During his lengthy National Hockey League career, Raffi Torres attended numerous training camps after being the New York Islanders' first-round selection in the 2000 NHL entry draft.
But after incurring numerous knee injuries and undergoing surgery on several occasions over the last couple of years, the 35-year-old Stouffville resident, who grew up in Markham, felt the competitive urge to give it one last go when he attended the Carolina Hurricanes' training camp earlier this season.
While the spirit was willing for Torres, his body ultimately disagreed and he was subsequently released.
With that, Torres elected to hang up the blades.
Returning to his Stouffville home where he's now taken on the role as father of his seven-year-old daughter Katlyn and four-year-old son Ty, along with being a husband, Torres is at peace with himself in knowing he gave it his all whenever he took to the ice during his NHL days that included stops with the Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Phoenix Coyotes and San Jose Sharks.
"It's never easy to stop doing what you love to do," he conceded. "I wanted to play one more year and when I went to Carolina I wanted to make sure I didn't want to question myself. In the end I wanted to make sure if I could hold up or not.
"I had a good summer in training. But these days the game is a lot quicker. One week into camp my body wasn't responding. Once the contact started…you can't mimic game situations."
Acknowledging he will miss being around the dressing room with his teammates along with the intense level of competition, Torres said there remains a couple of high points in his career that will remain entrenched in his memory bank.
The first of which came when he fulfilled a lifelong dream by making it into the NHL.
There were also two close calls in getting his hands on the Stanley Cup, only to have it slip away each time in the seventh and deciding game.
Playing with Edmonton in the 2005-06 season, Torres was part of a team that lost in the final to the Carolina Hurricanes.
While with the Vancouver Canucks in the 2010-11 campaign, he scored the game-winning goal against the Boston Bruins in the series' opener before they fell short.
Intending to take the next several months off to decompress, Torres would like to re-enter the game at some point through serving as a role model to assist those possessing the same aspirations he once had who might have the potential to play in the NHL.
"When I was young I didn't have a lot of questions answered and now I feel I can answer those questions for youngsters and give back to the game," he said.
Having skated through numerous peaks and valleys, which included a couple of suspensions during his playing career, Torres said he harbours no regrets with his professional career.
"When I look back, I had some great memories. It was a lot of fun," he said.
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