Popular former Rangers center retires from NHL
Former New York Rangers center Artem Anisimov announced his retirement from professional hockey at the age of 36.
A second-round pick (No. 54 overall) by the Rangers in the 2006 NHL Draft, Anisimov played 13 seasons and 771 games in the NHL. He scored 180 goals and totaled 376 points, playing for the Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators.
Anisimov had a brief comeback with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League last season, but was released in February after scoring just one goal and four points in 18 games.
“I gave hockey my all as a player, and decided to hang up the skates,” Anisimov said in a post on Instagram. “I have been blessed to have a wonderful career, playing alongside many hockey legends on the biggest hockey stages, making a lot of good friends along the way. I never took that experience for granted.”
Anisimov had 40 or more points three times in his career, including in 2010-11 with the Rangers, when he totaled 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists). He had 108 points (46 goals, 62 assists) in 244 games with the Rangers.
He helped the Rangers reach the Eastern Conference Final in 2011-12, when they lost in six games to the New Jersey Devils. Anisimov had 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) that season and added 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
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Artem Anisimov played 771 NHL games with Rangers, 3 other teams
The Rangers included Anisimov as part of the package to acquire Rick Nash from the Blue Jackets during the summer of 2012. He played three seasons with Columbus and then four with the Blackhawks.
With Chicago, he posted consecutive 40+-point seasons, including an NHL career-high 45 points (22 goals, 23 assists) in 2016-17. He scored 20 or more goals three straight seasons with the Blackhawks.
He last played in the NHL with the Senators in 2020-21.
Anisimov was also a constant in team Russia’s IIHF lineup, playing in six world championships. He earned a gold medal in 2014, silver in 2010 and 2015, and bronze in 2019. He also played in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, finishing in fifth place, and played in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
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