With another ODBHL season coming to an end there are always questions and anxiousness about teams plans for the next season. For some though it means the end of a journey that leads players into the next phase of life being retirement from professional hockey. That is the case for one of the all time great Saint John Kings, Taylor Hall. There have been whispers all season of the retirement of one of the leagues greatest career left wingers and these seemed to become a bit more public with the Kings re-acquisition of Hall early in the ODBHL season. Hall was seeing little pro ice time this past season but as big of a personality he was, even he could not outrun Father Time and the drawbacks he provides. It was rumored very early in the year that Hall desired to retire with the Saint John Kings in whichever capacity they could use him. The call was made, the deal was done and in exchange for David Pastrnak, Hall was Norton bound to work on the ice with some of the Kings future prospects..
Hall played about half of his career in the Loyalist City but it was always suspected that if the Hall of Fame called he would be entering with a Kings jersey on his back. With a career spanning 833 games and just short of 700 points, Hall sits fourteenth in ODBHL career scoring and third all time on the left wing. Hall won the Shanahan award in the league's second season with 96 points, a point total record that stood for 8 seasons following his setting it. Under his leadership the Saint John Kings went on to win 3 Barbarian Trophies and with 1 last run at a cup coming up, hopes he gets a chance to add that trophy to his list. His off ice accomplishments have also been legendary in Canada's Oldest City, from nights of leading some of the cities finest through after hours celevations to spending some downtime in the Charles Gorman Arena working on kids skating he was involved in the community.
The fans of Saint John are looking forward to seeing Taylor Hall at the ceremony being the second King being added to the Hall of Fame in a Saint John Jersey. They will all still be cheering him and the Kings on in this season's play off push.
Irwin P Freeley
9/30/2025 - 398 words
