Carl Gunnarsson announces retirement

Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports Going into this off-season, there was speculation about Carl Gunnarsson’s career. That his time with the Blues was done was a foregone conclusion - he spent most of this season on the LTIR and he is a pending UFA - but many were curious as to if Gunnarsson would try one more go with another team.

We have our answer.

Gunnarsson has made the difficult decision to hang up his skates and retire. The 34 year old defenseman made his decision public today in an eloquent personal essay reflecting on his career and his time in St. Louis.

It was a long road getting back and when I eventually did, I found myself battling yet another injury. I found a way to push through and so…