Andrew Hammond called it quits for his hockey career after 67 NHL games, 31 wins and a run of a lifetime.

Goaltender Andrew Hammond announced his retirement from hockey, ending a playing career that saved a team from missing the playoffs in his first lengthy taste of NHL action.

The 34-year-old announced his retirement on Monday, saying he won't be able to fully recover from an ankle injury he suffered with the Montreal Canadiens last season.

"St. Patrick's Day, 2013, I signed an NHL contract with the Ottawa Senators," Hammond said in his statement. "One dream came true. I was an undrafted free agent signing out of college. I thought things couldn't get better than that.

"I was wrong... My career was a series of unbelievable and unexpected memories."

He can say that again. 

The Surrey, B.C. native joined the Ottawa Senators organization in the 2013-14 season, playing 48 games in Binghamton and posting a 25-19-3 record. He played once for Ottawa that season in relief, stopping 11 shots in just over half a game against the Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 27, 2014.

Almost one year later, he again played in relief for Ottawa after having a 3.51 GAA and .898 SP in Binghamton. Sens teammates Robin Lehner and Clarke MacArthur collided in the second period, and both had to leave the game. Hammond stopped three of five shots in a 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 16, 2015. The Senators were 10 points out of a wild-card spot with 27 games left.

Little would anyone know, Ottawa went on to make the playoffs that year. And the third-string goalie arguably made it happen.

Hammond made his first-career start against the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 18, 2015, stopping 42 of 44 shots to pick up his first win. He made another 21 stops in a victory over the Panthers. And then he helped the team get a rare California sweep, picking up consecutive shutouts against the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings before turning aside 28 of 30 shots to beat the San Jose Sharks.

For the first 15 starts of Hammond's NHL career, he went 14-0-1, not allowing more than two goals per game in 13 of them. 

'The Hamburglar" was the first star of March in the NHL that season, going 10-1-1 with a 2.09 GAA and .930 SP. He ended the regular season keeping the starter position despite Anderson's return from injury. He put up a 20-1-2 record with a .941 SP and 1.79 GAA that were tops in the NHL among goalies with at least 20 games played.

Sens fans were fully invested in the 'Hamburglar' run, throwing McDonald's hamburgers on the ice after wins. McDonald's even wanted to give Hammond a card for free McDonald's food for life.

Although the Senators were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs against the Canadiens, Hammond was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Trophy awarded to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication. 

He also earned the backup role the next season after Ottawa traded Lehner. Hammond played 24 games in 2015-16 with a 7-11-4 record, 2.65 GAA and .914 SP.

In 2017-18, he was involved in the Matt Duchene trade that sent the disgruntled forward from the Colorado Avalanche to the Senators. Hammond was dealing with injuries since his memorable run and the team found a new backup goalie after Mike Condon went on a run of his own to help the Senators make the playoffs in 2016-17.

Hammond stayed with the AHL's Belleville Senators on loan from the Avalanche but played four games for Colorado, including three in the playoffs after injuries put him back in the spotlight.

Since then, he played for the AHL's Iowa Wild, Rochester Americans and the Iowa Wild again before signing with the Montreal Canadiens in 2021-22. He started and won three games with a 2.40 GAA and .920 SP before being traded to the New Jersey Devils and playing another seven games.

Hammond played two games for Chelyabinsk in the KHL in 2022-23 before being released.

He made sure to thank his wife, Marlee, for being there throughout the good games, bad games and about 20 addresses they called home throughout his career. He added he's excited to spend more time "stopping pucks at home" with their three kids.

"I met some of the best people I know and I can honestly say I had the best 'job' in the world," Hammond said.

He ended his statement with a hamburger emoji. As commentator Dave Randorf said the last time he held the burger for everyone to see, "He's taking the burger, and he's outta here."

As fans across the NHL wish him well in his retirement, he won't be forgotten.