Devils forward Riley hangs up his skates

AFTER 10 years of professional hockey, Cardiff Devils’ Blair Riley is hanging up his skates.

The 34-year-old Canadian forward was already signed for the 2020-21 season, but has opted to move into his post-hockey career, taking a full-time position with a project management firm in his hometown of Kamloops, British Columbia.

Riley joined the Devils after three years in Belfast where he captained the Giants to back-to-back Challenge Cup titles as well as the 201819 Elite League championship.

His three titles as a professional all came during his time in Belfast and he looked like he was going to be a repeat Elite League champion this season with the Devils before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking about Riley’s time in Cardiff, Devils managing director Todd Kelman said: “Blair is the definition of an old-school hockey player. He hits, fights, scores goals, plays through injury, leads by example. He’s just a great pro and a great person.

“When he was in Belfast, I thought he was one of the most impactful players in the league and a huge reason for their success. After a couple of weeks with us, I realised he was even better than I thought he was.

“I would have loved to have him back for 2020-21, but with so much uncertainly this summer, he started looking around and found a great job in his hometown.

“He is a guy that is going to be a success in whatever he does, he has a list of intangibles too long to write about that will make him a valuable member of any team in any business.

“Blair set himself up to move into a post-hockey career and so I am sure the transition will be a smooth one and we all wish him well in his new career.”