There was not a dry eye in the building as Bryan Little took to the ice one last time at Canada Life Centre on Sunday to retire as a member of the Winnipeg Jets.
The former Jets forward announced late in September that he would sign a one-day contract with the Jets to allow him to officially retire as a member of the team he spent his entire career with.
"It's kind of surreal," said Little during a press conference on Saturday. "Even being downtown close to the rink, seeing the streets I used to drive on to come to games and practices. It definitely brings back a lot of memories of stepping through those doors and being in this building again. It's one of those things that, once you kind of get on the rink again, it feels like you never left and it's kind of part of yourself."
He says it wasn't a hard decision to retire in Winnipeg.
"It means so much to me. I owe a lot to them," said Little. "This isn't just where I worked. The people around here were my family and friends. A lot of the best memories I have playing hockey were with this team, in this city, with these fans."
Before the Jets took the ice for their game against the Penguins, Bryan Little, dressed in full gear, with his family watching, skated the ice at Canada Life Centre one last time, receiving a standing ovation from fans in the stands.
Drafted 12th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2006 NHL Draft, Little played all 843 of his NHL games with the Thrashers/Jets franchise, recording 521 points (217 goals, 304 assists). He ranks in the top five of several major categories in franchise history, including games played (2nd), goals (5th), assists (3rd), and points (4th). Little also represented Canada internationally, winning gold at the 2007 World Junior Championships.
Little suffered a career-ending ear injury after being hit by a puck during a game in November 2019.
"It's one of those things that at the end of the day, you think a decision in your house would be easy, but it wasn't," said Little. "It's all I've really known growing up. I had to think more about my future, my health when I'm older and my family. It wasn't an easy decision. However, I don't regret making that decision now."
Bryan says it has been nice to have a little break from hockey. However, he hopes moving forward he will one day be involved with the sport again.
With files from Mike Thom