Claire Thompson retires from PWHL to pursue medical school

Claire Thompson is trading her stick for a scalpel. The 28-year-old Vancouver Goldeneyes defender announced her retirement from hockey on Instagram on Thursday. She has chosen to go back to medical school at NYU Grossman in pursuit of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. Thompson won Olympic gold with Canada at the 2022 Beijing Games and silver earlier this year in Milan. She set an Olympic record for points by a defender with 13 in Beijing and finished with 17 points in 14 career Olympic games. Thompson also won the Walter Cup with the PWHL’s Minnesota Frost in 2025 before spending last...