Steve Begin retires from hockey upon advice from his doctor

Calgary Flames center Steve Begin has decided to call it a career after advice from his doctor. Begin played in the NHL for 13 seasons, consisting of 524 games for 108 points.

Begin was playing for the Abbotsford Heat of the AHL and announced via his Twitter account his retirement Thursday afternoon.

"Yesterday the doc gave me sad news... I won't have the chance to be back playing this year. This news sadly puts an end to my hockey career. Yes, for the first time I will listen to my body. It was a hard decision to make and everyone that knows me well will know that it's with tears that I'm writing this tweet. I'm really proud of my career and all that I accomplished. Proud because I gave all I had with all my heart and honestly until the end. My new life takes place, a new challenge that I can't wait to start and will certainly be easier to achieve with all the people I love." Steve Begin via @begs22

Begin took a quick break to tweet his apology in French, and then released the last part of his statement.

"Finally, I would like to thank Bob Hartley and the Calgary Flames organization. They gave me the chance to be back in the NHL. I'm happy and proud that I could do it with them."