Former NHL goaltender Aaron Dell retires at 36

Former NHL goaltender Aaron Dell has announced his retirement from hockey.

Dell announced his retirement through a post on his Instagram account late on Wednesday night.

“After 13 seasons of professional hockey the time has come for me to hang up the skates and leave my playing days behind me,” said Dell in the post. “I wanted to thank all of the people that believed in me and supported me throughout my career. Lots of ups and downs. An undrafted 6 foot tall goalie that was given a chance by the San Jose Sharks organization. When I look at some of the names I had the privilege of working with like Nabokov, Thornton, Pavelski, Marleau, Couture, Karlsson, Burns and so many great players that I will always consider friends, I feel very fortunate. I want to thank all the on and off ice staff as well as my teammates that I’ve worked with throughout the past 13 years. I also want to thank the fans but I mostly want to thank my wife Nicolette who stood by me during this wild roller coaster ride traveling all over the country so that I could continue to live my dream. I hope I’ve made an impact with some of the young players I’ve played with still chasing their dreams. Without the belief and support from my family, I wouldn’t be here. I’m not sure what the future holds for me now but my number one priority will be being a father and a husband. Onto the next chapter.”

Dell spent his final season of hockey between the AHL and ECHL with the Sharks’ respective affiliates in those leagues, the San Jose Barracuda and the Wichita Thunder. He had a 3-3-2 record and an .890 save percentage in 10 games with the Barracuda, and a 6-6-1 record and a .914 SV% in 13 games with the Thunder.

Dell spent parts of seven season in the NHL playing for the Sharks, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres, although he had also spent time in the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings organizations. He finishes his career with a 50-50-13 record, five shutouts, a .905 SV% and 3.04 5v5 goals saved above expected in 130 NHL games.

Dell also played four playoff games in his career, all coming with the Sharks, with an 0-1 record, an .891 SV% and 2.48 5v5 GSAx in those games.