It's probably not the way he wanted everything to go down, but sometimes you don't get to make that choice. A former NHL first-round pick who played 700 games in the league has ended his career at the age of 34 due to injury. Tyler Ennis was playing with Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga this season, but informed the team yesterday he was retiring because of a neck injury he received in the second round of the Champions Hockey League tournament back in November. <q>After working hard to get healthy with our great team, I ultimately decided to quit hockey. I would like to thank Mr. Hopp, my teammates, the coaches, our medical staff and of course our great fans for their support. I will continue to cheer on the Adler Mannheim vigorously in the future. - Tyler Ennis</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/eishockey_mag/status/1747580394994532567?s=20'> </a></blockquote></div> <h2>34-year-old Former NHL First-rounder Retires</h2> Current Adler Mannheim head coach Dallas Eakins said he was very surprised with Ennis first told him the news, but he understands completely. <q>Yesterday morning Tyler informed me that he was retiring from hockey. At first I was surprised, but after talking to him for about two hours, I fully understand and support his decision. We were impressed with Tyler's dedication and commitment to recovering from his injury. Tyler's experience, work ethic and personality will be missed in our locker room and our organization. We are proud of Tyler for following his heart and making this brave, personal decision. Tyler has built an amazing career through hard work and persistence. These great qualities will serve Tyler well in his next chapter. We have Tyler's back and will always be there for him. - Dallas Eakins</q> <div align='center' style='padding-top:20px;padding-bottom:20px;'><img src='https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/i/photo/364611.webp' width='100%' border='0' alt='image' loading='lazy' defer /></div> <h2>Tyler Ennis Retires from Pro Hockey Because of Neck Injury</h2> Ennis was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres with the 26th overall pick in 2008. Ennis spent the bulk of his career in Buffalo, putting in eight seasons there before moving on to the Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, and Ottawa Senators. He left the NHL in 2022-23 to play in Switzerland, and then signed a contract with Adler Mannheim at the beginning of this season, playing a total of seven games with the team before retiring.