Retirements all over: Wednesday notes

From Magnitogorsk, former Sound Tigers defenseman Chris Lee has retired, and had quite the going-away party, with his number retired and everything. Heck of a run for Lee, who went from SUNY Potsdam to the Coast to a solid AHL career (he played one game for Bridgeport in Albany in 2007, then came back two years later as a key piece of the Sound Tigers’ most successful team of the past 14 years) to a long career in Europe, capped off with a bronze medal for Canada in the Olympics.

Another retirement of local note: Greenwich’s Bray Ketchum calls it a career coming off the Metro Riveters’ Isobel Cup championship last season.

Also retired: AHL Live. The league announced AHLTV today, a new streaming service with some pretty interesting features, not least of which is a dramatically lower price. As long as I figure out where the 10-seconds-back button is, I’ll be happy.

please stand by
A perhaps permanent condition

Elsewhere, Nate Schmidt was suspended for 20 games for a banned substance. His response is unusual and forceful.

This year’s new NHL official hires include several familiar names from last season in the AHL.

Terrible news from Rio as Brazil’s national museum all but burns down.

RIP, Carole Shelley, Ab McDonald and Larry Wigge.

And a fond tip of the cap to Bill Ballou, retiring from the Telegram and Gazette this week, but most assuredly not going away for good.

Michael Fornabaio