Devils captain Salvador announces retirement, reflects on concussion

New Jersey Devils captain Bryce Salvador officially announced his retirement from the NHL on Wednesday in a powerful article for The Players' Tribune.

In the article, Salvador, 39, brings to light the struggle he faced following a scary incident during the 2009-10 season when he was struck in the head with a slap shot. Salvador suffered a devastating concussion that threw off his vestibular system.

Salvador explained:

My memory was good. I didn’t have headaches. I passed my tests. But when I tried to step onto the ice, I had no concept of where I was in relation to anything else. Everything was white. The ice was white. The boards were white. All the visual signposts were gone. I’ve skated on the same ice hundreds of times, but now all of a sudden I felt lost.

Salvador retires having recorded 24 goals and 110 points in 786 career games over 13 seasons split between the Devils and St. Louis Blues.