All-Star Sam Faber announces her retirement

Sam Faber, All-Star forward and captain of the Connecticut Whale, has announced her retirement from professional hockey at age 31.

Faber made her retirement announcement with an open letter to her fans, friends, and family on the NWHL’s league site today. You can read a particularly poignant excerpt from that letter below.

“I may not be out there playing any more, but hockey will forever be in my heart. I will do my best to continue to help this game grow as much as possible because that’s what the women in our sport deserve.

Lastly, to all the future NWHL stars: never give up on your dreams and never let one person take away your career or strength because you are special and stronger than you think.”

Faber came out of retirement to join the Whale’s inaugural roster for the 2015-16 NWHL season. A fan favorite, she was chosen by her teammates to be the Whale’s captain before the 2017-18 season began and was selected to represent Connecticut in the 2018 NWHL All-Star Game. Anyone who has attended a Whale home game over the last three years can tell you just how much Faber has meant and will continue to mean to the team and its fans. For the last three years she has been the beating heart of the Connecticut Whale.

Sam has been someone I have looked up to for a lot of my playing career. She is a true leader putting her team before herself day in and day out. She will forever be an iconic @NWHL founding player. She has earned that and absolutely deserves that. #SammyWithTheHoops #Legend https://t.co/XJgaLH1LUt

— Anya Battaglino (@battaglinoa) September 24, 2018

In three NWHL seasons the superb two-way forward was a model of consistency for the Whale in addition to being a leader on and off the ice. She scored three goals in all three of her seasons with Connecticut, finishing her NWHL career with 19 points in 44 regular season games and two points in five postseason appearances. Faber currently ranks fifth all-time in career points with the Whale, one point ahead of fellow three-year NWHL veteran Jordan Brickner.

Faber won gold with Team USA at the 2008 Women’s World Championship in China and was a standout in her sole CWHL season with the Boston Blades in 2010-11. She also had an amazing collegiate career at the University of New Hampshire. She finished her career as a Wildcat with 189 points in 133 games and set an NCAA record with 13 game-winning goals during her senior year. Faber is ranked fifth all-time in points at UNH and her 112 assists are good for third all-time in assists in the program’s history.

We at the Ice Garden wish to congratulate Sam Faber on her exceptional hockey career.