Joe Pavelski said goodbye on Monday.
Pavelski had already made it known that he was retiring after the Dallas Stars were beat by the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals in June.
The 40-year-old released a statement via the Stars:
Of course, as much as Pavelski meant to Dallas fans, he means every bit that, and more, to San Jose Sharks fans.
The Sharks selected him in the seventh round of the 2003 Draft, and he became one of the most beloved players in franchise history, captaining the team to their first-ever Stanley Cup Final in 2016.
So Pavelski couldn’t say goodbye without talking about his time with the San Jose Sharks, which ended in 2019 when he signed with the Stars.
“There are two moments that stand out as favorites during my playing career, and funny enough, both started with me getting knocked out. Both incidents happened in the playoffs, once with San Jose against Vegas during the 2019 playoffs, and then again while I was playing for Dallas against Minnesota in 2023,” Pavelski wrote, referring to getting tangled up with Cody Eakin in 2019 and hit high by Matt Dumba in 2023.
Pavelski returned two weeks later in 2019 and 2023.
“In each of these instances, my teammates had my back and our team advanced deeper into the playoffs while I was recovering, giving me the chance to return to the lineup,” he wrote. “I was lucky enough to score in both return games — a goal and an assist in game seven against Colorado with San Jose, and a four-goal game in game one against Seattle with Dallas. Seeing Jumbo’s face as I skated back to the bench, and his genuine excitement boiling over, is something that is etched in my brain to this day.”
So what’s next for Pavelski?
“It’s just a great time for us right now as a family,” he said last week. “I think I’m ready to step away from the game on the playing side of things.”
We’ll see if there’s space for a post-hockey career for family man Pavelski. The door is surely open in both Dallas and San Jose.
In 963 games with the San Jose Sharks, Pavelski racked up 355 goals and 406 assists. In 369 games with the Stars, he put up 121 goals and 186 assists.
In 201 playoff games, Pavelski added 74 goals and 69 assists.
Pavelski retires as both the 2003 Draft’s highest goal (476) and point (1,068) scorer.
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