Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer

September is quickly approaching, and things are looking different for Max McCormick.

It’s time to go back to school.

The former Coachella Valley Firebirds captain announced his retirement in June after missing the entire 2025-26 season following surgery after hip issues had plagued him for much of the back half of his career. There had been a bilateral hip scope in 2021. Mobility therapy programs. Constant maintenance. Stretching.

McCormick’s body finally had enough after 12 seasons of pro hockey spent playing a consistently hard-nosed, physically grinding style. Imaging detailed the degree of structural breakdown that he had played through for years. He recounts having difficulty getting out of bed and standing up some mornings.

“It had just gotten to a point where I couldn’t manage it,” McCormick said. “The decision really came down to my body, just not being able to do it anymore physically. I pretty much tried everything that I could do to avoid the surgery and continue to play, and it just wasn’t in the cards.”

But now it’s on to coaching. McCormick will step behind the bench as an assistant at Notre Dame de la Baie Academy, where McCormick played high school hockey before moving on to the United States Hockey League and Ohio State University.

McCormick was a sixth-round draft pick by the Ottawa Senators in 2011 and went on to skate in more than 600 pro games — 94 of them in the NHL with Ottawa, Carolina and Seattle. He was a top-line presence in the AHL for Binghamton, Belleville, Colorado, Chicago, Charlotte and Coachella Valley, recording 337 points (159 goals, 178 assists).

McCormick signed with the Kraken ahead of their inaugural season in 2021-22, spending most of the year in Charlotte as Seattle lacked a full-time AHL affiliate. With the Checkers on the opposite side of the country and a full file of concerns at the NHL level as an expansion team, the Kraken wanted a dependable veteran presence to lead their prospects. He brought that leadership with him to the desert, captaining the Firebirds to the Calder Cup Finals in 2023 and 2024.

He scored a career-high 32 goals in 2023-24, but was limited to just 19 games the following year. His appearance against the Wolves on Jan. 11, 2025, would prove to be the last game of his career. McCormick went to training camp last season, but then came the hip surgery.

Always forthright and direct as a player, McCormick remains so in retirement. Missing the better part of his final two pro seasons has worn on him.

“It was hard,” he acknowledged. “It was a lot harder than I even imagined. You’re competing, you’re with your teammates, you’re going on long playoff runs, and all of a sudden it’s just taken away from you. I’ve had this north star, this goal, this professional purpose as long as I can remember.

“I thought I was prepared for this moment, but I really wasn’t. It’s been a challenge, but it’s something I’m working through.”

Still, McCormick made the best of all that time off the ice. His final season concluded as the Firebirds’ team winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year Award for his community work. The Firebirds arrived four years ago in a market that had next to no history with hockey; McCormick and his teammates quickly integrated themselves into the desert community, connecting with fans well beyond the wins and playoff runs. For people unfamiliar with hockey, they taught them the sport. Spent time at local schools. They needed to bring this market into the hockey world, and they did whatever that goal required. Now going into their fifth season, the Firebirds have already hosted the AHL All-Star Classic, filled Acrisure Arena, and become a key part of the region.

Retirement means leaving all of that for McCormick. He will have a new north star this fall, however. Captaining the Firebirds provided some early education. They started as a team with a heavy veteran presence. But their third season brought a marked shift to a younger, much more prospect-oriented roster. McCormick had to change with that roster and take on a much more individual and hands-on role with so many young pros arriving.

Now he can leave an impact on players outside of the pro game. They will learn accountability, good habits, and the many other elements that make a good player.

“[My past coaches] made the effort to try to impact and be there for guys off the ice,” McCormick explained. “I think that’s something I want to be able to do, especially working with high-school kids. They’re really young and really moldable. I want to be able to teach them discipline and work ethic. If they implement those things and stick to a program and put in the time and effort, they can accomplish great things.”

Those students will learn from someone who worked his way to the NHL and earned the respect of teammates and opponents. But McCormick will be getting something back in the exchange as well. His career did not end the way that he had hoped. No player, especially one as intensely competitive as McCormick, wants to miss their final season. This new mission keeps firmly in this sport.

“I need to stay involved in the game of hockey,” McCormick said, “one way or another.”

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