Fifteen-year NHL veteran Chris Kunitz retired from hockey Tuesday and was hired by the Chicago Blackhawks as an advisor.
Kunitz, 39, won the Stanley Cup four times (2007 with the Anaheim Ducks; 2009, 2016, and 2017 with the Pittsburgh Penguins) and an Olympic Gold Medal with Canada in 2014.
Kunitz was undrafted out of Ferris State in 2003 before he signed with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He played in 21 games during the 2003-04 season before spending the lockout season in the AHL.
Following the lockout, the Atlanta Thrashers picked him up off waivers, but he played only two games before he returned to Anaheim. He stayed in California until February 2009 when he was traded to Penguins and helped them win a Stanley Cup.
Kunitz spent nine years in Pittsburgh. His best stretch of play was from 2011-2014, when he netted 83 goals and had 98 assists over the three-season stretch.
WATCH | Kunitz sends Penguins to ’17 Cup final with Game 7 heroics:
He left the team in free agency in 2017, signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and then played the past season with the Blackhawks.
Kunitz played in 1022 regular-season games in his career, scoring 169 goals and dishing 219 assists. In 178 playoff games, he had 27 goals and 66 assists.
“I was given the opportunity to play with the very best teams and the very best players and I’m grateful for the laughs and the friendships that we shared together. Thank you for making my childhood dream come true,” Kunitz said in a statement.
Kunitz will be in a player development advisor role in Chicago and will work with both the Blackhawks and their AHL affiliate in Rockford.