Jeffrey Buttle has retired

[Canskater]

http://www.cbc.ca/sportsnews/story/2008/09/10/figure-skating-buttleretire.html


Good luck to him in all his future endeavors.

[Isk8NYC]

I wasn't expecting that. Good luck to him. Hope I get to see him in some exhibitions one day.

[Artemis]

Wow! That's a shocker!

But then again, now that I think about it ... Jeff has always been a smart and realistic skater. He knows he'd have a tough time finishing on the podium in Vancouver. And at his age, staying injury-free for that long would be a challenge in itself. So why not go out on a high?

I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.

[Oracle]

Best of luck to him in the future. I think its a smart move on his part.

[LilJen]

I was thinking it was a joke or a typo or something. . . really, really sad to see him go because I think his skating is fantastic. But wishing him all the best with school and the rest of life.

[doubletoe]

Such a shock, and I'm so sad, but I can't say I blame him. 11 years on the world scene, an Olympic medal and World championship is pretty hard to top. But I'm going to miss him!! :cry:

Here's the story on the Skate Canada website, just to offer a second source:
http://www.skatecanada.ca/en/news_views/press_room/news_releases/2008/september10.cfm

[Sparkey]

Maybe this dates me, but I remember when he quit university in order to skate full time. He certainly has fulfilled his potential in skating, now on to the rest of life. Good luck in university Jeff!

[Bailey]

I have to say, I'm shocked. I was just expecting him to continue until Vancouver 2010.

[MQSeries]

It's a nice way to go out on top.

[Mel On Ice]

Wow, I was just coming over to report this. A stunner to be sure, but looking at his career, he's had one heck of a great run. His programs in '06 are among my favorites.