"That's it" for Thomas Vanek

Thomas Vanek's active career as an ice hockey player appears to be over. As the 36-year-old explained on the US radio show "The Instigators" on Monday, the current season will have been his last.

The trade deadline on Monday passed without Vanek moving clubs, with the Austrian having announced beforehand: "If I don't find a spot somewhere today, then that's it for me. I'm okay with that."

"I'm happy with what I've achieved," stressed Austria's Sportsman of the Year 2007. Vanek said he had greatly enjoyed the past year, "being at home and coaching my boys", and that he was "really enjoying" family life in Stillwater, Minnesota, with his wife Ashley and their three sons Blake (12), Luka Robert and Kade Ashton (both 9). "That's why I won't continue training and try to come back next year," he reaffirmed his decision.

Vanek played his final NHL game on 23 March last year. At the time, he wore the jersey of the Detroit Red Wings, for whom he had already played in the 2016/17 season. The winger had begun his playing career in the world's best ice hockey league on 5 October 2005 with the Buffalo Sabres, where he was under contract until 27 October 2013. His other NHL stops included the New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blues Jackets.

However, his retirement does not mean he is leaving ice hockey. "I want to get back into the game and eventually become a GM (General Manager)," Vanek revealed of his plans for the future. "By playing for so many different teams over the final six or seven years of my career, I learned so much," explained Austria's greatest ice hockey star.