Penguins Zach Trotman Retires, ‘Cheers to the Game and Thank You’

Pittsburgh Penguins depth defenseman Zach Trotman is retiring at the age of 30.

In a heartfelt Instagram post, Trotman said goodbye to the game he began playing when he was four. The defenseman, who is a fitness fanatic, has been besieged by injuries over the last couple of seasons, including core muscle surgery last season and knee surgery in January.

The Penguins held Trotman, 30, out of the 2020 NHL return and Penguins bubble roster. His wife, sportscaster Jeanna Trotman gave birth to the couple’s first child, Luca, last December.

Her Twitter account includes the location, “wherever hockey takes us.”

Since joining the Penguins before the 2017 season, Trotman played 24 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins as he split time between the Penguins and their AHL farm team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Trotman didn’t score a goal in the 24 games with the Penguins, but he scored three goals with his drafting team, the Boston Bruins. His first NHL goal was in 2014-15, after three seasons of college hockey at Lake Superior State.

Overall, Trotman played 91 NHL games with 13 points (3-10-13).

Trotman’s farewell on Instagram:

“This game has been my life for 26 years, obsessing about it almost every minute of every day. It’s ingrained in my blood and in my bones, and I know it will never leave me. Going out against your will is never the way you want to go. But we all have our expiration date, and unfortunately, my body just can’t handle the beating anymore.

So at the moment, it is hard to see all the positives, but I’ll never take for granted all of the life skills, memories, teammates, coaches, and just pure enjoyment I’ve been able to experience from this wild ride. It built me into the man, husband, and father I am today, and for that, I am forever grateful.

Where one chapter ends, another begins. Here’s to attacking the next chapter of life, just as fiery as the 4-year-old kid that embarked on the past one.

Cheers to the game, and thank you.”