Two days after former Boston Bruins forward Tyler Johnson announced his retirement, another former Black and Gold forward and NHL veteran, Riley Nash, announced that he, too, was calling it a career.
Johnson's career with the Bruins was a very short one, just nine games this past season before general manager Don Sweeney cut ties with him, but Nash spent two seasons with Boston and was an impactful player for those two seasons wearing the Spoked-B.
Former Bruins forward Riley Nash announces retirement
Nash's two seasons with Boston were productive as he scored seven goals and had 17 points in the 2016-17 season, then one year later, he had 15 goals and 26 assists in 76 regular-season games. The 21st overall pick in the 2007 Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, Nash had three assists in 15 postseason games with the Black and Gold. He signed as a free agent in the summer of 2016 with Boston.
Nash played for seven teams and was a dependable forward with each organization he played for. He played for the Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Winnipeg Jets, Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the New York Rangers. He last played in an NHL game in the 2023-24 season for the Rangers before multiple knee injuries caused him to hang up the skates.
For his career, Nash skated in 628 regular season games and finished with 63 goals and 113 assists.
“It’s official — I’m retiring,” Nash said. “It is definitely something weird to say and it hasn’t really sunk in yet, even though I basically had all of last year away from the rink, but this year will still be weird. This is all I’ve done and focused on for the past 30 years, but now is the time to end this chapter or book and look at what’s next.”
Nash was an underrated player for the Black and Gold and his two years in Boston that produced 22 goals was the second most he tallied with one team after finding the back of the net 31 times with the Hurricanes in five seasons.