Jay Bouwmeester retires after 17 seasons

Jay Bouwmeester is calling it a career, he confirmed to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun on Monday.

The defenseman played 17 NHL seasons and won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019.

Bouwmeester collapsed on the Blues bench and suffered a cardiac episode during a contest last February. It proved to be his final game.

“Oh yeah," he said when LeBrun asked him whether he'd retired this offseason. "I knew I was done essentially when it happened, to be quite honest."

Bouwmeester added he's feeling "OK" now, nearly a year after the episode. "I wouldn’t say it’s been totally smooth sailing but generally, I’ve been pretty good," he said. "I've generally been able to do whatever I want to do and I’ve stayed pretty active."

The 37-year-old played seven-plus seasons with the Blues, parts of four with the Calgary Flames, and his first six with the Florida Panthers, who drafted him third overall in 2002.

He collected 424 points in 1,240 career games.