FanHouse StefanLegein

Back in August we told you the story about Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Stefan Legein and his sudden decision to retire from professional hockey at the tender age of 19. Last anyone heard, Legein was working at a pizza parlor somewhere North of the border.

But now, in the midst of all the hoopla over Sean Avery's suspension, most of the hockey world -- with the exception of the indefatigable Aaron Portzline -- missed the news that Legein wants back in.

Here's the straight dope from the CBC:

"I missed it," Legein, who turned 20 on Nov. 24, told cable sports network TSN. "I don't have any regrets about what I did, but I know I want to play now.

"I am planning to go to Columbus at the beginning of January, and from there, I hope to be going to Syracuse [of the American Hockey League]."

Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson told the Columbus Post-Dispatch that the team is behind Legein's comeback attempt but feels the player will have some bridges to build with his teammates.

"If he's ready to do this and display the necessary passion, I have compassion for him, and we'll welcome him back," Howson said.

I guess we could write more, but I'd rather say, welcome back. Give it your best shot, kid.

(HT: Sean Leahy)

Stefan Legein, a 2007 second round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets who is just 19 has retired. Or has he?

The kid -- a promising prospect on a lot of levels -- is coming off a season where he helped Canada win a World Junior championship. But as surprising as this news might be, the way that news made it online might be just as interesting.

The first online report of Legein's retirement came from Aaron Portzline at Puck-Rakers, the Blue Jackets blog at the Columbus Dispatch. But when it came to nailing down the story, Portzline had an assist from a local blogger:

This story is shocking on so many different levels. Earlier today, I got an email from a Puck-Rakers reader, Bethany, of Bethany's Hockey Rants. Actually, it was a "forward" of an email she got from an anonymous person in Ontario saying Legein had retired.

After a slew of phone calls to sources throughout the NHL, I finally got somebody to tell be [sic] off the record that's it true. Just a few minutes ago, Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson confirmed it.

Of course, the next question has to be: Why? Why would a kid who had a pretty good shot at eventually making his way to the NHL decide to walk away from it all? From all indications, Legein didn't do much of anything to telegraph his punch.