Giants record cap holder Garside retires

Image source, Press Eye

Image caption, Garside won five Elite League titles and four Challenge Cups with the Giants

Defenceman Mark Garside, the Belfast Giants' record cap holder, has been forced to retire due to a longstanding shoulder injury.

The 35-year-old Scot joined the Giants ahead of the 2010-11 season and went on to make over 670 appearances, winning five Elite League titles, four Challenge Cups and a play-off title.

Prior to his Belfast move, Garside spent four seasons at Edinburgh Capitals. He also earned 40 caps for Great Britain, including two at the 2020-21 World Championships in Latvia.

His 13 seasons with the Giants were broken up by a stint with the Nottingham Panthers during the 2020-21 Elite League campaign.

鈥淯nfortunately, the time has come to call it a day," said Garside.

"Throughout my career, I鈥檝e had to deal with a persistent shoulder problem, and last season it reached a point where it would no longer recover enough to continue playing.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to put into words how much fun I鈥檝e had, from my early career in Edinburgh, within the Team GB setup, and with the Giants."