Stars GM says goalie Ben Bishop's NHL career is over

Goaltender Ben Bishop’s professional hockey career is over, Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill said Saturday morning.

Bishop underwent surgery on his right knee last year to repair a torn meniscus and has spent the last 14 months rehabbing and trying to get back on the ice. After rejoining the Stars at the start of training camp this fall and practising with the squad pretty much daily since the beginning of the season, Bishop saw his first game action since the 2020 postseason when he suited up for Dallas's AHL affiliate on Thursday night — allowing eight goals on 34 shots.

And that, it appears, will wind up being Bishop's last professional game.

“It’s no secret, he has a degenerative knee injury, and he went down there, he wanted to be a big part of this,” Nill said. “He wanted to do everything he could to get back. In the end, by going through the process, going down there and playing, he found out that it’s the end of his career."

The 35-year-old is scheduled to speak with the media on Tuesday, according to the Dallas Morning News.

“He wanted to get back to the level he could, he’s been working at that," Nill said. "He took all year last year to work on it, came back to training camp this year and we finally decided, he thought he was at the point where it was the best he was ever going to feel for his game and his knee, so that’s why he went down.

“By going down there, he gave everything he could and it was the best case scenario for him, that’s why he wanted to try it then. He rehabbed, set everything up so it gave him the best opportunity. In the end, he found out he can’t do it.”

Bishop was recalled from his conditioning loan on Saturday morning and was placed on long-term injured reserve, where he will remain until his contract ends in the summer of 2023.

Bishop ends a solid career with 413 total games played with the Stars, Kings, Lightning, Senators and Blues. The 85th overall pick in the 2005 draft was a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist, and finishes his career with the fifth-best save percentage (.921) in league history among goalies with at least 300 games played.

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