"Now is the right time to retire, I'm fortunate to have found a new challenge in the financial sector," Timo Helbling says to Zaugg. "I am very grateful for everything I have experienced during my career."
Most recently, the 37-year-old suited up for the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers. 20 years ago, Helbling was drafted as 162nd overall by the Nashville Predators, went overseas and joined the Windsor Spitfires in the Ontarion Hockey League (OHL), as one of the first Swiss players to make his way to the North American junior leagues. He worked his way up to the AHL until finally making his NHL debut for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2005-06 season.
In Switzerland, Helbling played for HC Davos, EHC Kloten, HC Lugano, EV Zug, HC Fribourg-Gottéron, SC Bern, and the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers. In 2016, he celebrated his first and only Swiss championship with SC Bern. Helbling appeared in a total of 721 games in the National League (154 points), eleven NHL games (one point), and also 42 games in the Finnish Liiga for Kärpät Oulu (five points).
( 09 April 2019 | tme )
