Timonen Set to Call It Quits

Just before Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Kimmo Timonen alluded to how many more days of his NHL career he had left, saying that he was down to his last five, which would bring him to Game 7 of the Cup Finals, if we were to go that far.

Timonen, now 40, was a 10th round draft pick back in 1993 and featured with the Nashville Predators and Philadelphia Flyers, before becoming a trade deadline acquisition of the Blackhawks, in an injury-shortened season for the veteran defender.

His shot with the Blackhawks right now is his last chance at winning a Stanley Cup, something he hasn't done in his career.

In 1,108 regular season games between the three teams, Timonen has 117 goals and 571 career points, finishing above 30 points in 11 of his 16-year career.  He was definitely a hockey pool regular, up until this season, where blood clots were diagnosed and it cost him the better part of the 2015 regular season.

There is nothing like a good return story, especially when it works out to be a last hurrah and possibly a championship to end one's career.

In the eight seasons of the draft hockey pool on opiatedsherpa.com, Timonen never featured on a winning team, despite his career numbers.  He was on a 2nd place team, back in the 2010 season and had another 2nd place appearance in the 2012 season.