Joe Pavelski set to retire after 18 seasons in the NHL

Per reports by ESPN, NHL great Joe Pavelski is set to retire after 18 seasons in the NHL.

Ryan S. Clark reports Pavelski told NHL media members, “this is it for me,” following the Stars series loss to the Oilers.

While Pavelski admits nothing is official yet, he also said, “The plan is not to play next year,” suggesting this really is it for the American.

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The former San Jose Shark told reporters he still felt “raw” following his team’s elimination and will allow himself, “a little bit of time to really put it together and figure it out,” before making any decisions formal.

Pavelski played 1,332 regular season games during his career, beginning with the Sharks in 2006 following his selection in the 2003 NHL Draft, before moving to the Dallas Stars before the 2019-20 season.

As the Olympic silver medallist is not officially retired, he is still technically fifth amongst active players in goals scored, and seventh in points, per NHL Media.

Stars coach Pete DeBoer told reporters after Pavelski’s announcement he is unsure on whether he has played his last game or not, but that it was an, “absolute privilege of my coaching career to coach a guy like that”.

Despite his own stellar play and being a member of consistently competitive Sharks and Stars teams, Pavelski was never able to win a Stanley Cup, despite appearing in the 2016 and 2020 Finals, per ESPN.

Pavelski was a key member of the USA’s 2010 Olympic team that came so close to upsetting the Canadians in their own backyard. Sidney Crosby’s OT winner was all that separated the teams in the end, per the official Olympic website.

Barclay Goodrow, who played with Pavelski in San Jose, told NHL Media, “I think coming into the League as a young guy, he was one that would always look after younger guys. He always set the example. He’s a guy that did everything right.” and that, “The League’s going to miss him.”

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