David Krejci unexpectedly ended his career. His start at the World Championships was ruined by health problems

David Krejci retired from the NHL after last season, but he didn’t intend to quit hockey yet. On the contrary, he toyed with the idea of playing for an extra league team during this season and playing at the World Championship. However, due to health problems, he will only watch it as a spectator.

Unfortunately, just like Tomas Plekanec, Krejci decided to end his career early due to health reasons. The 37-year-old native of Šternberk, who was limited by a lower-body injury to the point where he could not participate in a full training load, is quitting on the advice of his doctors.

16 seasons with the Boston Bruins

Krejci played 16 seasons in the NHL between 2006-2021 with a one-year break. And that’s in an organization like the Boston Bruins, which falls in the Original Six era where he became a club legend. In 2011, he even celebrated winning the Stanley Cup with the team by winning the playoffs scoring 4 game winning goals!

He played 1032 games for Boston, scoring 786 points on 231 goals and 555 assists. This makes him the fifth most productive Czech player in NHL history.

In the playoffs, he turned into a predator. Finally, in the playoffs, he played 160 games with 128 points on 43 goals and 85 assists. Only Jaromir Jagr is ahead of him in that regard.

Krejci in the national team

Krejci also competed in three Olympic Games (2010, 2014 and 2022) and four World Championships (2008, 2012, 2018 and 2022), from which he took home two bronzes. His collection also includes a bronze from the 2005 World Junior Championships. His interplay with Boston teammate David Pastrnak has always been outstanding .

Individual achievements

He was the first Czech in NHL history to win a playoff scoring title, on his way to the Stanley Cup in 2011. He did the same two years later, but Boston lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the finals. He also won the Golden Hockey Stick for the best Czech hockey player in 2013.

He is also a two-time winner of the NHL Plus/Minus Award from the 2008/09 (+37) and 2013/14 (+39) seasons, which is awarded to the player with the best plus/minus stats in regular season ice time. In 2009, he was also awarded as the Boston team’s Player of the Season.

Source: NHL, Wikipedia