Matt Dumba officially retired today after 13 NHL seasons, closing a career that began with the Minnesota Wild taking him seventh overall in 2012.
He played 748 career games, the kind of mileage that takes real staying power and plenty of grit in this league.
Dumba finished with 261 points, including 85 goals.
He was also only the second NHL player of Filipino descent, which mattered beyond the scoresheet. For plenty of young Filipino hockey fans, seeing him on NHL ice meant something real.
Along with Minnesota, his career included stops in Arizona, Tampa Bay, Dallas and Pittsburgh.
Lasting that long in this league is like keeping your job through round after round of layoffs. Talent gets you in the door, but something else keeps you there.
He also won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2019-20.
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Matt Dumba's 748-game NHL career comes to an emotional end
That trophy tells you more about him than the point totals ever will. It goes to players who lead off the ice as much as on it, and he earned every bit of it.
Plenty of top-10 picks never reach that kind of longevity in the NHL. Dumba got there while changing addresses more than once.
Gino Hard marked the moment with a simple thank-you graphic carrying every logo he wore along the way.
The Wild team that drafted him has moved on in plenty of ways since then. Quinn Hughes now leads Minnesota with 6 points.
Jared Spurgeon is still on the blue line at 36, with 4 points through four games.
Minnesota sits at 2-1-1 after a 3-2 loss in Tampa on Thursday night.
John Hynes and the Wild visit Florida on Saturday looking to snap a two-game skid.
So what comes next for Dumba? The announcement didn't say, and that part of his story is still unwritten.
Whether Minnesota gives him a proper night of his own at home is a question for Bill Guerin. The fans would probably like an answer sooner rather than later.
Should the Wild hold a tribute night for Matt Dumba this season?
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