Bishop ends playing career with Stars because of knee injury

Ben Bishop said a conditioning stint in the American Hockey League last week made clear that his playing career was over because of a knee injury.

"If I was a forward, I could be playing right now," the Dallas Stars goalie said Tuesday. "But just with the butterfly, the torque you put on your knee, it just couldn't really get better."

Bishop last played in Game 5 of the 2020 Western Conference Second Round against the Colorado Avalanche on Aug. 31. He missed all of last season after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee Oct. 21, 2020. He was placed on long-term injured reserve recovering from the surgery and the 35-year-old was hoping for one more chance to prolong his career when the Stars loaned him to Texas of the AHL on a conditioning assignment Dec. 7.

"Last week when we drained it, there was still some flecks in the fluid, which means there was some cartilage wearing away," Bishop said. "With all that, I still wanted to go down and give it a try because I wanted one last try to make sure."

He started the game Dec. 9 and allowed eight goals on 34 shots in an 8-4 loss to Chicago.

"I was hoping I could go down and everything would be OK," Bishop said. "But obviously after the game, it blew up. In talking to the doctors, it doesn't make sense to just kind of be ripping your knee apart if you're not going to get back to playing."

Dallas general manager Jim Nill said Saturday that Bishop would be placed on LTIR through the remainder of his contract. Bishop has two seasons remaining on the six-year, $29.5 million contract ($4.92 million average annual value) he signed May 12, 2017.

"It's a huge loss for us and a tough day for Ben, a tough few days," Nill said. "Really it's been tough for him for more than a year, trying to rehab this. He's felt good, he's felt bad, but always hoping it would come back. But in the end, this is the way it goes."

Bishop said the knee injury dates to the second round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"I think through this process I've done PRPs (platelet-rich plasma), stem cells, cortisone … probably 30 injections," he said. "We've tried it all. Unfortunately, it just couldn't get where I needed it to.

"Ultimately I couldn't kind of get that full range back, and that power, and it still swells on me."

Selected by the St. Louis Blues in the third round (No. 85) of the 2005 NHL Draft, Bishop was 222-128-36 with a 2.32 goals-against average, .921 save percentage and 33 shutouts in 413 games (397 starts) in 11 seasons with the Blues, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings and Stars.

A three-time Vezina Trophy finalist in voting for the best goalie in the NHL (2014, 2016, 2019), Bishop helped the Lightning reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2015, when they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. He is second in wins (131) and shutouts (17) in Lightning history, behind Andrei Vasilevskiy in each (204 wins, 28 shutouts).

"It's very sad personally to see what's happened," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "Ben was a big reason I came here three years ago, because you don't win in this league without Grade A goaltending. You don't, and he gives us that. Our goaltending this year has been very good, fortunately, but 'Bish,' the way he handles the puck back there and his reads, he has a great hockey IQ for a goalie.

"He reads the play really well. And his ability to get out of the net and handle the puck, you spend less time in your zone. There's a lot of qualities on the ice we're going to miss, and a lot of qualities off the ice because he's a wonderful teammate and he's fun to be around. So he'll be greatly missed."

Bishop said he's heard from several teammates since Nill announced Saturday he could no longer play, and a few attended his press conference Tuesday.

"When it first happened, nothing really hit me," Bishop said. "It wasn't really until I started getting text messages from the guys I played with, the coaches, and hearing from people I haven't heard from in 13 years, 14 years … people that have reached out from all teams I've played with. It hits you, and it's kind of just been waves."

Bishop said he'll remain in the Dallas and stay close with his Stars teammates.

"I'm going to stay in the game," he said. "This is what I love, this is what I know. We'll take a little Christmas break here and then come back and see."

NHL.com independent correspondent Taylor Baird contributed to this report