Canadian forward Daniel Winnik, a former NHLer who has spent the past six seasons playing in Switzerland for Genève-Servette HC, announced his retirement at age 39 in a Twitter post on Thursday.
“For the past 19 years, I have lived a dream, from signing my first contract with the Phoenix Coyotes to my last with Geneva Servette,” the post began. “Some experiences that I thought would only remain dreams became realities: being coached by Wayne Gretzky, playing for my hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and representing Canada at the Olympic Games. I am grateful to all my teammates and coaches throughout my life for pushing me to do better.”
Winnik was a ninth-round draft pick by the Coyotes in 2004 and, after leaving the University of New Hampshire two years later, spent four seasons in the organization. He later played for the Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and Minnesota Wild and had two short tours of duty with Toronto.
In 11 NHL seasons, Winnik recorded 251 points in 758 regular-season games. He added four assists in 63 playoff games. His most productive NHL season was 2014-15 when he recorded 34 points in 79 games with Toronto and Pittsburgh.
Over the past six seasons in Switzerland, Winnik recorded 259 points in 308 combined National League regular-season and playoff games. In 2021-22, he had 54 points and was selected to play for Canada at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, where he contributed a goal and an assist in five games. In his last two seasons, he helped Genève-Servette win its first-ever national title in 2022-23 and the Champions Hockey League in 2023-24, scoring the winning goal in a 3-2 win in the final.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to Geneva Servette, the fans, and the city for everything over the past six years,” his tweet continued. “Helping to bring the city two championships will forever be my career’s two most cherished memories. Geneva was the only place I truly called home, and it holds a special place in my heart. Merci pour tout.”