Hamhuis At Peace with Retirement Decision, Holds Fond Memories of Preds

Dan Hamhuis hasn't found much to complain about, as he transitions into retirement following 16 seasons as an NHL defenseman.
"Well, the first two weeks have been pretty good," Hamhuis laughed. "I guess maybe I'm in the honeymoon stage."
The now former blueliner, who spent half of his career with Nashville,
joined Episode 99 of the Predators Official Podcast
via phone from his hometown of Smithers, British Columbia, to discuss his new outlook on life.

For the first time since Hamhuis can remember, there is no next season on the horizon. Instead, the 37-year-old has spent plenty of time biking, hiking, fishing and camping with his wife, Sarah, and three daughters back home over the past few weeks.
Hamhuis,
who officially confirmed his retirement on Aug. 13
, fewer than one week after the Predators were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Qualifier round in Edmonton, says the decision to hang up the skates wasn't made overnight.
The veteran of 1,148 regular-season games - an even 600 of them played with the Preds - entered the 2019-20 season on the second half of a two-year contract he had signed with Nashville back in the summer of 2018. Hamhuis knew he wasn't getting any younger, and as the days crept along, it started to become a real possibility this could be it.
For everything that came over the past 11 months, including the pause back in March and then a return to training camp in July, Hamhuis has no regrets of how his recent time with the Preds - or anything else in his career - ultimately played out.
"I've been paying attention to other guys; a lot of peers of mine retired over the past few years, so I've been watching how they did it," Hamhuis said. "I feel very fortunate to be in a position where I was able to decide on my own terms. A lot of guys don't get that opportunity. They get forced out or don't get the contract they're still hoping for, and I was in a position through this past year to assess where I was at and was able to make the call. I think our decision toward retirement got stronger and stronger as the year went on, and it just felt right.
"It certainly was a big family decision, and then once we retired, it felt good. I think one of the things that helped too is I probably told myself 10 or 15 years ago, I never want to look back when I'm done and retired and look back at my career and say, 'I wish I would have done a little more [or] I wonder what my career would have looked like if I would have done this.' And so, through my career over the last 10 or 15 years or so, I've approached each day with that mindset of always looking to improve and leave everything I have out there that day off the ice and on the ice…so at the end of my career, I could look back with no regrets and be very satisfied with the career I had and not wish for any do-overs. Now, I sit here in that seat, which seemed so far away before, but now I'm here and it's actually a good feeling. I'm at peace with that and I'm enjoying it."
Hamhuis began his professional career in Nashville when General Manager David Poile and the Predators selected the defenseman with the 12th overall selection in the 2001 NHL Draft. The blueliner broke into the League during the 2003-04 season with the Preds and played 80 games as a rookie, while recording seven goals and 26 points to help Nashville reach the postseason for the first time.
Hamhuis spent his first six seasons in Tennessee before making stops in Vancouver and Dallas over the next eight years, including a run to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final with the Canucks. Then, as his contract expired with the Stars in the summer of 2018, Poile was on the line again, this time offering a two-year deal for Hamhuis and his family to come back to where it all began.
"I got to play for three great franchises, the Predators, the Stars and the Canucks, but to be drafted by Nashville, I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to start a career in such a great city to play in, great fans to play in front of and an organization to play for," Hamhuis said. "Two years ago, we had the opportunity to go back, and we had great relationships still in the organization and within the city. We knew it was a place that our family had enjoyed living before, so we were really excited to come back. It's just a neat story too how it came full circle, and I got to start and end things in Nashville."
Not only had the city changed dramatically since the last time Hamhuis called it home, his role on and off the ice had also evolved. Hamhuis was now relied upon to be a veteran voice and provide an example to some of the younger players on the roster of what it meant to be a true professional at the highest level.
One of those Hamhuis worked closely with was fellow defenseman Dante Fabbro, who jumped head first into NHL action back in the spring of 2019 following the conclusion of his collegiate career. Fabbro and Hamhuis were paired together during the rookie's first few regular-season games, and then six more into the playoffs, although Hamhuis maintains he didn't have much teaching to do with the newcomer.
"I don't know if I can take too much credit for Dante when he came in," Hamhuis laughed. "He's just a really solid player. To jump in when he did in 2019 the last four or five games of the season and then straight into playoffs, he really held his own… I don't think he needed a lot of direction or guidance, because he's really impressed me with his mental toughness. As a young player you're going to make mistakes… but I think the real sign of a really mature pro is to understand that stuff happens and to let it go, come back the next shift not reliving that mistake and doubting, but coming back strong and just putting it behind you. That's a really hard thing to do in the heat of the game of the battle, knowing the pressure and the eyes watching, all those things, and Dante is one of the best I've ever seen doing that."

Fabbro may not be the last player Hamhuis ever works alongside - there is an appetite in the years to come to potentially jump into the coaching side of the game, perhaps behind the bench of a club or in the developmental ranks for a franchise.
For now, however, Hamhuis intends on making up for all of the dance lessons, piano recitals and youth sports tournaments he's missed over the past decade. Lost time with family comes with the territory, but now, it's priority No. 1.
Hamhuis knows he will miss playing professional hockey in the greatest League in the world, but he's thankful for the time he's had, the friends he's made and the memories he's banked. That includes those eight seasons played in Nashville, a city that will always remain special for the Hamhuis family.
"The people of Nashville have really bought in and really embraced that hockey team and the sport," Hamhuis said. "Now, we're known around the League by all players that Nashville is one of the greatest places to play for a player and one of the greatest buildings to play in, even as a visiting player. Their fans aren't cheering for you, but even visiting teams,you love a good atmosphere. Nashville's top on a lot of players' best places to play.
"It's been a really special place for me, for my career and for our family to live. The people are just fantastic, and I couldn't have asked for a better place to spend [eight seasons]."