Gardena native Beau Bennett has announced his retirement from hockey in a lengthy Instagram post:

Ever since I can remember, my life was about hockey. Since I first laced up my skates, I fell in love with the sport and all I ever wanted to do was have fun and play in the NHL. The journey was incredible and the bonds I created will never be forgotten. No doubt I had some ups and downs in my career, but I tried to learn from them and take it in stride. I think my tough luck was well documented but there’s probably a longer list that no one will ever know. Injuries are a part of my life and my entire body is telling me it is time to retire.

Thank you to Fred Harbinson for giving me a chance to play junior hockey for the Penticton Vees. Thank you to George Gwozdecky for recruiting me to the university of Denver. Thank you to the Pittsburgh Penguins for giving me the chance in the NHL. Your city and fans accepted me and treated me like one of your own.

To all of my teammates and friends, thank you so much for all the memories and being the real reason I stuck it out this long. Thank you to my agent Eustace King for believing in me, I know I didn’t always make your job easy. Thank you Matt Uohara for being a great friend and trainer. To my mom and dad, my brothers Wade and Shane, my sister Bailey, my grandma, my auntie Barb, my best friends Gudger, Yorgi, Shane, Brett, you have seen me at my best and at my worst but your support never wavered and I am so thankful for all of you.

As for what’s next, I am thrilled to share as my playing career is over my hockey career is not. I’m joining @promentorsports to guide youth and amateur hockey players so that they can maximize their full potential. I’ve always loved working with young athletes and this is a great opportunity to give back to the game that I love and share some of my own experiences with the sports next generation of players. I’m looking forward to mentoring these athletes within the ProMentor app, and continuing to grow our sport. Come see what we’re doing by visiting the link in my bio.

P.S. Some tears were shed while writing this but against all odds, I remained somewhat uninjured. Swipe to see the highlights from my career.

That was one hell of a ride
Thank you !

Bennett won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016.

During his youth career, Bennett skated for the LA Selects and Los Angeles Jr. Kings.

SEE MORE: Beau knows Stanley (July 15, 2016, CARubberHockey.com)

Photo/Pittsburgh Penguins

(June 28, 2021)