Former San Jose Sharks forward Nick Bonino has announced his retirement from professional hockey.
Bonino won’t be out of the NHL for long, as he announced on a video circulating on social media that he is joining the Pittsburgh Penguins coaching staff.
Bonino last played in the NHL with the New York Rangers during the 2023-2024 season. He was eventually waived midway through that season and found his way to Slovenia to play in the Austrian pro league.
As the former Sharks centerman said in the video, he won a championship in his final game as a professional hockey player.
It is unclear what his exact coaching role with the Penguins will be, but the two-time Stanley Cup Champion is joining the team with which he won his rings.
After letting Mike Sullivan go as head coach this off-season, the Penguins hired Dan Muse. Muse comes from the Rangers organization and is a first-time NHL head coach.
The Penguins’ coach has a connection to San Jose Sharks forward Will Smith. Muse coached Smith during the 2022-2023 season with the U.S. NTDP U-18 Team.
“[Muse and I] chatted real quick right before [morning skate],” Smith said before his first game against the New York Rangers last November. “It’s pretty funny that we were together on the U.S. team two years ago, and now we’re both NHL, so it’s pretty cool.”
At 42 years old, Muse adds a smart former NHL veteran to his coaching staff. Bonino was never a top scorer, but the San Jose Sharks’ sixth-round pick in 2007 had a long and successful career. Bonino finished with 868 NHL games.
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