Slovan Bratislava. Cheechoo was selected for the 2017 KHL All-Star game. Retirement On March 6, 2018, Cheechoo officially announced his retirement. He was recognized at the SAP Center in San Jose prior to the Sharks' game against the Calgary Flames on March 24, 2018. After Cheechoo announced his retirement, Sharks general manager Doug Wilson commented about Cheechoo's background; Wilson talked about the fact that he was a player who was able to have great success from a remote area of Canada. Personal life Cheechoo is a member of the Cree First Nations tribe from Moose Factory, Ontario. When he was young, Cheechoo did not believe he would play in the NHL; instead, he believed that he would follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and would become a trapper and hunter for the Cree. Over time, Cheechoo developed into a strong hockey player and, at age 14, left his home after being told he would need to in order to develop his hockey skills. Cheechoo moved to Timmins, Ontario, around 300 kilometres away from his home, to play bantam hockey. Living so far from home, Cheechoo was homesick and found it very difficult to have to leave his close family at such a young age. Cheechoo has said he had a very strong support system when he was deciding to pursue hockey. His success was a highlight for Moose Factory, as shown by the 120 individuals who left Moose Factory to support him when he went 29th overall in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. Growing up in a small town, Cheechoo enjoyed the tight-knit nature of the town and expressed thanks for the high level of support he had from the people he grew up with. Cheechoo's childhood was very reminiscent of a traditional Cree upbringing and he has said his favorite things to do when he was young were to hunt and fish with his grandfather, George Cheechoo. In his youth, Cheechoo was involved in the Little Native Hockey League, a tournament which gives aboriginal youth an outlet to play hockey. During the 25th Little Native Hockey Tournament, Cheechoo sat as the captain of the team and won the tournament. Cheechoo has described his involvement with the organization as being a positive aspect of his hockey career. Cheechoo sat as the Honorary Chair during the 46th annual event which took place in March 2017. Cheechoo has been known to