Mark Bell Announces His Retirement As Active Player

Former first round pick Mark Bell has announced his retirement as a player from professional hockey after 16 years. The St. Pauls (Ontario) native played 459 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks. The 35–yearold center spent the last three seasons with the German league record Champion Eisbären Berlin, that are part of the AEG Sports organization.

Mark Bell scored 87 goals and 95 assists for 182 points in his NHL career. The six-foot-four, 220-pound center had his two strongest seasons in 2003/04 and 2005/06, scoring 45 and 48 points respectively for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Mark Bell on his retirement as player: “I am retiring from professionally playing the game that I truly love. The last few days have been much harder than I thought after playing my last professional hockey game. I am grateful to have been able to live out my childhood dream of playing in the NHL. To my teammates, thank you for making me a better player, person, and teammate. I can’t begin to express how thankful I am for the many experiences and friendships that I have and will continue to hold close as I move onto the next chapter of my life.”

The St. Pauls native made his first mark in hockey with the Ottawa 67’s in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) where he spent four seasons from 1996-2000. He was part of the 1998/1999 Memorial Cup championship team and won a bronze medal with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships in 2000. He was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round and as 8th overall of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. His first NHL goal Mark Bell scored against goaltender standout Patrick Roy on October 21, 2001 vs, the Colorado Avalanche.

“I can’t help but remember; those early morning practices before school, and the day old donuts that followed them, the many people who sacrificed so much for me to live my dream. It’s been a great ride, full of the inevitable and obvious ups and downs. But I wouldn’t change any of it from where I sit, it has shaped me into the man I am today”, Bell adds about his development as a player.

Uwe Krupp, two-time Stanley Cup champion and head coach for the Eisbären Berlin: “Strength of character, sheer will and determination defined Mark. Those qualities allowed him to have a successful NHL career and enabled him to fight through a number of injuries over the last couple of seasons. He finished his playing days with grace, class and the respect of everyone around him. He was a pleasure to coach and a valuable part of our team on and off the ice. I wish him and his family all the best for this new chapter in their life.”

In addition to his NHL career Bell played 192 games in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Norfolk Admirals, Toronto Marlies, Hartford Wolf Pack and Syracuse Crunch.

In three stints to Europe he played 36 games for Trondheim Black Panthers in Norway during the 2004/05 NHL lockout, 108 games for Kloten Flyers of the Swiss NLA league (2009-2011) as well as 122 games for Iserlohn Roosters and Eisbären Berlin in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) from 2012-2016.

Bell’s plan for the near future is to stay in the game of hockey. “I would like to remain active in the game of hockey, I have interest in the player development field with the NHL and feel my experience as a player would be extremely helpful to young players.”

Mark Bell, his wife Natasha and their two children Sloane (3) and Roman (1) will relocate to Southwestern Ontario.