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Johnny boychuk, 36, retired Wednesday after 13 seasons of contusion in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche, Boston Bruins and New York Islanders. Boychuk decided to hang up his skates after being cut on his right eyelid by Artturi Lehkonen in March. Boychuk only played three more games – all in the 2020 playoffs. His last game was Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals when the Tampa Bay Lightning knocked out the Islanders from the playoffs.
“I don’t even think it was a decision. When you play with it and realize that there is something wrong, and then you take some tests, it really wasn’t a decision; it was a lifestyle choice, I guess, ”Boychuk said to ESPN. “If I were to go back and play and not be able to see someone come in and get hit, I could be a lot worse than I was.
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Boychuk was expected to return next season after he said in June that his injury was ‘almost 100%’ and ‘nothing made me worry about being on the ice again’, but subsequent tests during the ‘offseason has been a “revelation”. The Islanders will put Boychuk on the long-term injury reserve for the next two seasons, saving the team $ 6 million and giving them nearly $ 10 million in cap space. The team have reportedly made deals for UFAs Matt Martin, Cory Schnieder and Andy Greene, while star forward Mathew Barzal remains a restricted free agent.
Boychuk played a robust style, similar to Brooks Orpik, during his long NHL career, never missing the opportunity to land great success over the opposing stars. Boychuk was frequently confronted with Alex ovechkin and the two built quite a rivalry during his time with the Boston Bruins.
During Boychuk’s rookie season, the defenseman nailed Ovechkin to the boards with a giant blow in the defensive zone. How did Ovi respond? By terrorizing Boychuk and getting three big hits in the next 30 seconds. According to the brilliant Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post, Ovi left “the rookie on the ice almost in exactly the same place.”
It was one of those legendary Ovechkin changes that you will never forget.
The two would continue their rivalry on Long Island. Boychuk was one of the few defenders who could sometimes make the most of Ovi physically – like this backlash.
Ovechkin has faced Boychuk’s teams 46 times, winning 26 games and taking a losing point on five others. Ovechkin has scored 25 goals in those games, including a hat trick on January 18 of this year.
Face to face, the two rivals clashed for 348 minutes. Ovi scored four goals and had seven assists; Boychuk actually ate Ovi’s lunch for the first few years. Ovi didn’t score a goal against him until 2012.
Boychuk ends his career after 725 games in the NHL. He won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins in the 2010-11 season.
Screenshot provided by NESN
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