Mathieu Garon announces retirement from professional hockey

Goaltender Mathieu Garon announced his retirement from professional hockey Friday. 

Drafted by Montreal in the second round of the 1996 NHL Draft, the 36-year-old appeared in 341 NHL games with the Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Here is Garon's official statement, via Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.

For the past 13 years, I have been fortunate to earn my living playing hockey in the National Hockey League. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank my teammates, coaches and, most importantly, the fans. Every city I played in, the fans always welcomed my family and me with open arms. I will cherish the memories and friendships I made during my career. Finally, I want to say a special thank you to my family, who have been incredibly supportive of me throughout my career. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to live my dream.

Garon posted a career record of 144-131-3-28 with 20 shutouts and a .903 save percentage. He played his final game on April 14, 2013, a 3-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.