On Tuesday Dec. 8, 2015, the Pittsburgh Penguins made the announcement that Pascal Dupuis would no longer be able to play hockey and would retire due to complications following pulmonary blood clots he suffered last season.

Dupuis, a 36-year-old Quebec native, got his start in the NHL after being signed by the Minnesota Wild in 2000. In the 2006-07 season, he was traded to the New York Rangers. Eighteen days later, he was traded to the former Atlanta Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets). And one year later, in Feb. of 2008, Dupuis joined the Pittsburgh Penguins where he would help the team win their third Stanley Cup.

Like any hockey player, Dupuis suffered his fair share of injuries throughout his career, including a torn ACL that would put him out for most of the 2013-14 season. But, his most significant trauma would come in November of 2014 when he was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs. After tearing his ACL the previous season, Dupuis' doctors found a blood clot in his leg, which they believed travelled to his lungs.

After sitting out for the remainder of the 2014-15 season and a few weeks of the 2015-16 season, Dupuis returned to the lineup. But, after only playing in 18 games and experiencing a handful of health scares related to his blood clots, Dupuis made the decision to retire from hockey.

This news is upsetting to not only to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but to all of those in the hockey community. Dupuis was a class act and a fan favorite. While he was never a superstar, Dupuis was widely loved by all Penguins' fans.

From his famous "Thanks, Daaaaan" interviews with ROOT Sports broadcaster Dan Potash...

To showing his love for his teammates...

And pulling his teeth out mid-game...

Dupuis was loved by all. Following his announcement on Tuesday, the hashtag #ThanksDuper started trending on Twitter in Pittsburgh.

Tweets poured in from other players...

Fans...

...and even the Pittsburgh Steelers

Hockey players are arguably the toughest athletes in the world of sports. Players have suffered heart attacks on the bench and tried to go back into the game. Other have skated on broken femurs, feet and dislocated kneecaps. Several of them lose teeth mid-game or leave for one period to get stitches and come back for the next. But blood clots are a different story. You can't suture them up, put a cast on them, or pull them out, only to worry about them later. Dupuis made the right decision.

As a Penguins fan, this news is heartbreaking. Losing an iconic player who brought so much laughter and excitement to the team is rough. I know that I will never see Pascal Dupuis on ice, in his Penguins jersey, ready to play ever again. But, while this is a very sad situation, the Penguins and NHL community both gained so much respect for Dupuis.

He made the difficult decision to retire from hockey for not only the sake of his health, but the sake of his family. Dupuis has a wife and four children that he put before himself, and I would expect nothing else from this outstanding Pittsburgh Penguin.

From myself and the rest of the hockey community: thanks, Pascal Dupuis. Thanks for your hard work on and off the ice. Thanks for your dedication to your team and your family. Thanks for always entertaining the fans and viewers. Thanks for always being a class act. Thanks for truly defining what it means to be a hockey player. Thanks for making the right decision. Thanks for seven great years of hockey.

Thanks, Pascal Dupuis.