Ex-Penguins forward Chris Thornburn retires
Former Penguins forward Chris Thorburn retired after 14 seasons in the NHL on Monday.
The NHL Players’ Association announced his retirement.
Claimed off waivers from the Buffalo Sabres in October of 2006, Thornburn’s time with the Penguins was fairly brief. In 2006-07, his second season in the NHL, he appeared in 39 games for the Penguins and scored five points (two goals, three assists) while recording 69 penalty minutes. The bulk of those penalty minutes came through nine fights, including a bout with Flyers defenseman Derian Hatcher, a nemesis of Penguins captain Sidney Crosby on Oct. 28, 2006.
During the 2007 NHL draft, the Penguins traded Thorburn to the Atlanta Thrashers for a third-round pick that was used to select defenseman Robert Bortuzzo.
In addition to the Sabres, Penguins and Thrashers, Thorburn, primarily a fourth-liner throughout his career, also played for the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues and won the Stanley Cup with St. Louis last season.
He was not an active player at any level during the 2019-20 season.
In 801 career NHL games, Thorburn had 134 career points (53 goals, 81 assists) and 968 penalty minutes.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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