NHL veteran announces his retirement at the age of 37
After a career that has spanned parts of 20 seasons within the professional hockey ranks, including 9 seasons in the National Hockey League, Swedish forward Carl Soderberg is officially hanging up his skates and calling it a career.
"I knew even then that it was my last match, but I still wanted to let it grow during the summer," Soderberg said about his final game with Malmo in March.
He went on to say, "I have been involved in a lot. Almost 600 NHL games and that whole NHL journey was amazing. All the memories you created and all the people, both players and leaders. I wouldn't trade that for anything. Then the WC gold in Cologne 2017 was the biggest thing I was able to win. Getting to go up with Malmö in 2006 was also a win in itself. It was right at the beginning of my career, so it was very big."
He went on to say, "I have been involved in a lot. Almost 600 NHL games and that whole NHL journey was amazing. All the memories you created and all the people, both players and leaders. I wouldn't trade that for anything. Then the WC gold in Cologne 2017 was the biggest thing I was able to win. Getting to go up with Malmö in 2006 was also a win in itself. It was right at the beginning of my career, so it was very big."
The 37-year-old forward was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the second-round back in 2004, but remained in Sweden at the time. Three years later, the Blues traded Soderberg to Boston, though he remained in Sweden, not signing with the Bruins until 2013.
Soderberg finally came over to North America in April 2013 after the SHL season ended and went on to appear in 597 career games between 2013 and 2021 with the Bruins, Avalanche and Coyotes. In those 597 games, the Malmo native had 297 points (110 goals, 187 assists), 210 penalty minutes and was a minus-25. He went on to add 14 points in 45 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
In 2021, Soderberg decided to return to his home country and played the final two seasons of his career in the Swedish Hockey League with his hometown Malmo Redhawks.
As seen on Expressen: Expressen
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