Former Ottawa Senator Zach Smith has decided to end his hockey career after he no longer enjoys playing his game.
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That’s what the 33-year-old told The Athletic on Friday.
“My heart hasn’t been there for the past few years,” he said. I think I was a bit exhausted. I started playing well and then discovered the side a job of my sport.
Smith had his best National Hockey League (NHL) moments during the 2015-16 campaign, when he played in the trio of Jean-Gabriel Bagu and Mark Stone. In 81 games that season, he scored 25 goals and 11 assists, for 36 points.
A little over two years later, during the 2018-2019 bootcamp, the Senses gave his name to the compromises. A case the native of Saskatchewan has yet to comprehend.
“I don’t think I’ve fully recovered or been able to regain my confidence,” Smith said. Even a year ago, I thought I was doing right and doing what I was supposed to do in terms of contributing. Then it happened.”
The following year, the winger was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, where he played his last NHL game.
In his career on the Pittman Tour, Smith scored 98 goals and 106 assists, for 204 points, in 662 games.