After his Dallas Stars were recently eliminated in the Western Conference Finals by the Edmonton Oilers, longtime Sharks forward Joe Pavelski indicated that he plans to retire from the NHL.
What a career it has been for Joe Pavelski in the NHL. Over the course of the past 18 seasons, Pavelski has accumulated 476 goals and 592 assists for 1,068 points in 1,533 games played, 1,332 of which were in the regular season. The conclusion of the 2023-24 regular season resulted in Pavelski finishing fifth among active players in goals and seventh in points. He was drafted in the seventh round at 205th overall by the Sharks in the 2003 draft and became one of the biggest draft steals of all time. In addition, his 201 playoff games made Joe Pavelski the 25th player to appear in at least 200 playoff games and the only one in that group to never win the Stanley Cup. In his last postseason run with the Stars, Pavelski recorded one goal in 19 postseason games.
Joe Pavelski spent his first 13 seasons in San Jose, highlighted by being named team captain during the 2015-16 season and becoming one of the driving forces that led the Sharks to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in franchise history in 2016. During the summer of 2019, the Sharks were unable to agree to a new contract with Pavelski, resulting in Pavs signing a three-year, $21 million deal to join the Dallas Stars. He has signed consecutive one-year deals to remain with the Stars after his first deal with Dallas expired at the end of the 2021-22 season. In addition, Pavelski made it to the Cup Final for the second and last time in his playing career with the Stars in 2020 but lost to the Tampa Bay lighting in the Edmonton bubble that year. Pavs was one of those players who has improved his performance with age and known to be one of the best in the league at tipping and deflecting pucks into the net. He turns 40 next month and plans to move his family back to his native Wisconsin once he officially hangs up the skates.
It sucks that Joe Pavelski was unable to win a Stanley Cup during his playing career, but I am eternally grateful for one of my all-time favorite San Jose Sharks. I'll always remember him for his exceptional goal-scoring, play-making, and leadership abilities. In addition, Joe Pavelski was an integral player in creating some of my best memories as a Sharks fan and hockey fan. I have had the privilege to see him play in person twice, once as a Shark in San Jose during the 2013-14 season and once as a Dallas Star in Los Angeles during the 2019-20 season. At the very least, Joe Pavelski should be considered for the Hockey Hall of Fame and have his number 8 retired by the Sharks and hung in the rafters at SAP Center sometime in the next few seasons. Looking forward to finding out and seeing what's next for Joe Pavelski in his post-NHL-playing days.
Sources: ESPN, San Jose Mercury News
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