Veteran Boston Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask announced his retirement from the NHL after 15 seasons on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old returned from hip surgery this season, but he only appeared in four games before opting to hang up his pads for good.

"Today is a day that I hoped would never come. But now that it's here, I feel I owe it to everyone to hear it from me," Rask said in a statement.