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Report: Montreal forward Geoffrion retires (Updated)

Blake Geoffrion

He’s only 25 years old, but Blake Geoffrion’s professional hockey career is over. According to ESPN’s John Buccigross, the Montreal Canadiens forward has informed the club he’s retiring after suffering a serious head injury while playing for AHL Hamilton in November.

“I love the game of hockey more than anything and this decision tears me up inside,” Geoffrion said, “but we are talking about my brain. Not a knee or a shoulder. I want to have a family, have kids, play with them and [have] a strong quality of life for another 60 or 70 years.

“These last three months of recovery have been hell. For two months I would sit in the shower for an hour with no lights on. My head was throbbing. The plate in my head is still sensitive. I’ve tried to put a hockey helmet on four or five times and I can’t even put that on yet.”

On Nov. 9, Geoffrion required immediate surgery for a depressed skull fracture that he sustained on a hit (video) from Jean-Philippe Cote of the Syracuse Crunch.

Geoffrion was drafted 56th overall by Nashville in 2006. A star with the University of Wisconsin, he was the Hobey Baker winner in 2010.

He was also a fourth-generation Hab, as the son of former Canadien Danny Geoffrion, the grandson of Hall of Famer Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion and the great-grandson of another Hall of Famer, Howie Morenz.

Update from John Glennon of The Tennessean (1:41 p.m ET):

Just spoke to Danny Geoffrion, Blake’s dad. He says Blake hasn’t retired yet, but simply given notice to Canadiens that he’s considering it.

— John Glennon (@glennonsports) March 13, 2013


Danny Geoffrion said Blake’s decision will come in next few weeks. He hasn’t skated much since suffering skull fracture last year.

— John Glennon (@glennonsports) March 13, 2013


Update (3:53 p.m. ET):

In a release, the Canadiens confirmed that Geoffrion “notified general manager Marc Bergevin Wednesday that in light of his health condition, which has shown no significant improvement since he underwent surgery last November 10, he felt it was his responsibility to inform the Canadiens’ management that he was considering retiring from professional hockey.”