Rich Peverley Announces Retirement, Joins Dallas Stars Staff

On March 10th, 2014, the NHL saw something it rarely ever sees: a player collapse and enter cardiac arrest in the middle of a game. 33-year old Rich Peverley suffered a cardiac incident during a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets after finishing a shift for the Dallas Stars.

Peverley was revived moments later due to quick action taken by the Stars medical staff. Since then, he has been working to find a way to get back in the game, even with his off-balanced heart. But he was never able to fully resume his role as an offensive forward, which led to him officially announcing his retirement from hockey on Friday.

Rich Peverley came to the Dallas Stars with Tyler Seguin on July 4th, 2013 as a part of the blockbuster trade that sent Loui Eriksson and three of the Stars hottest prospects to the Boston Bruins. Though he only competed in 62 games with Dallas, he was a reliable center that could be placed anywhere in the lineup. With seven goals and 23 assists, Peverley capped off a 30 point season after being cut short in March. His face-off capabilities were phenomenal, winning 60.1% of the ones he took in 2013-2014.

But Rich Peverley will not be leaving the Dallas Stars organization, and that is great news. He will be joining the Dallas Stars player development staff, helping prospects learn the game at a higher level.

Here is a piece of the story released by Dallas Stars beat writer, Mike Heika. For the full story, click here:

Rich Peverley has decided to retire and take a job in the player development department with the Stars, he said Friday.

“It was working out, monitoring how I was doing, continuing to see doctors to exhaust every avenue and find out exactly if I could play,” Peverley said of his rehab. “It’s a case that’s very complicated, and what I have learned is there is no 100 percent to medicine and, unfortunately, I can’t play anymore.”

Peverley ends his career with 241 points (84goals, 157 assists) in 442 regular season games. He also had 21 points (nine goals, 21 assists) in 59 playoff games and was a member of the 2011 Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins.

He spent last season with the Stars organization, helping in Dallas with the players and as an “eye in the sky” in the press box during NHL games. He also spent time in Cedar Park working with the Stars AHL team. In his new job, he will be based out of his home in Ontario and will travel to help Stars amateur prospects in college and junior leagues.

He said he is thankful to Stars general manager Jim Nill, assistant general manager Les Jackson, director of hockey operations Scott White, and player development coordinator J.J. McQueen for helping him make the transition.

“I’ve kind of been in a small development role in Cedar Park, and I really enjoyed that,” Peverley said. “I also was able to be almost an assistant coach as the eye in the sky, and that was something I was very proud of and I took very seriously. And that helped me get through those months and days when I really wanted to play.”

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