Joe Pavelski officially announces retirement after 18-year NHL career

After an 18-year-NHL career, 40-year-old Joe Pavelski has officially announced his retirement from pro hockey.

Last month, during the Dallas Stars locker room cleanout, Pavelski told reporters that he was not planning on playing in the NHL for the 2024-25 season, directly hinting at a retirement announcement in the near future. Pavelski said he treated this season as his last kick at the can, helping the Stars advance to the Western Conference final before losing to the Edmonton Oilers in six games.

Pavelski notched 27 goals and 40 assists for 67 points in 82 games during the regular season; ranking second among Stars skaters. He had four points in 19 Stanley Cup playoff contests.

The Plover, Wisconsin forward was drafted 205th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2003 NHL Draft, where he spent the largest portion of his NHL career. He had 355 goals and 761 points in 963 games with the Sharks, which included a career-best season of 78 points in 2015-16. Pavelski served as captain with San Jose for four seasons and helped guide the club to a Stanley Cup Final in 2015-16. He signed with Dallas in 2019-20, helping the team make the Stanley Cup final just four years after he did so with the Sharks.

Pavelski notched 121 goals and 307 points in 369 games for the Stars over the past four years. He only missed two games with the team in 2019-20 before going four years without missing a single contest. Pavelski had 74 goals and 143 points in 201 postseason contests with Dallas and San Jose, which included an NHL-high 14 goals in 2015-16. Throughout his career, he tallied 1,068 points in 1,332 regular season games.

Outside of the NHL, Pavelski represented the United States in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, winning silver in 2010. He captained USA at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey after wearing the C for the second year in a row with the Sharks. Pavelski also won the NCAA national championship with Wisconsin in 2006 before turning pro the following season.