Bellemare Bids Farewell to NHL, French Hockey

Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, the gritty French captain who logged 700 NHL games across a decade with stops in Philly, Vegas, Colorado, Tampa, and Seattle, drops the retirement bomb after France's Olympic quarterfinal exit. At 40, he's been grinding in Switzerland the last two years, captaining HC Ajoie through relegation fights while his production fades, but his even-strength shot battles and bone-crunching hits defined a bottom-six career that earned him over $11 million.