LA Kings legend Gaborik announces retirement from NHL
Marian Gaborik, 2014 Stanley Cup champion with the LA Kings, has revealed that he will retire from ice hockey, after 228 games with the Californian state side.
After a glittering 17-year career that has seen him net 407 goals along with 408 assists over a staggering 1000 plus games, equating to 815 points in total, the 39-year-old who spent most of his time on the right wing will hang up his hockey stick.
Arguably one of the best Slovakian ice hockey players to ever grace the game, Gaborik has already started making in-roads into his next venture – content creation and even has his own podcast.
An evergreen career
His tenure playing ice hockey has spanned across five franchises, where he made significant impacts at each of them; Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators and the Kings.
Following the news that he would retire, Gaborik paid tribute to those who had helped him along the way: “It’s been a great honour and privilege to play in the best league in the world since I was 18 years old. The journey has been nothing short from spectacular, amazing and unbelievable. Many times, it’s been a roller coaster, but I always found the way back. Saying that, I’m so grateful and thankful to my family, my agent, teammates and coaches.
“I’d like to thank the Wild for drafting me and giving me a chance for my dream come true to play in the NHL. To my teammates, coaches and fans, thanks for helping me mature on and off the ice. Thank you to the Rangers for the experience of Sweet Caroline and living in the energy heaven of the world. Thank you to Columbus for a short stop, being supportive, helping me overcome injuries and trading me to Los Angeles to achieve my ultimate goal: Winning a Stanley Cup.”
He continued: Thank you to the Kings – my teammates, coaches and fans – for believing in me and for memories that I will never forget. Thank you to Ottawa for the respect you showed me and helping through tough times.”
Goalscorer extraordinaire
Wherever he has been in his career, he has demonstrated a particular proclivity for one thing that all of the best ice hockey players have – a killer instinct. Even joining the Kings midway through the 2014 season, he led the way with 14 goals on the way to their Stanley Cup success – a particular highlight of his career, while he is also a three-time all-American.
There is no doubt that the game will miss its adopted son from Slovakia, though it seems he has no intention of walking away from the game completely. Expect to hear his voice more and more over the next couple of years, while it could only be a matter of time until media companies start to circle.