With his 442nd career goal in tow and a chance to be feted on the ice by his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates, forward Jeff Carter bid farewell to his NHL career Wednesday night.
“This was it. I kind of knew coming in at the start of the year that this would be it,” said Carter, 39, who scored in the Penguins’ season-ending 5-4 loss to the Islanders in New York.
“It was time. … I’ve had a blast.”
There were signs he was going to announce his retirement before he left the ice.
His family was in the stands during the game and came down to the bench area at the end of the game. Official Wes McCauley shook Carter’s hand at the end of the game.
Then his Penguins teammates lingered by the bench, formed a circle and gave him stick taps as he was named the game’s No. 3 star — likely a stick tap in itself from the Islanders.
“That was really nice of them,” Carter said, adding that it was a “pretty special moment to get”a goal in his final game. “Something I’ll remember for sure.”
He began his career with Philadelphia in 2005-06 after being a Flyers first-round draft pick in 2003, played briefly with Columbus and won two Stanley Cups with Los Angeles before coming to the Penguins in a trade during the 2020-21 season.
Taking on the moniker Big Jeff Carter, he played various roles in his three-plus seasons. His game faltered some, but he settled in nicely as a fourth-liner and penalty-killer this season, when he had 11 goals and 15 points in 72 games.
Carter’s contract ended with the conclusion of this season.
He said he doesn’t have clear retirement plans other than “I’m going to be at home and be a dad for a while.”
He said he and his family are remaining in Pittsburgh and noted that the trade to the Penguins “I think gave me a couple extra years” in his career. “It’s been great.”
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