Keeper hangs up skates on historic career

Residual leg injury deciding factor in Cross Lake player’s retirement

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The pride of Cross Lake has officially retired from professional hockey. Defenceman Brady Keeper announced Tuesday he was hanging up his skates, explaining in a social media post on Instagram Wednesday his decision was made over a lingering injury.

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The pride of Cross Lake has officially retired from professional hockey. Defenceman Brady Keeper announced Tuesday he was hanging up his skates, explaining in a social media post on Instagram Wednesday his decision was made over a lingering injury.

“Back in the 2021-2022 season, I broke my tibia and fibula while in Vancouver. After a long year of rehab during that season and throughout the summer, I was able to come back and play in the 2022-23 season,” Keeper wrote, referencing the time he spent with the Canucks organization.

“But to be honest, my leg never felt the same. Even with continued rehab, the pain remained. The metal rod that was inserted into my knee to stabilize the bone and make it stronger has caused ongoing pain ever since. It’s been a constant battle — not just physically, but mentally as well.”

Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
                                Cross Lake’s Brady Keeper made his NHL debut with the Florida Panthers in March of 2019.

Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES

Cross Lake’s Brady Keeper made his NHL debut with the Florida Panthers in March of 2019.

Keeper added that he wished he could continue to play hockey, but his body was preventing him from being able to play professionally.

In fact, Keeper had signed with the Glasgow Clan of the Elite Ice Hockey League based in the U.K. in June, marking what would have been his return to the game after the lower-body injury brought his NHL career with the Canucks to an end.

“It’s been a constant battle — not just physically, but mentally as well.”–Brady Keeper

In a statement Wednesday, Clan head coach and Oromocto, N.B.-native Corey Neilson said the news was disappointing, “however, Brady needs to do what’s best for his health, and that means allowing him to step away from the game.”

Neilson added the club respects Keeper’s decision “and wish him nothing but the best.”

The Glasgow club itself thanked Keeper for his professionalism and wished him “a full and healthy recovery as he moves forward into the next chapter of his life.”

Keeper, having gone undrafted, made waves in 2019 when he signed with the Florida Panthers. With the deal, the defenceman became the first hockey player from Cross Lake to play in the NHL.

MELISSA MARTIN / FREE PRESS FILES
                                Brady Keeper received a hero’s welcome from his hometown crowd in Cross Lake in April 2019 after his first season with the Florida Panthers, including a parade.

MELISSA MARTIN / FREE PRESS FILES

Brady Keeper received a hero’s welcome from his hometown crowd in Cross Lake in April 2019 after his first season with the Florida Panthers, including a parade.

He made his NHL debut on March 28, 2019, against the Ottawa Senators. In April of that year, Keeper received a hero’s welcome from his hometown crowd in Cross Lake, complete with a parade after his first season playing with the Panthers.

Keeper made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut in the qualifying round of the 2020 Edmonton bubble, playing Aug. 4 of that year. He last skated for the Panthers in the 2020-21 season before being picked up by the Vancouver Canucks as an unrestricted free agent, signing a two-year, US$1.525 million contract.

It was in training camp with the Canucks that Keeper broke his tibia and fibula in his left leg. He spent the remainder of his time with the franchise’s AHL affiliate Abbotsford Canucks.

In 2023, Keeper signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Montreal Canadiens and was ultimately assigned to the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.

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