Martin Havlat officially announces retirement from NHL

After 14 NHL seasons, forward Martin Havlat is retiring from hockey. 

Martin Havlat made his NHL debut during the 2000-01 season. He only played two games in the league in 2016 for the St. Louis Blues. After this, a retirement was expected. During the offseason and even into the season, he tried to fight his way to getting an offer from somewhere. Fourteen seasons after making his debut, Havlat is retiring. He announced his retirement via an article on the NHLPA website.

"I feel very fortunate to have played in the NHL for 14 years. Rest assured, I am retiring as a grateful man.  I will be forever thankful to the Ottawa Senators for helping make my childhood dream come true. I also had the privilege of playing for other exceptional organizations. I am grateful for the time spent with each team and the great teammates I had the pleasure to be around on and off the ice."

Known for his skating prowess, Havlat was one of the fastest forwards in the league. A first round pick of the 1999 NHL Draft, he finished in third place in the Calder Trophy in his rookie year. Havlat put up 42 points in 73 games. Sadly, his career is known for being an injury-ridden one. Havlat only played in at least 70 games five times in 14 seasons.

When he was healthy though, he was quite the exciting player. In 790 games, he put up 594 points, including 242 goals and 352 assists. Havlat spent time with the Senators, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, New Jersey Devils, and Blues.

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He played an important role in helping the Blackhawks return to relevancy. In 2008-09, Havlat had 15 points in 16 playoff games as Chicago reached the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Detroit Red Wings. He’s also famous for being traded to the Sharks for Dany Heatley.