One year ago German captain Christian Ehrhoff and French goaltender Cristobal Huet played the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship on home ice as the two neighbours co-hosted the event. During the weekend their careers came to an end
- the one more surprising than the other.

Cristobal Huet played his last international game on home ice in Paris in May 2017 when he announced the end of his international career and continued one more season with his club team Lausanne HC in Switzerland.

Saturday's 2-1 win against the SCL Tigers Langnau in the placement game had little meaning for the standings as Lausanne finished a disappointing season in
10th place. It was played in front of 6,345 fans at the sold out "Malley 2.0", a temporary ice rink while the real Malley is being reconstructed in time for the 2020 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and the Youth Olympics the same year. The club is in transformation and beside Huet, also Swiss players John Gobbi and Florian Conz said "adieu" in their last game.

Huet wrote history as France's first and only player to win the Stanley Cup. He
did it in his last of seven seasons in the National Hockey League, in 2010 with
the Chicago Blackhawks.

During a time French players were not much of a target for NHL scouts, Huet left his hometown club Grenoble after winning the French championship in 1998 and being named MVP. He moved to HC Lugano in Switzerland and won the Swiss championship in his first season. After four years in Switzerland he moved to the Los Angeles Kings to start an NHL career that also brought him to the Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Huet lost his spot in Chicago during the 2009/2010 season but with 49 games played he got his name engraved on the trophy and took the Stanley Cup to Grenoble and to Paris to the Eiffel Tower. He returned to Switzerland where he played two seasons for Fribourg-Gotteron and six years for Lausanne. In the Swiss National League he won three Jacques Plante Trophies as goaltender of the
year.

Now at 42 years of age the career of "CristoWall" has come to an end. A career that included 15 World Championship tournaments (13 in the top division) as well as the 1998 and 2002 Olympic Winter Games. His future is currently open. Married to a Swiss, Huet has become a Swiss citizen and found his home not far from Lausanne where he's offered a job at the club.

While Huet's retirement was planned far in advance, Ehrhoff's end of the career
just one month after winning Olympic silver came somewhat unexpected. He made it known on social media about two hours after his DEL team Kolner Haie had lost its last quarter-final game against the Nuremberg Ice Tigers on home ice in Cologne.

"After 19 years of pro hockey I've decided to call it a career. Thanks to all my teams, teammates, coaches, staff members and fans for your support and countless amazing memories," Ehrhoff wrote and informed the media today that the decision came after thoughts during the last few weeks. "The decision is well thought. After so many years at the highest level the time has come for me
to start something new."

"Christian and all German ice hockey can look back with pride at an extraordinary career. He always presented himself on and off the ice as a leader and belongs to the best players German hockey has ever produced. I wish him all the best in his private and professional life for his new era," said German national team head coach Marco Sturm, who was informed a few days ago about the decision of his captain.

"Christian has a great career behind him in which he had always been ready to play for the national team. He leaves big footsteps behind him, which is also an opportunity for the young players," said German Ice Hockey Association President Franz Reindl.

The 35-year-old from Moers spent most of his professional career in the National Hockey League. After four years of top-level ice hockey in Germany with Krefeld Pinguine and the national team he moved to the San Jose Sharks where he played five seasons. In total he had 12 NHL seasons including stints with the Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks followed by two DEL seasons with Kolner Haie. He had 789 regular-season and 73 playoff games in the NHL.

In terms of winning he was most successful in his native country. He became DEL
champion with Krefeld in 2003 before moving to the NHL, made the World Championship All-Star Team in 2010 when Germany reached a fourth-place finish on home ice in Cologne, and one month ago winning Olympic silver as underdog became his career highlight. He was also a runner-up with Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Ehrhoff played 118 international games for the German men's national team including four Olympic Winter Games, seven World Championships and two World Cup of Hockey tournaments.

MARTIN MERK

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