“I’ve had one dream my whole life and that’s to play in the NHL,” Campbell said in a video posted to his Instagram. “I was lucky enough to achieve this goal: I played eight seasons in the NHL and became an NHL star. Honestly, on paper I lived a pretty amazing life.
“Very grateful for my days in the game, but a lot of people don’t see the personal struggles I’ve gone through throughout my career.”
Campbell confirmed in the caption that he is “retiring” from the sport.
“Retiring from hockey was not easy. It gave me more than I could have imagined. But over the past few years, I have realized that the job that brought me the most satisfaction was not stopping pucks, but helping people become who they are capable of becoming,” Campbell also wrote, adding that he intends to pursue a career as a life coach.
The 34-year-old, whose last team was the Detroit Red Wings, did not play at all last season and last appeared in the NHL in the 2023-24 season.
He entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in October 2024, but played 14 AHL games that season with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Campbell played for the Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Maple Leafs and Oilers over eight NHL seasons, posting a career .909 save percentage and 2.76 goals-against average over 176 games.