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Sami Salo: Friends, Fans React To Retirement News

By Tasha St. Pierre

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Friends, colleagues, and fans have taken to social media sites like Twitter to wish former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Sami Salo a Happy Retirement.

We think it is pretty safe to say that when you have spent as much time in the National Hockey League as former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Sami Salo has, you are bound to make your fair share of friends (and probably a lot of fans) along the way.

Earlier this afternoon, the news that former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Sami Salo has officially retired from professional hockey after spending 15 seasons in the National Hockey League had made its way around the internet.

According to the Finnish media site, Ilta-Sanomat, Salo has cited the need for another wrist surgery and the extensive time he has already spent away from the ice as some of the determining factors in his obviously difficult decision.

It didn’t take very long for some of the people who knew him the best to take to social media sites like Twitter to share their memories of Salo’s time on the ice and to wish him well in his journey away from National Hockey League ice.

As we mentioned before, it is much more than the fans who are wishing Salo a fond farewell as he transitions into the next phase in his journey. Sami Salo has received shout outs and well wishes from almost all of his former National Hockey League teams, a number of analysts, and the people who knew him best.

Sami Salo was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the 9th Round (239th overall) by the Ottawa Senators in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. He would spend four seasons with the Senators before he would find himself traded to the Vancouver Canucks.

Salo would spend nine seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, including seven trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Most notably, Salo would assist the Canucks in making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in the 2010-11 season before they would be defeated in 7 games by the Boston Bruins.

Sami Salo would spend two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, including a short-lived run in the post season during the 2013-14 season. Game 2 of the Conference Quarterfinals against the Montreal Canadiens would be the last game Sami Salo would ever play.

As we mentioned before, when you have been around as long as Sami Salo has, you are bound to make a few friends along the way. This is just an incredibly small sampling of what some people had to say about the veteran Finnish defenseman. We have yet to find someone with something negative to say, and that says a lot about a man’s character and determination.

Allow us here at Bolts By The Bay to join the rest of Sami Salo’s fans as we wish him the very best as he transitions to the next phase in his incredible journey. Your legacy will not soon be forgotten by hockey fans around the world.

What do you think about the news of Sami Salo’s retirement from professional hockey? What are some of your favorite Sami Salo moments throughout his career? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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