Former San Jose Sharks captain Joe Pavelski has announced his retirement from hockey after an illustrious career. While he spent the twilight years of his career in the Lone Star State with the Dallas Stars, Pavelski made his name with the San Jose Sharks as one of the deadly trio of forwards the Sharks had alongside Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Those three would take the Sharks to the edge of glory for many years.
Little Joe was a 7th-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in the iconic 2003 NHL entry draft. His overwhelming success since entering the league has seen him shoot to the top of the ranks in that draft class in goals and points ahead of the likes of Eric Staal, Patrice Bergeron, Ryan Getzlaf, and a host of talents from one of the greatest draft classes ever assembled. Pavelski leads them all in terms of production throughout their careers.
Pavelski was talking to Mike Grier about continuing his career back in the Bay Area, where it all began after spending his waning years in Dallas. Still, Grier could not convince the man who captained the Sharks for four seasons to return to his former home, as he hangs the skates up aged 40. You cannot blame Pavelski for making this decision, but it would have been nice to see him retire in the teal of the Sharks, where he belongs.
Pavelski was the captain who brought this organization to the brink of the Stanley Cup in 2016. His leadership saw the golden generation of teal come so close to capturing the first Stanley Cup in the organization's history. All the jokes about the part of the stick the Sharks choke on could have died, but it wasn't meant to be. You can't hold that against Pavelski.
As a player, Pavelski became perhaps the best tipper of pucks in the history of this league. His ability to get pucks on shots going as quickly as they have ever been fired to go a different direction instead suddenly made him a threat to any netminder. He was a truly special talent in his younger days; every fan of the Sharks should be wishing him nothing but success in his retirement. Even if he wasn't a career-long Shark, he was a particular player.