Feature Photo: Getty Images
TORONTO (Nov. 14, 2024) – Defenceman Matt Irwin has officially announced his retirement from the National Hockey League today following 10 NHL seasons and 461 regular-season games.
Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Irwin earned his spot in the NHL as an undrafted free agent and started his career with the San Jose Sharks, for who he would play three seasons. Irwin suited up for six teams and made 47 postseason appearances over the course of his NHL career before signing as a free agent in 2023 with Vancouver, where he would play 65 games and tally 16 points as an alternate captain for his home province Abbotsford Canucks in the American Hockey League.
Prior to reaching the NHL, Irwin was a standout blueliner in the British Columbia Hockey League, twice being named best defenceman in the Coastal Conference as a member of the Nanaimo Clippers (2006-07, 2007-08). His development continued when he accepted a scholarship to play NCAA Division I hockey at University of Massachusetts Amherst in the Hockey East conference. He competed the next two seasons there before starting his professional journey in the professional ranks of the American Hockey League with the Worcester Sharks after signing a two-year contract with San Jose on March 23, 2010.
In 2011-12, Irwin played 71 games for Worcester and posted 42 points (11 goals, 31 assists) to finish the season leading his team and all AHL defencemen in shots on goal (209) while being named to the 2012 AHL Eastern All-Star team. Irwin would then sign another one-year contract with San Jose followed by a two-year extension in 2012-13.
Irwin made his NHL debut with the Sharks against the Calgary Flames on Jan. 20, 2013, and scored his first goal in the league soon after on Jan. 26 against the Colorado Avalanche in a 4-0 victory. He finished his rookie season with 12 points (six goals, six assists) over 38 games, helping the Sharks reach the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Irwin would cement himself as a mainstay on the Sharks’ back end over his three seasons with the club, skating in 153 games and registering 50 points combined over that time.
In the summer of 2015, Irwin would sign a one-year contract with the Boston Bruins and spend the 2015-16 season with the organization. Following his stint in Boston, he would move on to Nashville, signing as a free agent on July 1, 2016, with the Predators. He would see action in 74 games that season on Nashville’s blueline, registering 14 points and a plus-15 rating. He would then suit up in 22 playoff games that spring, playing a pivotal role in the Predators’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. Irwin would play in a total of 195 games over four seasons with the Predators, accumulating 31 points and a plus-14 rating over that time. He would be traded to the Anaheim Ducks on February 24, 2020, and would skate in just nine games with the Ducks before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the 2019-20 season to a halt.
The following October, Irwin would join his fifth NHL club, signing a one-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres for the 2020-21 season. He would hit the ice in 24 games that season with the Sabres before signing with the Washington Capitals on July 28, 2021. Irwin would play in in 17 games for the Capitals in 2021-22 and 61 games in 2022-23.
Irwin now resides in Victoria, British Columbia, with his family.
Statement from Matt Irwin:
“As I reflect on my career, I can’t help but feel incredibly grateful and fortunate to have lived out my childhood dream of playing in the NHL. My success would not have been possible without the support of my family, my in-laws and especially my wife, Chantel, and two kids Beckem and Lennon. You all pushed me to be the best version of myself on and off the ice.
I would like to thank my agent, Ian Pulver, for his guidance and unwavering support throughout my career.
I would like to thank all of the organizations that took a chance on me and allowed me to wear their jersey and represent their team and city.
I want to thank all of the coaches and staff on each team that helped me reach my potential and become the player I was on the ice.
I’m fortunate to have been surrounded by the best group of teammates that I could have possibly asked for. Each and every one of them made coming to the rink the best years of my life. I hope our paths cross somewhere down the road.
There are so many people I would like to thank and it’s really hard to express my gratitude the way that you all deserve, but please know that everyone that I crossed paths with during my career means the world to me and my family, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”
