Former Leafs, Habs defenceman Benn retires

Jordie Benn is hanging up his skates.

The former Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens defenceman confirmed his retirement to CHEK News' Paul Haysom in his hometown of Victoria, BC.

Benn, 37, appeared in 607 NHL games over 12 seasons.

“A lot of people thought I never should have made it, and maybe I shouldn’t have, but I just worked as hard as I could every night and tried to be the best teammate possible,” Benn said.

Undrafted out of the BCHL's Victoria Grizzlies, Benn made his NHL debut in 2012 with the Dallas Stars with whom he would play the first five-plus seasons of his career. With the Stars, Benn played alongside younger brother, Jamie Benn.

“My brother and I just loved playing hockey,” Benn said. “When we weren’t on the ice we were in the garage shooting pucks, we just loved the game.”

Benn would go on to also suit up for the Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild. He last played in the NHL in the 2022-2023 season, appearing in 12 games for the Leafs.

Last season, Benn played in Sweden with Brynäs IF.

Benn finishes his NHL career with 26 goals and 111 assists.