At one point, Jeff Sharples was just having fun playing hockey. Before he knew it, the fun and games "had turned into a career." Not a bad gig, it turns out.
And now it's all a memory.
On Thursday, Sharples announced his retirement from hockey, officially ending a productive career that spanned 14 years, including the last five as one of the most popular members in Utah Grizzlies' franchise history. He played an instrumental part in helping Utah win the Turner Cup at the end of his first season with the Grizz in 1996.
"The game has been great to me," said Sharples, who played in 105 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings. "I didn't want to put my fate in someone else's hands or be a guy who they had to just rip the skates off his feet to end his career."
Health factors played a big part in Sharples' decision. The beginning of the end came in December when he suffered an inner-ear injury from getting whacked in the head by a puck. He then suffered a serious concussion — one of several he had during his career — after being smashed into the boards when he last suited up with the Grizzlies on Jan. 2. He missed the rest of the season due to post-concussion syndrome, but he was voted by the fans to be a starter in the IHL All-Star Game.
While the defenseman says he'll miss his relationship with the Grizzlies' organization — from owners Dave Elmore and Donna Tuttle to president Tim Mouser and general manager/coach Bob Bourne down to the trainers — Sharples said he is looking forward to spending extra time with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Meg and Molly. They will live in Las Vegas, where Sharples played with the Thunder before being traded to Utah in 1995 and where he is now training to become a commercial airline pilot.
"The people (in Utah) are what made it special. It is great when you work and play with people you consider friends," Sharples said. "The thing that is most important to me is my family and being able to spend quality time with them."
In his five seasons with the Grizz, Sharples became the fifth-leading scorer in franchise history with 138 points (31 goals, 107 assists) and ranks as the best plus/minus guy the the team has ever known at +63. He ends high in a bunch of other all-time-best categories as well — fourth in games played (267), fourth in assists (107) and second in shorthanded goals (seven).
E-mail: jody@desnews.com