Former Union star TJ Fox retires from hockey

by Ryan Fay

It wasn't an easy decision.

But for former Union men's hockey star TJ Fox, the time had come to hang up the skates. The forward announced his retirement from professional hockey after seven seasons earlier this week.

"I knew I couldn't play hockey forever and eventually the time would come where I had to move on to the next chapter in my life," Fox said Saturday. "My wife and I are expecting our first child in late December, and with the uncertainty of minor league hockey this summer we needed some stability for what is to come. It was a tough decision to step away from a sport I've played since I was two years old, but thinking about the future for my family it was the right decision."

Fox in 2011-12 with the CHL's Texas
Brahmas. He had 18 goals and 37
assists in 63 games that year.

Fox spent last season with the Central Hockey League's Denver Cutthroats, where he registered eight goals and 19 assists in 63 games. He added six assists in 16 postseason contests as the team marched to the CHL finals.

Fox's original plan was to play at least another season. The 30-year-old signed with the CHL's Arizona Sundogs in August, but the team suspended operations shortly after amid rumors of a possible merger with the ECHL. Plans to sign with another team fell through.

"I was shocked when I found out Arizona had [suspended] operations a week after I had signed with them. I was disappointed when I found out," Fox said.

While his hockey career may have ended on a down note, Fox had many great memories from his time in pro hockey. One was his first pro goal, which happened on Oct. 21, 2007. He scored the game-winner that night for the American Hockey League's Worcester Sharks in a 5-3 win over the Providence Bruins. The goalie he beat was Tuuka Rask, who has since become an Olympian and a star for the Boston Bruins.

Another memorable moment occurred that same season when Fox was in his first training camp with the San Jose Sharks.

"I remember skating around before a practice next to guys like Joe Thornton and Jeremy Roenick," Fox recalled. "That's something I had only dreamed about as a kid and I got a chance to experience it."

Fox's pro career took him here, there and everywhere. He topped out in the AHL, playing 154 career games at that level, almost all with Worcester. Fox also had stops in the ECHL, the CHL and he played parts of two seasons in Germany.

"Germany was a great experience," Fox recollected. "The fans are very passionate about their hockey and that creates a great atmosphere to play in. The game is played a lot more patiently, especially on the big ice sheet, and it's also a lot less physical than playing in North America."

Fox played for Union from 2005-07. He led the Dutchmen in scoring his sophomore year in 2006-07, notching 13 goals and 24 assists in 36 games. Shortly after the season, he surrendered his final two years of eligibility to sign with San Jose. Though it's become an annual event for a Union player to leave early to turn pro, it was unheard of in Fox's era. He doesn't regret the move.

"I think I made the decision any kid growing up who wanted to play professional hockey would have made," he said. "I played to make it to the next level and when I got the opportunity I took it."

With his playing days now over, Fox has taken a position with a contracting company in the Syracuse area. The Oswego native looking forward to what the future brings.

"I'm excited for what is to come, to welcome a baby girl into this world, and to be able to spend more of my time around family," he said.

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