Keith Ballard retires one year after last concussion
One year ago Wednesday, Keith Ballard of the Minnesota Wild needed to be taken to a hospital following a hit along the boards from Matt Martin of the New York Islanders. His head hit the dasher board and the ice in a scary scene.
In the days that followed, Ballard was diagnosed with a concussion and multiple facial fractures. That was the last time the defenseman would play an NHL game. Speaking with Mike Russo of the Star Tribune this week, the 33-year old announced his retirement.
A 2002 first-round pick by the Buffalo Sabres, Ballard played 604 games with the Phoenix Coyotes, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and Wild, scoring 38 goals and recording 175 points. He also repped Team USA at the World Championships four times.
Ballard is now taking classes at the University of Minnesota, where he played three seasons alongside future NHLers Paul Martin and Jordan Leopold, winning back-to-back NCAA championships. He’s studying sports management and is 13 credits away from graduating next semester. He’s not sure what he wants to do in the future, but he’ll get a taste of the other side of hockey interning with his former agent, Ben Hankinson.
Despite a year away from hockey, Ballard said he still experiences symptons doing certain activities such as computer work or working out, and the reason why he’s saying good-bye is to ensure a healthy future, something he mentioned when he spoke about contemplating retirement weeks after the injury.
"I didn't want to retire at this time, but with the bigger picture in mind, it was a no-brainer," Ballard told Russo. "You look at so many athletes and they struggle for so long and I don't want that to be me. I want to live a healthy life, be there for my wife and kids."
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
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