Seabrook has no regrets about storied 15-year career

Pro athletes play through bumps and bruises all the time.

Hockey players, though, seem to have an entirely different threshold for pain - something Brent Seabrook found out from his dad after a skate sliced through his thumb when he was a kid.

"I don't think I even got stitches," Seabrook said told us as he approached his 1,000th game with the Blackhawks in 2018. "I think (my dad) just taped it up with hockey tape. My hand was covered in blood, and you know, 'You're fine.' ...

"He was like that his whole life. My first year in the league he crushed all his fingers in a steel press, and he was at work 10 days later. He's got that drive. My brother and I definitely got that from him."

Knowing that, it comes as no surprise that Seabrook played through far more than a twisted ankle or aching knees over the years. The Hawks' alternate captain was going to battle as both hips and a shoulder completely deteriorated.

Was he in pain? Almost certainly.

But he never complained, soldiered on and did everything he could to help the Hawks win.

Finally, in late December last season, it was announced that Seabrook would undergo three surgeries to repair all the damage that accumulated over his 15-year NHL career.

Afterward, he rehabbed and did everything he could to come back. But in the end the mountain was too steep and Seabrook graciously hung up his skates Friday.

"This last year's been tough," Seabrook said. "I remember telling my wife, 'I'm not scared of the work that has to go into what I had to do after surgery. I'm not scared of the pain or dealing with that kind of stuff. It's part of it and I'm motivated and excited.' And I did that.

"I could've made this decision a month ago. (But) for me for the rest of my life, it was really important for me to push it and really give it everything I had to try and come back. Unfortunately, the writing was on the wall."

Seabrook is third on the Hawks' all-time goals list among defensemen with 103. Only Doug Wilson (225) and Bob Murray (132) scored more, although Duncan Keith (101) figures to move past his good buddy. Seabrook also ranks third in games played in franchise history with 1,114. Stan Mikita (1,396) and Keith (1,162) lead the way.

Of course, the numbers are one thing. The man behind the scenes is another.

"It's rare to be a leader at a young age in junior hockey in Canada, but he was in that category," said Hawks GM Stan Bowman. "Not surprised that ... years later, he finds himself wearing a letter with the Blackhawks in the NHL.

"You see what he is, which is a caring person that just wants to play hockey and do what's best for his teammates. When you listen to Brent talk, he's always talking about his teammates, he's talking about what's best for the team. ... That's something that you don't see all that often in sports, but Brent was very unique that way."

When Joel Quenneville took over as coach four games into the 2008-09 season, Seabrook had already taken on a significant leadership role. His loud, booming voice was impossible to miss. He'd give teammates a hard time for even the slightest transgression.

"I've given a lot of guys (stuff) over the years - media and trainers and teammates," Seabrook said. "But I always liked having fun. I always looked at it as fun."

Said Quenneville: "Fortunate to have that kind of leadership of a coach coming into a young team. ... His relationship with Duncs was special. These two guys were inseparable in a lot of ways."

Seabrook believes he will have a hip replacement at some point, but truly hopes to live a pain-free life for the most part. He wants to stay involved with the game, get back on the ski slopes, golf and just be an overall active father for his three young children.

"I have an active family and I've been active my whole life," Seabrook said. "I want to continue to do that kind of stuff. I'm just gonna manage it."

One question on some people's minds Friday was what if Seabrook had the surgeries earlier? Could it have extended his career?

It's a road neither Seabrook nor Bowman really wanted to go down.

"He was the ultimate competitor and he just played through it," Bowman said. "He was in pain for a while and not saying anything about it. It wasn't like we had a decision a few years ago to postpone a surgery. ...

"He never wanted to get an X-ray or an imaging. You'd see him block shots and he could barely walk and we'd say, 'You have to get that X-rayed,' and he said, 'I'm fine.' That's how he was wired."

Seabrook watched Friday's 4-3 shootout win over Tampa Bay from a luxury box behind the Hawks' bench with Andrew Shaw at his side the entire time. They both stood during the entire overtime and cheered when Malcolm Subban made the game-winning save on Steven Stamkos.

Seabrook plans on attending Sunday's rematch with the Lightning, then will head home to Kelowna, Canada to be with his family.

He leaves the game with absolutely no regrets.

"I'm incredibly proud of my career," Seabrook said. "I got to play with a tremendous group of players for the best organization in sports. When I first got here, we weren't the Blackhawks you see now or through the early part of the decade. It was fun to be a part of that group that brought this franchise back up to the top. ...

"I've got a lot of great teammates that are going to be lifelong friends. Talking to a few people, some buddies from back home, it was a (heck) of a run. We had a lot of fun. I got to bring the Stanley Cup back to my house, my hometown, and drink a beer out of it with my dad and mom and my wife and her family, my brother. It was pretty special.

"I'll never forget these last 15, 16 years, that's for sure."

By the numbers

<b>Brent Seabrook ranks in Blackhawks history</b>Goals by defensemen

1. Doug Wilson 225

2. Bob Murray 132

3. Brent Seabrook 103

4. Duncan Keith 101

5. Chris Chelios 92

Assists by defensemen

1. Doug Wilson 554

2. Duncan Keith 517

3. Pierre Pilote 400

4. Chris Chelios 395

5. Bob Murray 382

6. Brent Seabrook 361

Games played

1. Stan Mikita 1,396

2. Duncan Keith 1,163

3. Brent Seabrook 1,114

4. Bobby Hull 1,036

5. Eric Nestereno 1,013

<b>Season bests</b>Goals: 14 in 2015-16

Assists: 39 in 2010-11

Points: 49 in 2015-16

ATOI: 24:43 in 2011-12

Blocks: 180 in 2018-19

Hits: 227 in 2010-11

ATOI - Average time on ice