Hometown former Toronto Maple Leaf Daniel Winnik calls it a career

Many kids in Canada will grow up wanting to play for their hometown NHL team and represent their country on the biggest stages, and for many, that dream doesn't come true, but often times it does. That was the case for Daniel Winnik, a hometown Toronto kid who landed in the NHL back in 2007, before joining his home town Maple Leafs in the year 2014.

Now, after a fantastic career in the NHL and overseas, the 39-year old has announced on social media that he's calling it quits.

Winnik spent the last six years of his career playing in Switzerland, but will ultimately be remembered for his time in the NHL where he amassed 789 games played, tallying 82 goals and 251 points over that stretch. He won't go down as an all-time great, but Winnik had a very respectable professional career, capping it off by representing Canada in the 2022 Olympic Games when the NHL decided not to participate.

It's unclear what the future holds for Winnik, but with such great hockey knowledge and experience, the game would certainly be much better off if he remained in it post playing career.