NHL veteran Oscar Klefbom officially calls it a career in the NHL

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Austin Sabourin
August 8, 2024 (3:29 PM)

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NHL veteran Oscar Klefbom has officially decided to retire from the NHL.

It's been a while since former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom has suited up for a game in the NHL, and he just announced that he will not do so again, as he announced his retirement from the NHL.

Klefbom has not suited up for a game in the NHL since 2020 which would end up being his last game when he was 27 years old, he is now currently 31 and will not play another game in the NHL.

Klefbom looked like he had a bright future with the Edmonton Oilers, and it looked like he was going to be apart of their core for years to come. That was until he suffered a chronic shoulder injury which would cause him to miss the entire 2020-21 season and every season after that until now.

After five years of not playing a game in the NHL the Swedish defenseman officially announced his retirement today.

"Now it's over," Klefbom said in the emotional interview. "It's hard to talk about it."

"It was a choice I made,"Klefbom said. "I talked to Edmonton that I wanted to lay very low with what was going to happen and what the situation is. They were perfectly fine with that. From my side, it was also because I thought it was so difficult to talk about it."

Oscar Klefbom will retire with 378 games played in the NHL and will finish with 34 goals and 122 career points, all with the Edmonton Oilers.

"I am very happy with my career. I'm just grateful that I got the chance to play as many games as I did - even though it was as an injury. I gained a lot of trust, got to take part in a fantastic journey. There are really two sides to the coin � because although I am grateful, I would have liked to be (on the ice) today.

Klefbom wants to find a way to stay involved in hockey, but he isn't sure exactly how he is going to do that yet.

"I am 31 years old and it itches. I'm so fresh that I want to go out and smack Joel Eriksson Ek down in the corner. I don't feel old so I want to sit in a chair at home and enjoy retired life."

It's sad seeing someone's career cut short due to injury, but that's the name of the game. Hopefully Klefbom can find a way to stay involved with the game he loves.

As seen on Hockeyfeed -
Oscar Klefbom officially announces his retirement