Former Rangers center Derick Brassard retires from NHL

Derick Brassard, who played 16 seasons in the NHL including all or parts of four with the New York Rangers, announced his retirement from professional hockey on Sunday. The 36-year-old center did not play this past season and last suited up for the Ottawa Senators on March 30, 2023.

“Hockey is over for me,” Brassard told La Presse , the French-language newspaper in Montreal.

Brassard played 1,013 NHL games for the Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders, Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers. He scored 215 goals and finished with 545 points

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Derick Brassard was major figure in New York Rangers history

After playing his first six seasons with the Blue Jackets, who selected him No. 6 overall in the 2006 NHL Draft, Brassard was traded to the Rangers in the final minutes before the 2013 trade deadline. Brassard was sent to New York along with defenseman John Moore and forward Derek Dorsett in exchange for star forward Marian Gaborik and two prospects.

That same night, Brassard made his Rangers debut one to remember. He notched four points (one goal, three assists) in a 6-1 win against the Penguins at Madison Square Garden.

For the next three seasons, he and Derek Stepan formed a 1-2 punch down the middle for the Rangers. Brassard helped the Blueshirts reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 and Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final in 2015.

Nicknamed “Big Game Brass” for his play in the postseason, Brassard had 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 59 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Rangers. He had six goals in the 2014 postseason when the Rangers lost to the Los Angeles Kings in the Cup Final, third most on the team. In the 2015 playoff run, Brassard led the Rangers with nine goals and 16 points in 19 games. In 2013, he led the Blueshirts with 10 assists and 12 points in 12 playoff games.

Brassard’s two best regular seasons in the NHL were with the Rangers. He had an NHL career-high 60 points (19 goals, 41 assists) in 2024-15 and followed up with 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) the next season, his last in New York.

The Rangers traded Brassard to the Senators on July 18, 2016 for center Mika Zibanejad. Though the deal wasn’t popular at the time, it’s turned into a massive win for the Blueshirts. Zibanejad has scored 70+ points five times since the trade and 20+ goals seven times.

In 254 regular-season games with the Rangers, Brassard had 174 points (69 goals, 105 assists).

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