After days of speculation, Joe Pavelski officially retired from the NHL on Tuesday, July 16, after 18 seasons.
Pavelski, who recently turned 40 on Thursday, July 11, played in the NHL from 2006 to 2024 as a forward who specializes in center and right wing. Pavelski’s first 13 seasons were with the San Jose Sharks in San Jose, California, and final five seasons were with the Dallas Stars in Dallas, Texas. He also played in the KHL for Dinamo Minsk in Minsk, Belarus, during the 2012-13 NHL lockout.
Pavelski, also known as “Captain America” and “Little Joe,” came a long way from his humble beginnings in Plover, Wisconsin. He was born in a Polish family whose original surname was spelled Pawelski.
Pavelski’s mother Sandy told the Stevens Point Journal in 2010, “He loved anything athletic, and hockey was just a good fit for the winter. You didn’t realize that your son was that good.”
Pavelski’s other immediate family include father Mike and three siblings Jerry, Sheri, and Scott. Scott never played in the NHL, but played in the NCAA for the University of New Hampshire men’s hockey team for four years as a forward.
Pavelski was drafted with the 205th overall pick in the seventh round by the Sharks at the 2003 NHL Draft out of the USHL’s Waterloo Blackhawks. Despite being a seventh-round pick, Pavelski’s career began on a high note, as he scored one goal in his first game and seven goals in his first 12 games. He became a regular on the Sharks’ roster during the 2007-08 NHL season and one of the best and most consistent young players on the Sharks. He played in all 82 regular-season games and all 13 postseason games during 2007-08.
Pavelski’s career continued to rise. Pavelski eventually led the Sharks to their first-ever Stanley Cup Final in 2016. Despite scoring just one goal in the Stanley Cup Final, Pavelski finished as the postseason leader in goals with 14 and third place in points with 23.
As a journalist, I was fortunate to cover the Sharks and Stars in my hockey tenures. I got the chance to see Pavelski in person in San Jose and Dallas. Pavelski’s an all-around good player on the ice. He’s also a good person off the ice. He has done a lot of great things for the media members and fans alike, including but not limited to, achieving his goals, helping his teams, and teaching other players.
Pavelski, a former Sharks captain, initially told reporters after the Stars’ postseason run ended that he didn’t plan to return next year. Pavelski’s words generated a lot of buzz up until this week, and rightfully so. His career was noteworthy, to say the least, and although his tenure in Dallas was just five years, he was highly productive on and off the ice, such as his 1000th career point on January 1, 2023, along with how he, his wife Sarah and their son Nathan allowed fellow teammate Wyatt Johnston to live with them during Johnston’s first two NHL seasons.
Johnston told CBS News in June 2024, “There’s so much that I’ve learned from him, and can’t thank him and his family enough for what they’ve done for me.”
As you can see, Pavelski has always been an all-around good man. Pavelski didn’t win a Stanley Cup before confirming his retirement, but he played in 963 games for the Sharks and 369 games with the Stars. He also represented his native United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where he won a silver medal and received the nickname “Swiss Army Knife” due to his swatting of a clearing attempt out of the air that made a pass and set up a play that resulted in Team USA tying the game with 24 seconds left on the clock.
Best of luck in retirement, Mr. Pavelski!
ITR 32: The Final Countdown – Inside The Rink
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