Has former Vegas Golden Knights center Nolan Patrick retired? Depends on who you ask.
The 25-year-old NHL player was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers with the second-overall pick in the 2017 draft. In 2019, he was diagnosed with a migraine disorder, something that had a significant impact on his ability to play. He ended up being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights before the 2021-2022 season but his time with them was brief due to injuries. After missing Vegas’s 2022-2023 Stanley Cup-winning season, he became an unrestricted free agent heading into the current year. Given that he hadn’t signed with anyone, there were assumptions that his NHL career might be over.
Those assumptions appeared to be confirmed Wednesday when The Power Play, a hockey coaching program run by former NHL forward Jayce Hawryluk, announced that they had hired Patrick, describing him as a “retired pro with significant NHL experience”
From there, reports started trickling out that Patrick, who scored 77 points in 222 games, was indeed retired.
Nolan Patrick has officially retired from the National Hockey League, after 4 seasons.
Nolan Patrick, 25, drafted 2nd overall in 2017 by the Philadelphia Flyers. He played only 4 seasons in his NHL career, battling serious concussion issues he was never able to reach his full… pic.twitter.com/D4MLCTgDZh
— Dylan H. Robillard (@DylanRobillard_) December 20, 2023
Outlets like ESPN picked up the retirement report and ran with it.
However, not all reporters were on board with that assessment, despite what The Power Play had posted.
“Global News has confirmed with the family of Golden Knights F Nolan Patrick the 25 year-old has NOT retired from hockey,” wrote Global News reporter Skylar Peters on X.
That was followed up by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, who says he spoke with Patrick directly.
“Reached out to Patrick today, he politely declined to talk…but did text to say he has not officially retired,” wrote Friedman on X. “It’s clear he prefers to stay under the radar.”
Reached out to Patrick today, he politely declined to talk…but did text to say he has not officially retired. It's clear he prefers to stay under the radar. https://t.co/wbMY2BYQBP
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 20, 2023
In turn, The Power Play has edited their post to label Patrick as a “4x NHL Pro”
Side by side comparison of the Nolan Patrick post for further clarity: pic.twitter.com/NSB1QoOBaR
— Jon Bailey (@ByJonBailey) December 20, 2023
That’s about where things stand for the time being. While it might be easy to surmise what happened here and draw some conclusions, the one thing we know for sure is that Patrick himself confirmed he is not “officially retired.” Perhaps that changes shortly, perhaps not. But it’s a good reminder that sourcing matters and if you don’t know the whole story for sure, it’s probably best to hold off before reporting something like it’s rock solid.
[Pro Hockey Rumors, Skylar Peters, Elliotte Friedman, Philly Hockey Now]
