DCHP-2
hang up one's skates hanging up one's skates, hang up the skates 
Relating to all meanings, Chart 1, which returns all pronoun combinations and the definite article the represented by the asterisk *, shows that the phrase is most common in Canada, closely followed by South Africa (.za), where the expression is very frequent as well. The expression in yet another of a series of Canada-South Africa parallels, of which parkade and Gravol are two prominent examples. DCHP-2 (April 2016)
1 expression — Hockey
to finish playing hockey for the season.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — This appears to be the original meaning of the term when indoor rinks did not exist: to stop playing hockey in spring when outdoor ice surfaces would melt. This meaning is now considerably rarer than both meaning 2, which is the most common meaning today, and meaning 3.2 expression — Hockey
to retire from a hockey or figure-skating career.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — The expression to hang up [one's] skates has been used for a considerable time to mean retiring from a hockey or figure-skating career, whether professional or amateur. As seen in the 1942 quotation, its connotation of finality is apparent, as the speaker does not feel the expression is appropriate for the termination of an annual contract. The expression to hang up one's skates is influenced by similar phrases, such as "to hang up one's sword" ,"to hang up one's boots" or "to hang up one's boots/fiddle", which is defined as 'to quit work, retire, to die' (see DAE, s.v. "hang" (v)(4)) or 'to give up playing a game' (see OED-3, s.v. "to hang up" (2)).3 expression; in figurative use
to give up or to retire.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — As a semantic generalization of meaning 2, there are also examples of the expression extending beyond the semantic domain of hockey or skating. Accordingly, hang up one's skates can be used to describe retirement from any field, such as business or politics (see the 1960, 1999 and 2007 quotations). Moreover, the expression can be further generalized to refer to the act of quitting or giving up (see the 1998 quotation, see ITP Nelson, s.v. "hang").
See also COD-2, s.v. "hang" (n), which is marked "Cdn".
