Halak's playoff heroics helped define his career, specifically in 2010, when he led Montreal to the Eastern Conference final.

Jaroslav Halak had long realized he wasn’t going to play in the NHL again. The former Islanders and Rangers goalie made that official on Friday, announcing his retirement after 17 seasons.

Almost three years after he last played an NHL game, goalie Jaroslav Halak is calling it a career. Halak, 40, is retiring from hockey with immediate effect, he told Tomas Prokop of Dennik Sport in his home country of Slovakia per a Friday morning social media post. The goalie spent 17 seasons in the NHL split between seven teams.