Pierre-Edouard Bellemare almost retired two years ago when he left the NHL, not because he lost his love of playing hockey, but to provide some stability for his family.
The opportunity to play in the Olympics for the first time kept him going, and he was France's captain for the tournament in February. On Thursday, Bellemare announced in a trio of social media posts he was saying au revoir to the sport, putting an end to a career that included reaching the top league in the world at age 29 and making his Olympic debut weeks before turning 41.
"The journey of my career and everything, this has been absolutely amazing," Bellemare told The Associated Press in Milan four months ago. "At 30 years old almost, I get to go to the NHL -- as a French guy. This was not really in the path. This is just like totally crazy."
Bellemare, an affable forward from just outside Paris who thrived in Sweden in his 20s and got noticed there and at the world championships, spent a decade in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers, Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning and Seattle Kraken from 2014-24. He made two trips to the Stanley Cup Final: in 2018 with the Golden Knights and 2021 with the Lightning.
"You think, 'I'm going to be there for one year,' and then I go there and I stay 10 years," Bellemare said.
He returned to Europe to play closer to home in Switzerland the past two seasons. Wearing the "C" for France's national team had him grinning ear to ear, and Bellemare even scored a goal at the Olympics.
"This is a celebration not just for me," Bellemare said at the time. "This is a celebration for my entire family: sisters, wife, kids. My mom is not here anymore, but I can tell that she would celebrate that the hardest."
