Jaroslav Halak Hangs Up the Skates After 17 Seasons in the NHL
Goaltender Jaroslav Halak officially announced his retirement from the NHL this Friday, ending a remarkable 17-season career. His last game was on April 13, 2023, with the New York Rangers, marking the end of his active time in the league.
After his time with the Rangers, Halak had a brief tryout with the Carolina Hurricanes at the beginning of the 2023-24 season, but he didn’t play any official games.Halak, a two-time winner of the William M. Jennings Trophy, as the goaltender of the team that allowed the fewest goals in a season, accumulated a record of 295-189-69, with 53 shutouts, a 2.50 goals-against average, and a .915 save percentage in 581 games played (555 as a starter). Throughout his career, Halak defended the colors of the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, and Rangers.“Last year I completed the summer training… but when nothing came up, I told myself it didn’t make sense. After that, I didn’t even try anymore. I am officially ending my career. I would like to thank my family, friends, fans and especially my wife Petra, who has been by my side throughout my career,” Halak declared to the Slovakian media Dennik Sport.
Jaroslav Halak
In addition to his success in the NHL, Halak represented his native Slovakia in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, and led Team Europe to the final of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.“Two years have passed and I have accepted not reaching 300 victories. Looking back on my career, it has been good. It would have been better with 300 victories, but I am happy with 295”, added Halak.
Jaroslav Halak
