Former NHL goalie Jaroslav Halak has announced his retirement from the NHL after 17 seasons. By the end of his career, Halak had played 581 games, including 295 wins, with seven different teams.
Where it all began
Halak was born in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 1985. He played with his hometown team, Bratislava Slovan, for one season before being drafted by the Montreal Canadians in the ninth round of the 2003 NHL draft. Being drafted in the ninth round of the NHL draft, all the odds were against Halak becoming a solidified NHLer.
After being drafted by the Canadians, Halak began his career in North America with the Lewiston MAINEiacs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) where he played for one season, putting up a solid 24-17-4 record.
Halak then went on to the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) where he spent one season with the Long Beach Ice Dogs before coming to the American Hockey League (AHL) for two seasons with the Hamilton Bulldogs.
Halak's hard work eventually paid off, as he made his NHL debut on February 18th, 2007, against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Halak made 33 saves in a 3-2 win for the Canadians.
From that point on, Halak became an NHL regular. Over the next 16 seasons, he would continue to solidify himself as one of the top Slovakian goalies in NHL history.
Despite being drafted in the ninth round, Halak found a lot of success in North America. In 2007, Halak was named to the AHL all-rookie team after putting up a 16-11-0 record. He also played in the NHL All-Star Game in 2015 after one of his best seasons, recording a 38 win season when he was a part of the New York Islanders.
Halak brings his talent to Western Canada
On July 28th, 2021, the Vancouver Canucks signed Halak to a one-year contract. Halak would play 17 games for the Canucks while serving as the team's backup goalie.
The following season, Halak would sign a similar one-year contract with the New York Rangers. Following the season with the Rangers, Halak remained an unsigned free agent up until 2025 when he announced his retirement.
Halak's last NHL action was on April 13th, 2023, against the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 3-2 loss.
Two-time William M Jennings trophy winner
Halak twice won the William M. Jennings trophy, awarded to the goaltender who has allowed the least amount of goals. In 2013, with the St. Louis Blues, Halak and Brian Elliot took home the award. Then, in 2020, Halak again was awarded the William M. Jennings trophy with the Boston Bruins alongside Tuuka Rask.