back to Vancouver during the Canucks Eastern road trip. He last played against the St. Louis Blues on November 18th.
Noted as a little pitbull out on the ice full of energy and determination, Dorsett played ten seasons in the NHL split between the Blue Jackets, Rangers and Canucks.
Even though Dorsett wasn’t built like your prototypical heavyweight fighter, he was fearless out on the ice, having dropped the mitts 222 times over his career, according to DropYourGloves.com. The agitator finished with 1,324 career penalty minutes and lead the league twice in total PIMs.
The 30-year-old was off to his best start in his career, notching seven goals in 20 games after returning from spinal surgery one year ago where he was limited to just 14 games. Dorsett had never scored more than 12 goals in one season over his 515-game NHL career. The Kindersley, Saskatchewan had earned the trust under Travis Green alongside Brandon Sutter and Markus Granlund as the Canucks shutdown line to open up the season.
A seventh round pick by the Blue Jackets in 2006, Dorsett holds the most penalty minutes in the league with 77 even though he missed the past five games.
Reaction from Canucks fans, fans from the Blue Jackets and Rangers, as well as players across the league about Dorsett’s unfortunate set of circumstances.
Considering how well liked Dorsett was by his teammates and his dedication to the game while returning from a serious injury, it wouldn’t be out of the question to one day see Dorsett in some sort of coaching or hockey operations role.
You can beat the Canucks will be playing with a little extra piss and vinegar when they face the Predators on Thursday night.
