Jack Campbell announced his retirement from hockey Sunday after eight NHL seasons.
The 34-year-old goalie last played in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers in 2023-24; he was 1-4-0 with a 4.50 goals-against average and .873 save percentage in five games before being placed on waivers Nov. 7, 2024.
After going unclaimed, Campbell was assigned to Bakersfield of the American Hockey League, where he was 18-13-1 with a 2.63 GAA, .918 save percentage and three shutouts in 33 games.
Campbell, who signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Oilers on July 13, 2022, had the final three seasons of his contract bought out. He signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings on July 1, 2024, but never played with them. He played 14 games for their AHL team in Grand Rapids.
Campbell also announced that he would be starting a new chapter in his life by becoming an identity and performance coach.
"I grew up my entire life chasing one dream and that was to play in the NHL," Campbell said in a video posted on his Instagram account. "I was fortunate enough to accomplish that goal of playing eight seasons in the NHL, becoming an NHL All-Star (2021-22) and thankfully on paper, living a pretty awesome life. Super grateful for my days of playing but what a lot of people don't see is the personal battles that I went through throughout my career.
Not having somebody to hold me accountable for having a well-balanced life, that's when I found four years ago my life coach, who's completely changed everything for me.
Campbell entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Oct. 4, 2024, before returning to finish his AHL season, his last in professional hockey.
"Walking away from hockey wasn't easy," Campbell said. "It gave me more than I could have ever imagined. But over the last few years, I realized the work that brought me the most fulfillment wasn't stopping pucks, it was helping people become who they're capable of becoming.
Selected by the Dallas Stars with the No. 11 pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, Campbell was 93-52-18 with a 2.76 GAA, .909 save percentage and 10 shutouts in 176 regular-season games (164 starts) for the Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Oilers. He was 7-8 with a 2.28 GAA, .920 save percentage and two shutouts in 18 Stanley Cup Playoff games (14 starts).