A former first round pick of the Vancouver Canucks has found the back of the net for the first time in eight years.
Cody Hodgson is in the midst of a comeback after being forced to retire from hockey at the age of 26 due to malignant hyperthermia, a rare muscle disorder.
His last goal at the pro level came on February 24, 2016, while a member of the Milwaukee Admirals. Today’s goal also marks Hodgson’s first pro point since February 26, 2016.
Originally drafted 10th overall by the Canucks in 2008, Hodgson was part of the organization for three and a half seasons. The Toronto native appeared in 71 games where he amassed 34 points (17 goals and 18 assists) while adding an assist in 12 playoff games during Vancouver’s 2011 run to the Stanley Cup Final.
He was later dealt at the 2012 trade deadline as part of a deal with the Sabres that saw the Canucks acquire Zack Kassian. He would spend the next three seasons in Buffalo, where he signed a six-year contract but was bought out two years into the deal.
Hodgson netted himself a one-year deal with the Nashville Predators in 2015, where he struggled to produce and was sent down to the AHL before being forced into the aforementioned early retirement.
After being away from the game for nearly a decade, he was medically cleared last summer and skated five-to-six times a week before signing a PTO with the Admirals on January 17.
This was just his third game of his comeback attempt, so seeing him get back on the scoresheet after all that he has been through is amazing to see. No matter what happens next for the now 34-year-old, Hodgson now knows his hockey story won’t end because of forces beyond his control.
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