Ryan Duncan, one of only two UND players ever to win the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, announced he is retiring from his playing career Tuesday morning.
"Growing up in Calgary, it was my dream to play college hockey," Duncan wrote on Instagram. "I never thought playing professional hockey was a possibility. But today, after playing professional hockey for 10 seasons, I'm officially announcing my retirement from the game of hockey. This is a bittersweet decision. I feel very fortunate to have played the game I love for such a long time. I've got to travel the world and meet so many impactful teammates, coaches, staff, media and fans.
"Thank you to everyone who supported me along this journey. This game takes a ton of sacrifice and love from those closest to you, so I want to extend a special thank you to my mom, dad, wife and daughter. I'm looking forward to the new challenges ahead and to being a big fan of the game of hockey."
Duncan left UND in 2009 as one of the program's most decorated players.
He piled up 172 points during his four-year career in Grand Forks. Since Jeff Panzer graduated in 2001, no player has tallied as many points in a UND uniform as Duncan.
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As a sophomore in 2006-07, Duncan joined Tony Hrkac as the only Hobey winners from the school. Playing on one of the school's all-time best lines alongside Jonathan Toews and T.J. Oshie, Duncan racked up 31 goals and 57 points in 43 games that season, leading UND to the NCAA Frozen Four.
Duncan led UND in goals as a junior and a senior, too, continually terrorizing goalies' glove hands with his memorable wrist shot from the right circle.
Duncan went on to play eight of his 10 pro seasons with Salzburg in Austria's top league. Duncan had 395 points in 418 games with Salzburg, becoming the team's No. 2 all-time leading scorer and goal-scorer. He led the team to four league championships.
Duncan, whose father, Bob, also played at UND, played one season with Portland (Maine) in the American Hockey League and one in Munich, Germany.
