NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Goaltender Jonathan Bernier has decided to retire after playing more than a decade in the NHL, a career that spanned six teams and included winning a Stanley Cup ring.
The 35-year-old Former Lewiston Maineiacs player announced his retirement in a social media post Monday, thanking the organizations who gave him an opportunity and family members for supporting him along the way.
“After 14 years, it’s time for me to hang up the pads,” Bernier wrote. “There are no words to express my gratitude to everyone who has been part of my hockey journey since day one. Without all of you I couldn’t have done it.”
Bernier played more than 400 regular-season and playoff games since making his debut in 2007 with the Los Angeles Kings after spending four seasons in Lewiston. He won the Cup as a backup with the Kings in 2012 before moving on to bigger roles in Toronto and elsewhere.
A hip injury that required surgery derailed his career a couple of years ago. Bernier has not played since December 2021 with the New Jersey Devils, with whom he signed an $8.2 million, three-year contract months earlier.
The Laval, Quebec, native was the 11th pick in the 2006 draft to L.A. His longest sustained role as a No. 1 goalie came with the Maple Leafs from 2013-16, and he also played for Anaheim, Colorado and Detroit
Bernier finishes with 165 regular-season victories.
He was a 2004 first-round draft pick of the Maineiacs. He went 78-49-17 with a 2.72 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 148 regular-season games with Lewiston. He was a member of the Maineiacs’ 2006-07 Presidents Cup-winning team that went to the Canadian Hockey League’s Memorial Cup tournament.
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