“Dear Latvian hockey fans, family, friends! The time has come to thank everyone for the huge support during the 16 years I spent in the national team! It was a great honor to perform under the flag of the Motherland! Thank you to everyone I was with on the ice, sharing the joy of victory and the bitterness of loss ,” Kulda announced on his “Instagram” account on Monday.” Thank you for the unforgettable emotions and memories from the games in the national team.”
“I thank the coaches and their assistants, national team staff, employees of the hockey federation and everyone who created the conditions for a successful game in the national team! Thank you for supporting the best fans in the world – Latvian fans,” thanked 34-year-old Kulda.
Kulda participated in eight world championships and two Olympic Games as part of the Latvian national team.
This season, Kulda represents the Austrian club “Villacher SV” at the club level, scoring five goals and providing 20 assists in 46 games.
Previously, the defender represented the German DEL League teams Krefeld “Penguine” and Nuremberg “Ice Tigers”, Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) clubs Cherepovets “Severstal”, Riga “Dinamo”, Beijing “Kunlun Red Star”, Helsinki “Jokerit”, Ufa “Salavat” Yulayev” and Novosibirsk “Sibir”.
Also, Kulda spent several seasons in North America, playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), American Hockey League (AHL) and also played 15 games in the National Hockey League (NHL), appearing episodicly for the Atlanta “Thrashers” (six games) and Winnipeg “Jets” (nine matches) in the lineups.
Artūrs Kulda’s younger brother, forward Edgars Kulda, has represented the national team in one world championship.
