Brooks Laich wasn’t a goal scorer during his time with the Washington Capitals but was still part of the first core of the Rock the Red era and a connection to the Young Guns. Three years after playing his last game, Laich is finally hanging up his skates as the former Caps player announced his retirement from hockey on Friday in an Instagram post.
Laich was humble and admitted it was time in the lengthy Instagram post:
"“It’s been a difficult journey for me to finally arrive at the state where I am happy say the words ‘I am retiring’. Every athlete experiences this transition differently, and though the process went slower than I had hoped, I am excited to have finally arrived at peace with it.”"
Laich played in 12 games with the Los Angeles Kings in the 2017-18 season, the last time he suited up for an NHL team after spending the bulk of his career with the Capitals. He was a member of the Caps back in February of 2004 when then General Manager George McPhee traded the great Peter Bondra to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for the young Laich. These trades would eventually end up helping the Caps win the draft lottery to select Alex Ovechkin.
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Laich was selected in the sixth round of the 2006 draft (he was as sixth rounder that emerged into an every day role player. He suited up in 742 games and scored 133 goals and 191 assists for 324 points. He was a fan favorite among the females for his good looks, was a hit among the media for his quotes and just had an overall good personality.
Laich even spent time wearing the A patch as an alternate captain later in his career. He was named after Baltimore Orioles legend Brooks Robinson. Laich helped the Caps make the playoffs in seven of his 10 seasons in D.C.
In the 2009-10 campaign where the team was nearly unstoppable, Laich had a career high 25 goals. In that stretch from 2007 to 2010, Laich would score at least 20 or more goals. Laich also had 59 points in those 78 games helping the team to their first President’s Trophy.
Laich is certainly one of those Caps I would have love to have seen lift the Stanley Cup. He left the team in a trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016. But perhaps Laich’s biggest impact didn’t come on the ice but off the ice.
After the team got eliminated by the Montreal Canadiens, Laich was driving home and saw a fan with a flat tire. He pulled over to help them change it. He didn’t let a bitter loss stop him from doing kindness in the world.
We at Stars and Sticks wish Brooks Laich the best in his retirement!