Former Penguins goaltender Thomas Greiss retires after 14 seasons
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A former Penguins' goalie is calling it a career after playing his way into the history books.
Despite spending only one season with Pittsburgh, Thomas Greiss spent 14 years in the NHL and does so as the leader in wins among German-born goaltenders.
Greiss was a Penguin in the 2014-15 season, playing 20 games and posting a 9-6-3 record with a 2.59 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage that season.
Drafted in 2004 by the San Jose Sharks, he made 323 total starts in the National Hockey League, posting a record of 162-130-37 with a 2.77 goals-against average and career save percentage of .911 across those games with 16 shutouts.
"There have been some considerations, but the bottom line is, I looked at a few offers that didn't really appeal to me," Greiss said to NHL.com. "As a result, I was ready to make the move and am looking forward to doing some new things in my life. Our job comes with a lot of freedom, but now I can tackle some new challenges."
In 2018-19, Greiss and his teammate Robin Lehner won the Jennings Trophy, which is awarded to the goaltending tandem that allows the fewest regular-season goals. He posted a 23-14-2 record with a .927 save percentage across 43 games played.
Greiss is the first German-born player to play 100 NHL games and he's second in goals against average, save percentage, and shutouts.
Even though he is retiring, he did say that he has plans to remain around the sport in some capacity.