After battling concussion symptoms since last October, Keith Primeau makes if official and finally retires.
Some quotes from Primeau
“To the fans of Philadelphia, I am sorry I could not overcome this injury and for dragging this out as long as I did, but I did it all with the best of intentions and with the thought of returning home to play in front of 20,000 screaming fans. Thank you for your prayers and for your unwavering support.
“To my teammates, past and present – this is what, I believe, makes the team so hard to walk away from, because of the friendships we developed and the bonds we formed. Thank you.
“In a sense, it feels somewhat like failure. This decision will allow me to live a normal life and, in time, offer few reminders of my injuries.”
“I think a career of concussions has a cumulative effect.”
Keith was a first round pick by the Detroit Red Wings, 3rd overall back in 1990. He played 6 years with the Wings before being traded to Hartford (Carolina) in 1996. Keith played 3 years with Hartford/Carolina before being traded to the Flyers. He also played in 2 All-Star games and 1 Olympics with Team Canada.
As a Flyer Keith was the Captain and was a breath of fresh air after Flyers fans had to deal with the long strung out soap opera that of the Lindros situation. He is remembered by fans for scoring the winning goal in the 5th overtime against the Penguins in the first round of the 2000 playoffs. More recently he is remembered by literally carrying the team in the 2004 playoffs only to lose in game 7 of the conference finals to Tampa Bay. Many fans only memory of Keith is as the captain that carried the team through the playoffs.
But everything wasn’t so rosy with his hockey career. Keith demanded a trade from Detroit to a team where he could be the Number 1 center and got it. In Carolina he complained that Carolina was not a hockey town and how empty the seats where at the home games. Things got worse when Carolina tried to resign him. Primeau refused to go to arbitration, a war of words erupted which led to Primeau vowing never to play for Carolina again and he got it. Even in Philadelphia Primeau sparked some controversy. After losing to the Ottawa Senators (2001-2002) in the first round of the playoffs Primeau spoke up and spoke out against Coach Bill Barber. Barber who had coached the Flyers for just 2 years, previously coached the Phantoms to their first Calder Cup in 1998, a Hall of Famer whose name and number hangs from the rafters in Philadelphia. Oh and he had to deal with the death of his wife from cancer that season. Primeau wanted a ‘better’ coach and got it. 3 years now with the coach he wanted and still not a trip to the Finals. In a way it is a little funny each team Primeau played for and demanded to be traded away from went on to win the Stanley Cup, after he left.
So the Primeau era is over, along with the soap opera he created. A kid with so much potential, who burned his bridges in Detroit and Carolina. What he could become was never realized except for the one playoff run in 2004. Because of that run he has many fans in Philadelphia, unfortunately in Detroit and Carolina there are few if any. But I am sure that most hockey fans wish him luck with his health as he moves on to the next stage in his life.