I would have had, hopefully, a chance there. Givani Smith is kind of their tough guy now. Gabriel, on which NHL team was interested in him during the summer:įlorida, that probably was where I would have ended up. I could have played and had a good offer to go play in the NHL, I think, this year again, try to climb the ladder again and go for it. But the juice wasn't worth the squeeze anymore. Just a little bit of a chronic right wrist that I can manage and live a normal life. I'm just very fortunate that overall I'm extremely healthy, no knee surgeries, shoulder surgeries, broken face, anything like that. I'm very fortunate to have had concussions early in my career, but my head is great now. And for someone who already has to work really hard to be able to play with these guys at skill, when we started to pick it up for training camps in preparation for getting signed to a contract, my wrist just couldn't take it. Then, just through last season, cortisone shots and managing it and last summer, I barely touched my stick. The cumulative effect of that really wore it down. Plus, just how much I stickhandled and worked at it, I just wore it down. That, plus the fighting, plus having my tendon sliced by a skate, in my nerve, in 2017. I broke it when I was younger, 15, pretty severely. It's my wrist, I've been hiding that for a while. and even down to South America at some point after Canada. Just doing some work down in the U.S., and I have a meal prep company that is set to launch our second location in the in Hamilton, Ontario, with some talks and even more locations that's called Healthy Eats Inc. Just enjoying not waking up every day, having that looming threat of physical nature, whether it's a fight or hitting or the crazy, hard and intense workouts.Īfter that, just having time to look into yourself more, more free time to grow and not always just pushing to be better hockey player. Definitely was meant to happen the way it happened. Kurtis Gabriel, on how he’s doing in retirement: Gabriel revealed the real reason why he retired so early, the Alphabet Sports Collective’s larger goals, his thoughts on the pushback surrounding Pride jerseys, his personal experiences with Provorov and his memories of his time with the Sharks. The Sharks have stated that they will wear Pride jerseys, but it’s not clear if every player will wear them. San Jose Hockey Now caught up with Gabriel on Friday, on the eve of the Sharks’ own Pride Night on Saturday. Gabriel is part of the just-launched Alphabet Sports Collective, a “queer-led non-profit organization focused on creating a safer environment for people of all sexual identities and all expressions of gender in hockey.”Īlphabet Sports Collective arrives at time when hockey is, once again, perhaps feeling like it’s not for everyone. Gabriel is getting off the ice, but he’s still a leader away from it. In February 2019, Gabriel became the first player to use Pride Tape in an actual NHL game, and not just in warm-ups. In his playing days, Gabriel primarily was known for his high-energy physicality, willingness to drop the gloves and embracing social issues. Last year, he was part of both the Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs organizations. Just 29, the popular winger had patrolled the ice for the Sharks during the 2020-21 NHL season. In September, Gabriel announced his surprise retirement from the sport. But it doesn’t mean he’s getting out of hockey. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at was time for Kurtis Gabriel to retire from hockey. Editor's Note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage.
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