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Joe Pavelski

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Joe Pavelski
Pavelski (right) with the San Jose Sharks in February 2010
Born (1984-07-11) July 11, 1984 (age 40)
Plover, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Forward
Shot Right
Played for San Jose Sharks
Dinamo Minsk
Dallas Stars
National team  United States
NHL draft 205th overall, 2003
San Jose Sharks
Playing career 2006–2024

Joseph James Pavelski (born July 11, 1984) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars.

Pavelski attended the University of Wisconsin and played for the Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team. He was subsequently drafted 205th overall in the seventh round of the 2003 NHL entry draft by the Sharks, with whom he spent the first thirteen years of his NHL career, additionally serving as captain during his final four years with the team. He is often regarded as one of the greatest Sharks of all time,[1][2] having led the team to their first Stanley Cup Finals in 2016. After departing in free agency, he spent the final five seasons of his career in Dallas, with whom he made the Finals again in 2020.

Nicknamed "Little Joe" and "Captain America", Pavelski scored a goal in his first NHL game, making him the 11th Sharks player in the history of the team to do so. He holds the record for most playoff goals by an American-born player, with 74.

Internationally, Pavelski won a silver medal as a member of the United States men's national ice hockey team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He also served as captain of Team USA at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto.

Early life

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Pavelski was born in Plover, Wisconsin, to Sandy and Mike Pavelski, and he has three siblings – Jerry, Sheri, and Scott.[3] His family is of Polish origin and their surname was originally spelled Pawelski.[4] His mother said: "He loved anything athletic, and hockey was just a good fit for the winter. You didn't realize that your son was that good."[5]

His younger brother, Scott, was a student-athlete for four years with the University of New Hampshire men's ice hockey team, but did not play professionally.[6]

Playing career

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Amateur

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Pavelski won a Wisconsin State Hockey Championship with SPASH (Stevens Point Area Senior High) Panthers in 2002.[7] He was a member of the 2004 Clark Cup champion Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL. He won the 2004 USHL Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year Award.[8]

Pavelski played in 84 games over two seasons (2004–06) at the University of Wisconsin of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association He recorded 101 points (39–62). Pavelski was named to the All-WCHA Rookie Team in 2005, was selected to the All-WCHA Second Team, and the Men's RBK Division I West All-America Second Team. He helped Wisconsin win the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship,[9] while leading the team in overall points.[10]

Professional

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San Jose Sharks (2006–2019)

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Pavelski during a game in the 2007–08 season.

Pavelski began his NHL career in the 2006–07 season. He began on a hot streak, scoring a goal in his first game, and scoring 7 goals and 10 points in his first 12 games. Pavelski earned the nickname "Little Joe" from Sharks announcer Randy Hahn, a reference to Pavelski's teammate and San Jose superstar "Jumbo Joe", Joe Thornton.[11]

During the 2007–08 season, Pavelski became a regular player on the Sharks roster and one of the best and most consistent young players on the squad, playing in all 82 regular season games and in all 13 2008 Stanley Cup playoff games. He also became one of the most effective players in the NHL during shootouts, scoring 7 times on 11 opportunities that season. During the 2008 playoffs, he was tied with Ryane Clowe for the team lead in goals (five) and tied for second with Clowe in points (nine). Pavelski also led San Jose with three game-winning goals during the playoffs, which tied for third most in the playoffs overall. In addition to his offensive numbers, he finished tied 12th among NHL forwards in blocked shots (59) during the regular season.[12]

Pavelski had another solid season in 2008–09, playing in 80 games and recording 25 goals and 34 assists for 59 points, career-highs for all three statistics at the time.

During the 2010 playoffs, Pavelski had three-straight multi-goal games (Game 6 against the Colorado Avalanche and Games 1 and 2 against the Detroit Red Wings), not only helping the Sharks win all three games, but also becoming the first player to do so since Mario Lemieux in 1992. It was after this streak that he also picked up the nickname "The Big Pavelski" to accompany his nickname of "Little Joe".

Pavelski came close to scoring his first NHL hat-trick on March 19, 2011, against the St. Louis Blues. After the game, however, one of the goals was awarded to Patrick Marleau, when it had been originally attributed to Pavelski.[13]

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Pavelski signed with Belarusian team Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).[14]

On July 30, 2013, the Sharks announced that Pavelski had signed a new five-year contract with the team effective from the 2014–15 season through to the 2018–19 season.[15] On March 11, 2014, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pavelski scored his 400th career NHL point.[16] During the season, Pavelski recorded a career-high 41 goals and 79 points.[17]

During the 2014–15 season, Pavelski had another strong offensive season, scoring 70 points (37 goals and 33 assists)[18] and was named one of the Sharks' four alternate captains.

On October 5, 2015, Pavelski was named the Sharks' ninth captain in history, over teammates (and former Sharks' captains) Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.[19][20]

During the 2015–16 regular season, Pavelski tallied 78 points (38 goals and 40 assists) and he earned a spot in the 2016 NHL All-Star Game. He finished fifth in the NHL in goals with 38, sixth in points and first in game-winning goals with 11. Pavelski's success continued into the 2016 playoffs, as he led the Sharks into their first ever Stanley Cup Finals. Pavelski only scored one goal in the Finals, though he still finished as the playoff leader in goals (14) and finished third in points (23).[18]

Pavelski in December 2016.

On December 1, 2017, Pavelski scored his 300th NHL goal on a pass from Joe Thornton against the Florida Panthers.[21] He became only the second Sharks player to score 300 goals with the team, Patrick Marleau.[22]

On April 23, 2019, during the 2019 playoffs, Pavelski suffered a major head injury after a cross check from Vegas Golden Knights center Cody Eakin, followed immediately by an incidental collision with Vegas' Paul Stastny which knocked Pavelski awkwardly to the ice.[23] Pavelski was helped off of the ice and did not return to the game. Eakin was charged with a five-minute major penalty and a ten-minute game misconduct,[24] which enabled the Sharks to score four goals in five minutes and send the game to overtime. The Sharks later won the game 5–4 in overtime and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.[25]

Dallas Stars (2019–2024)

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Pavelski (left) battles with Jared McCann of the Seattle Kraken during Round 2 Game 6 of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.

On July 1, 2019, as an unrestricted free agent, Pavelski signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Dallas Stars.[26] On August 16, 2020, during the first round of the 2020 playoffs, Pavelski scored the first postseason hat-trick in Stars history since their relocation from Minnesota; Dino Ciccarelli (twice), Steve Payne and Bob Brooke had previously scored playoff hat-tricks for the North Stars.[27] On September 26, 2020, in game 5 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pavelski scored his 61st playoff goal against Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, surpassing Joe Mullen (who has 60 playoff goals) as the all-time playoff goal scorer by a United States-born player. Pavelski and the Stars would go on to lose the series 4-2.

Pavelski was named an alternate captain for the 2021–22 season and has played on the Stars' top-line, alongside young guns Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson.[28] That top-line led the Stars in scoring, accounting for almost 44% of the Stars’ goals.[29] Given the age difference between Pavelski and his linemates (12 and 15 years), the line became known as the "Pavelski and Sons" line in the Dallas sports media. On November 26, 2021, he scored his 400th NHL goal, making him the tenth American-born player to do so.[30] On March 11, 2022, the Stars signed Pavelski to a one-year, $5.5 million contract.[31] He would go on to enjoy a highly productive output during the 2021–22 season, scoring 27 goals with 54 assists for a career-best 81 points in the season in all 82 games played.

On January 1, 2023, the Stars signed Pavelski to a one-year, $3.5 million extension.[32] Pavelski scored his 1,000th career point in a 6–1 win over the Detroit Red Wings with a goal on goaltender Ville Husso on April 10, 2023.[33]

Following the Stars' elimination from the 2024 playoffs in early June, Pavelski initially indicated that he planned to retire, though he declined to do so officially.[34] A month and a half later, on July 16, 2024, five days after his 40th birthday, Pavelski formally announced his retirement from professional hockey.[35]

International play

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Pavelski (#16) and Ryan Callahan (#24, with puck) move up ice against Canada during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2010 Vancouver Team

On January 1, 2010, Pavelski was selected to the 2010 USA Olympic team, the only USA player from the San Jose Sharks. He had three assists in the team's silver medal effort and was second in faceoff percentage amongst all players in the tournament. In the waning seconds of regulation time in the gold medal game, Pavelski won a faceoff,[5] swatted a clearing attempt out of the air, and made a pass that set up the play that resulted in the Americans tying the game with 24 seconds left. He was nicknamed "Swiss Army Knife" by USA general manager Brian Burke.[36] On January 1, 2014, Pavelski was selected to the 2014 USA Olympic team, his second appearance. After being named captain of Team USA for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, he also earned the nickname "Captain America".

Personal life

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Pavelski and his wife have one son. He is the co-owner of the Janesville Jets of the North American Hockey League (NAHL).

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Bold indicates led league

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2000–01 Stevens Point Area Senior High School HS-WI — — — — — — — — — —
2001–02 Stevens Point Area Senior High School HS-WI — — — — — — — — — —
2002–03 Waterloo Black Hawks USHL 61 36 33 69 32 7 5 7 12 8
2003–04 Waterloo Black Hawks USHL 52 21 31 52 58 10 5 4 9 10
2004–05 University of Wisconsin WCHA 41 16 29 45 26 — — — — —
2005–06 University of Wisconsin WCHA 43 23 33 56 34 — — — — —
2006–07 Worcester Sharks AHL 16 8 18 26 8 — — — — —
2006–07 San Jose Sharks NHL 46 14 14 28 18 6 1 0 1 0
2007–08 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 19 21 40 28 13 5 4 9 0
2008–09 San Jose Sharks NHL 80 25 34 59 46 6 0 1 1 9
2009–10 San Jose Sharks NHL 67 25 26 51 26 15 9 8 17 6
2010–11 San Jose Sharks NHL 74 20 46 66 24 18 5 5 10 10
2011–12 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 31 30 61 31 5 0 0 0 5
2012–13 Dinamo Minsk KHL 17 7 8 15 10 — — — — —
2012–13 San Jose Sharks NHL 48 16 15 31 10 11 4 8 12 0
2013–14 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 41 38 79 32 7 2 4 6 2
2014–15 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 37 33 70 29 — — — — —
2015–16 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 38 40 78 30 24 14 9 23 4
2016–17 San Jose Sharks NHL 81 29 39 68 34 6 2 2 4 0
2017–18 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 22 44 66 41 10 2 6 8 8
2018–19 San Jose Sharks NHL 75 38 26 64 22 13 4 5 9 4
2019–20 Dallas Stars NHL 67 14 17 31 29 27 13 6 19 30
2020–21 Dallas Stars NHL 56 25 26 51 16 — — — — —
2021–22 Dallas Stars NHL 82 27 54 81 14 7 3 3 6 2
2022–23 Dallas Stars NHL 82 28 49 77 8 14 9 5 14 2
2023–24 Dallas Stars NHL 82 27 40 67 20 19 1 3 4 2
NHL totals 1,332 476 592 1,068 458 201 74 69 143 84

International

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Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2009 United States WC 4th 5 1 1 2 0
2010 United States OG 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 0 3 3 4
2014 United States OG 4th 6 1 4 5 0
2016 United States WCH 7th 3 1 1 2 0
Senior totals 20 3 9 12 4

Awards and honors

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Award Year
College
All-WCHA Rookie Team 2004–05
All-WCHA Second team 2005–06
AHCA West second-team All-American 2005–06
NHL
Second All-Star team 2014
NHL All-Star 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022

Records

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  • Most playoff goals by an American-born player – 74

References

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  1. ^ Schreier, Tom. "Joe Pavelski: A Proven Winner at Every Level". BleacherReport. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  2. ^ Yousuf, Saad. "Dallas Stars' Joe Pavelski is thriving at 37 — how does 'Captain America' do it?". TheAthletic. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  3. ^ "Joe Pavelski". Wisconsin Badgers. Archived from the original on March 3, 2005.
  4. ^ High, Alison (January 4, 2009). "Ask the Sharks: Pavelski's Answers". Official Sharks website.
  5. ^ a b Strittmater, Nicole (March 2, 2010). "Plover couple watch son Joe achieve Olympic glory, Stevens Point Journal". Stevens Point Journal. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010.
  6. ^ "Scott Pavelski". University of New Hampshire Athletics. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012.
  7. ^ "SPASH earns first Boys' Hockey State Title". wiaawi.org. March 2, 2002. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012.
  8. ^ "White Named USA Hockey's Junior Player of Year". USHL. June 3, 2010. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011.
  9. ^ "Joe Pavelski". teamusa.org. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012.
  10. ^ Minor Hockey Moments: Joe Pavelski Archived March 3, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Little Joe Pavelski Huge Again for Sharks". AOL News. April 23, 2010. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2013. Joe Pavelski is called "Little Joe" in the Sharks' dressing room to differentiate him from Big Joe – Jumbo Joe Thornton.
  12. ^ "Sharks Re-Sign Center Joe Pavelski". San Jose Sharks. San Jose, CA. June 25, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2008.
  13. ^ "Sharks Center Surrenders Goal". San Jose Sharks. San Jose, CA. March 20, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  14. ^ Dickey, Jack (October 9, 2012). "Don't Despair, NHL Fans: You Can Watch Imitation Pro Hockey On ESPN! Here's How". deadspin.com.
  15. ^ Rosen, Dan (July 30, 2013). "Pavelski signs five-year extension with Sharks". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  16. ^ Dubow, Josh (March 11, 2014). "Pavelski scores twice as Sharks beat Leafs 6–2". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  17. ^ Masisak, Corey (April 19, 2014). "Pavelski continues to play big role in Sharks' success". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  18. ^ a b "Joe Pavelski." NHL.com. National Hockey League, n.d. Web. June 26, 2016.
  19. ^ "Sharks name Pavelski captain; Thornton alternate". National Hockey League. October 5, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  20. ^ @SanJoseSharks (October 5, 2015). "#SJSharks name Joe Pavelski team captain" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ^ Krygier, Casey (December 2, 2017). "Joe Pavelski Scores 300th NHL Goal". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  22. ^ Gackle, Paul (December 1, 2017). "Three takeaways: Sharks finally catch a break with video review". The Mercury News. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  23. ^ "Sharks' Pavelski takes scary fall after Eakin hit". ESPN. April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  24. ^ Wyshynski, Greg (April 25, 2019). "NHL apologizes to Vegas for major penalty call". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  25. ^ "Golden Knights vs. Sharks – Game Summary – April 23, 2019". ESPN. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  26. ^ "Stars sign forward Joe Pavelski to 3-year, $21 million contract". Dallas Stars. July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  27. ^ Vickers, Aaron (August 17, 2020). "Stars defeat Flames in OT in Game 4, even Western First Round series". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  28. ^ "How the trio of Robertson, Hintz and Pavelski is driving the Stars' playoff push". MSN. March 15, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  29. ^ "Top line again carries heavy scoring burden for Stars in a much needed win over Blackhawks". Dallas News. April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  30. ^ "Stars veteran Joe Pavelski becomes 10th American-born player to score 400 NHL goals". November 27, 2021.
  31. ^ "Joe Pavelski signs one-year, $5.5 million contract extension to remain with Stars". March 11, 2022.
  32. ^ "Dallas Stars sign forward Joe Pavelski to a one-year contract extension". NHL.com. January 1, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  33. ^ Gauruder, Dana (April 10, 2023). "Pavelski records 1,000th career point as Stars trounce Wings". AP News. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  34. ^ "Pavelski doesn't intend to play in 2024-25". NHL.com. June 4, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  35. ^ "Pavelski retires from NHL after 18 seasons". NHL.com. July 16, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  36. ^ Emmons, Mark (April 21, 2010). "San Jose Sharks Joe Pavelski making name with clutch goals". Mercury News. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014.
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Media related to Joe Pavelski at Wikimedia Commons

Sporting positions
Preceded by San Jose Sharks captain
2015–2019 		Succeeded by
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