Joe Pavelski officially retires after 18 seasons

Joe Pavelski has officially called it a career after 18 NHL campaigns.

The veteran forward - who turned 40 on Thursday - appeared in 1,332 regular-season games, split between the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars. He tallied 476 goals and 1,068 points, the sixth most among American players in league history.

Though Pavelski never lifted the Stanley Cup, he was a prolific playoff producer. His 74 goals in 201 postseason contests are the most by a U.S.-born player (Brett Hull scored 103 and, though he represented America internationally, he was born in Canada). Pavelski advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016 and 2020 and made the conference finals on five more occasions.

Pavelski became the oldest player to score four goals in a single playoff game in 2023 at 38 years old. Almost three years earlier, he netted the first postseason hat trick in Stars history since their relocation from Minnesota.

The Wisconsin native was leaning toward retirement when the Stars were eliminated in the Western Conference Final during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"I didn't want to use the 'R' word, I guess, right away. ... I wanted just a little bit of extra time (after the season) to think about it," Pavelski told SiriusXM's "NHL Morning Skate" on Tuesday, according to NHL.com. He added, "I was pretty comfortable with that plan then so I didn't want to keep people hanging and thinking and talking about certain things, but it's a pretty clear outlook.

"Over the last month, we've given it some more thought. ... It's just a great time for us as a family, as a career."

Pavelski became the 25th player to appear in 200 postseason games this past spring, but he's the only one without a ring.

San Jose selected Pavelski in the seventh round of the 2003 NHL Draft. He ranks second in franchise history in goals (355), third in points (761), and fourth in games played (963). He lit the lamp 41 times in 2013-14, becoming the fourth Sharks player to reach the single-season milestone.

Pavelski donned the 'C' for the last four years of his tenure in San Jose and signed with the Stars as an unrestricted free agent in 2019.

He enjoyed a spectacular second act in Dallas, including a career year in 2021-22 in which he potted 81 points in 82 outings. Pavelski spent most of his five-year stint with the Stars on the top line, forming a fearsome trio with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz.

Internationally, Pavelski won a silver medal with the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.