Sharks captain Logan Couture to announce end of career due to injury

Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishSan Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture is expected to announce the end of his career on Tuesday following a two-year struggle with a groin-related injury.Couture, accompanied by Sharks general manager Mike Grier, will hold a news conference at SAP Center to address his inability to return to the ice. League sources told The Athletic’s Chris Johnston that Couture will not officially retire, which would prevent him from being paid for the final two years of the eight-year, $64-million contract extension he signed in 2018.Couture has been dealing with a condition known as osteitis pubis, which, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is inflammation in the joint between the left and right pubic bones. It can cause pain and swelling in one’s groin or lower abdominal and can be commonly found in athletes due to the repetitive usage of the hips, pelvis and groin.The 36-year-old Couture has not played this season. His final game occurred on Jan. 31, 2024, in Anaheim. It was the last of only six he played last season after months of rehabilitation and recovery after he was initially sidelined before Sharks training camp. Couture had sounded hopeful about his playing future when he returned to the ice.It is an unfortunate end to a quality career for one of the most respected Sharks in franchise history and one of the final links to their era of winning clubs and Stanley Cup-contending squads. Drafted with the No. 9 pick in 2007, Couture scored 323 goals and added 378 assists in 933 regular-season games across 15 seasons in San Jose.Couture perhaps will be best remembered for his excellent work in the postseason. The center scored 48 goals in 116 playoff games. He had a huge 2016 playoffs, in which he scored 10 times and led the Sharks with 30 points in their run to their only Cup Final appearance. He also had team-leading totals of 14 goals and 20 points when the Sharks advanced to the Western Conference finals in 2019.(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)