- The Winnipeg Jets announced Michael Hutchinson’s retirement after 11 NHL seasons
- The 36-year-old goalie leaves with a 57-62-18 record across six franchises
- Read below for his 2020 bubble heroics and his return to the ice in October
Michael Hutchinson is hanging up the pads for good.
The Winnipeg Jets announced Monday that the 36-year-old goaltender is retiring after 11 NHL seasons with six different franchises. Hutchinson finishes with a 57-62-18 record in 154 games, a .902 save percentage and a 2.94 goals-against average.
Winnipeg is where all of it started. Boston drafted him 77th overall in 2008 and never gave him an NHL game, so Hutchinson signed with the Jets as a free agent in 2013 and clawed up from the ECHL. He debuted in April 2014 and picked up his first career win three days later against the Bruins.
Then came the season that made him a household name in Manitoba. Hutchinson went 21-10-5 with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage in 2014-15 as Ondrej Pavelec’s backup, and the Jets reached the playoffs for the first time since the franchise moved from Atlanta. He took home NHL Rookie of the Month honors in December 2014.
Five years in Winnipeg produced a 43-39-11 record in 102 games. Everything after that was suitcases. Florida, Toronto, Colorado, Columbus and Detroit all carried him at some point, and in March 2023 Vegas shipped him to the Blue Jackets in the deal that sent Jonathan Quick the other way.
His signature stretch came inside the 2020 bubble. Colorado lost both Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz to injury during the second round against Dallas, and Hutchinson drew the Game 5 start with the Avalanche down 3-1 in the series.
He stopped 31 shots for the first playoff win of his career, then won Game 6 to force a seventh game. That made him the seventh goalie in league history to win his first two career starts while facing elimination.
Take a look at the night in Edmonton that kept the Avalanche alive:
Hutchinson closed out his playing days overseas, joining SaiPa of Finland’s Liiga in November 2024. He hasn’t suited up professionally since that season ended.
One more shift is already on the calendar. Hutchinson is the goalie on the Jets alumni roster for the Oct. 24 game against the Canadiens alumni at Canada Life Centre, part of Heritage Classic weekend in Winnipeg.
