It’s the end of a long career career as Buffalo Sabres goalie Craig Anderson retires after a 20-year career in the NHL. News of Anderson’s retirement came down late Thursday night.
Craig Anderson Retires After 20 Years
Anderson finished his career in style with 30 saves in Buffalo’s 4-3 overtime victory over the Ottawa Senators. The Park Ridge, Ill. native played for the Senators, Sabres, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers. He closes his career at 319-275-71, which is fifth among American goalies in wins and games played. The 41-year-old is third among United States goalies with 43 shutouts. That number is one behind fellow former Sabres goalie Ryan Miller.
Anderson went 11-11-2 with a 3.06 goals-against-average this season. He also logged .908 save percentage and one shutout during the 2022-23 campaign. The veteran goalie also represented Team USA at the international level at the IIHF World Championships in 2006 and 2008. He also boasts the lowest GAA for a Senators goalie in a season with a 1.69 in 2012-13. Anderson was won the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2017 after leaving the team to help his wife overcome throat cancer. He returned and put up one of the best season’s by an Ottawa goalie ever.
What The Retirement Means
Buffalo came into the season with a lot of goaltending questions. However, the future may be bright with Devon Levi getting the lion’s share of work and keeping the team alive until the very end of the season. Anderson may have been part of a patchwork solution, but he endeared himself to the Sabres’ faithful.
He’ll wrap up his career as one of the best American goalies to play the game. Anderson put up some great seasons and was a key cog for Ottawa’s run to the Eastern Conference Final in the 2016-17 season. He managed to make a 20-year career in the NHL, which is a large accomplishment in itself.
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