Former Penguins Defenseman and Stanley Cup Champion Officially Announces Retirement
Chad Ruhwedel is one of the more underrated defenseman of the previous era in the NHL, and now the Stanley Cup winning former Penguin has officially retired.
The 2016 and 2017 Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup winning teams were led by superstars, but beyond that, the role players on that team were a very interesting mix of beloved characters and forgotten names.
One of those names is Chad Ruhwedel, a formerly un-drafted player out of San Diego who carved out a solid career for himself in the National Hockey League, ending up in Pittsburgh for the 2017 campaign.
A scrappy, underrated defenseman wins the Stanley Cup
During that season, Ruhwedel would appear in 34 games for the Penguins, tallying 2 goals and 10 points in that time, eventually suiting up in six post-season games as the Penguins rolled to their second Stanley Cup in the era of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
While he didn't contribute much on the scoresheet, Ruhwedel played his role to perfection, becoming one of the most important role players on a loaded Penguins team as they won back-to-back Stanley Cup's.
Ruhwedel announces his retirement from the NHL
Now, at 35-years of age, Ruhwedel has officially announced his retirement from the National Hockey League after last playing with the New York Rangers in 2024/25, appearing in just 10 games over the past two seasons.
In his career, Ruhwedel appeared in 369 games, posting 13 goals and 50 points in that time, and while he never produced much as a scorer, he was always a valuable depth piece for some very good teams.
Ultimately, he'll go down as a highly underrated and overlooked player in the NHL, and after winning a Cup with the Penguins back in 2017, he'll forever be remembered as a key part of a fantastic team.
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