The bloodclots, which cost Pittsburgh Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis much of last season, have now forced the longtime NHL forward to retire. The team announced in a release today that Dupuis, 36, will no longer continue as an NHL player, effective immediately.
"It was very difficult for me to make this decision to have to step away from the game," Dupuis said as part of the statement. "My wife and four children have always been my first priority, and playing with my condition has become a constant worry for all of us. I want to thank my teammates and the Penguins organization for their unwavering support during this difficult time."
Dupuis entered the NHL with the Minnesota Wild. During a 15-year NHL career he has played for the Wild, the New York Rangers, and the former Atlanta Thrashers. He's spent the past nine seasons with the Penguins.
"I feel very badly for Pascal," Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. "I've never seen a man more determined to play and more determined to help his team. Unfortunately, we've reached the point where it's not in the best interest of his health to allow him to do that anymore."
In just 18 games this season Dupuis has two goals and two assists. The Penguins announced that they placed him on injured reserve and will subsequently place him on long-term injured reserve. They will continue to pay his $3.75 million salary.
"Despite playing on a medical protocol that has worked for other players in the NHL, we feel that the risk of Pascal playing with his condition and the side effects of the tests to monitor him are just not in the best interest of his long-term health," Penguins team physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas said.
Dupuis was among the many athletes to pen a piece for The Players Tribune in recent months. His entry detailed his issues with bloodclots and his arduous climb back to the NHL, as well as the conversations he had with his family concerning his desire to continue playing.
It seems that in the end, concerns for his wife and his children won out over his, no doubt, desperate desire to continue playing the game he loves.
