Former NHLer Pierre-Marc Bouchard has retired due to the long-term risk of sustaining another concussion.
Bouchard has spent the past two seasons playing for Swiss team EV Zug. The 31-year-old forward spent most of his NHL career with the Minnesota Wild, who drafted him eighth overall in 2002.
Bouchard’s concussion issues date back to the tail end of the 2008-09 season. In 2009-10, he missed all but the Wild’s season-opener, then didn’t return until December of the 2010-11 campaign. A concussion caused him to miss half of 2011-12 as well.
After a short stint with the Islanders, he headed for Europe in 2014.
Bouchard was Zug’s leading scorer this season, piling up 67 points in 49 games. He finished his NHL career with 356 points in 593 games.
