On July 24, 2003, Girard was driving with friends near his hometown in Quebec when he lost control of his car and it flipped over. Girard required surgery for a broken pelvis and to remove fluid from his lungs. While at the time it was not known if Girard would ever play hockey again, he showed tremendous resilience in returning to skating at the Bruins' practice facility in Wilmington, Massachusetts in March, 2004. However, the loss of the 2004–05 NHL season due to a lockout nullified his attempt at a return to hockey that year. Girard played one game with Providence in the AHL on October 15, 2005, before returning to Quebec to consult with his doctors. On November 30, Girard announced his decision to retire, having fully recovered from his injuries but unable to play professional hockey again. (Wikipedia)