Philadelphia Flyers: Chris Stewart announces retirement from NHL

The short-term Flyers forward took to social media on Sunday to announce his decision to retire from the NHL.

He wasn’t with the Philadelphia Flyers long, but Chris Stewart made enough of an impact on the team to earn his brief contract. He came into training camp looking to prove he could still make it and the coaching staff was impressed. He signed a one-year deal, though ended up not playing much with the Flyers.

Stewart appeared in 16 total games for the Flyers, his last coming on January 15th. He grabbed an assist during his third game of the season. Otherwise, he spent his time as either a healthy scratch or down in the AHL.

For the Phantoms, he only appeared in six games. He grabbed a goal and three points overall. So while he impressed enough to earn a contract, there wasn’t much space or opportunity for him to play.

But Stewart went through all of that without so much as a peep or a single complaint. As he mentioned in his announcement, he was thankful for every opportunity that this league gave him.

And those opportunities saw him drafted in the first round in 2006, appear in 668 NHL games and play for seven different teams over his 13 years in the league. He also spent some time in Czech and Germany during the lockout in 2012.

Stewart also briefly appeared in the ACH with the and Hamilton Steelhawks and the EIHL for the Nottingham Panthers during the 2018-19 season. So he has traveled far and wide during his hockey career.

He has also done plenty of work outside of the game of hockey itself. He is a member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance. As stated on their official website, their purpose is “To eradicate systemic racism and intolerance in hockey.”

Stewart made a huge impact on some of his Flyers teammates, even if he was only with them a short time. When team’s were deciding whether or not to protest their playoff games, both Scott Laughton and James van Riemsdyk went to Stewart for advice.

He was well-liked and respect in whichever locker room he stepped into. And he leaves the game the same way.