Former UMass Lowell and Anaheim Ducks goaltender Kevin Boyle announced his retirement from hockey on Friday.
The 30-year-old made the announcement in a heartfelt Instagram post.
“Hockey has been a part of my life ever since I was born,” Boyle wrote Friday. “I was lucky enough to have an older brother who was a goalie himself, who was my idol. From the second I could walk I wanted to be like him and put the pads on. And I fell in love with it. The moment I flashed my first glove save I knew I was hooked.
“My dream my whole life was to play in the NHL. I am so proud to say that I achieved that dream. There has been so many ups and downs in my hockey career but it all helped me become the man I am today. To be able to look back on all of this is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.
“With that being said, unfortunately my time playing has come to an end. It is time for me to take a step back and focus on myself mentally, and focus on the future for my family. I’m so excited to see what the future has in store for me. There are so many people to thank most importantly my family, friends and rockstar of a wife @kendallrboyle . But to everyone I have met along the way, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for helping a young boy live out his dream.”
Boyle played two seasons with UMass Lowell after transferring from UMass. His 2015–16 season at UML was his best, recording a 24-10-5 record along with giving up 1.88 goals per game and posting a .934 save percentage with seven shutouts. He earned Hockey East Goaltender of the Year honors and shared Hockey East Co-Player of the Year honors alongside Thatcher Demko. He established a single-season school record in shutouts and broke former NHL goaltender Dwayne Roloson’s school record for minutes played (2,342 in 1993-94).
The former River Hawk reflected on his time in Lowell after the school tweeted about his retirement.
“My time at Lowell was the most influential of my career,” Boyle tweeted Monday. “Thank you guys for helping shape me into who I am today. I’m jazzed to be able to catch a few more games live now!”
Though undrafted in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Boyle signed a one-year contract with the Ducks. After three seasons with the AHL San Diego Gulls, the Ducks signed Boyle to a two-year, two-way contract.
Injuries gave Boyle a chance to take the net for theDucks in the 2018-19 season. In his first career start, Boyle earned a shutout victory over the Vancouver Canucks, making 35 saves in the 1-0 win. Boyle played five games that year, finishing with a 1-3 record in four starts and collecting 129 saves.
Despite signing with the Detroit Red Wings in 2020, Boyle would play the shortened season with their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. The goaltender would play one year with the Italian based HC Bolzano of the ICE Hockey League before calling it a career.
Despite only one year in the NHL, it was a memorable first start for Boyle, and as he said in his Instagram post, he was able to live out a dream so many others yearn for.
