He’s called Captain America. And aptly so: He very regularly saves the day for his team and has for many years. Joe Pavelski may be the oldest member of the Dallas Stars roster, but his performance season after season wouldn’t indicate it. One might even call it timeless.
At 39 years old, Pavelski will start the 2023-2024 season as the second-oldest active player, and the oldest forward, in the NHL. He’s solidified himself as one of the most consistent, reliable and dependable players on the Stars roster since joining the team in 2019; a trend that he brought with him from San Jose where he spent the first 13 seasons of his career. He has never had a season with below double-digit goals scored and has only had four seasons with fewer than 50 total points. Those seasons were his first two years in the league, the 2012-2013 lockout season which had half the number of games as a regular season, and his first season in Dallas. Since that relatively slow first season with Dallas though, Pavs, as he’s lovingly referred to, has doubled his goals-scored, tripled his number of assists and recorded his 1,000th career point.
Perhaps most well-known for his uncanny ability to tip shots into the net at astonishingly close range, Pavelski’s almost unnatural talent for reading the ice also makes him the ideal line-mate. One look at the statistics of what’s been dubbed “The Avengers” line with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz will tell you as much. Just a month into the 2022-2023 season, teammate Ty Dellandrea said, “He just finds a way to get it done, always. I just love his poise and his smarts. His hockey sense is second to none. He’s fun to watch and he brings it every night.”
Among many other notable successes in Pavelski’s career are his two appearances representing the United States in the World Cup of Hockey, including in 2016 when he was named team captain and gained his superhero moniker, and playing for the United States in the Olympic Games twice, winning the silver in Vancouver in 2010. He’s also made four NHL All-Star appearances, the most recent being in 2022.
“It’s incredible what he’s doing. He looks exactly like he did five, six years ago, like the clock stopped. And he looks like he could do it for another five years. It’s hard to explain, he’s just a special athlete,” Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said.
Beyond just putting points on the board, Pavelski’s leadership is undeniable, both because he was the captain of the Sharks for the final four seasons of his time in San Jose and also because he’s so quick to invest in and develop young players in the league. When rookie Wyatt Johnston was anticipated to make his debut in the NHL at just 19-years-old, Pavelski and his family took the teenager into their home with open arms. “Everyone knows what Joe is like, but his wife Sarah and his son, Nate, have been great to me. They make me feel at home and feel comfortable. It’s a lot of fun,” Johnston said.
Pavelski’s initial contract with the Stars came to an end with the 2022-2023 season, but in the offseason, the two parties agreed to a one-year extension for 2023-2024. Considering winning the Stanley Cup is one of the few things Pavelski has left to achieve in his extremely lucrative career, it’s clear he sees potential in the Stars and what the team can accomplish. But the lingering question is, what will happen after this season? If Pavelski’s current momentum is any indication, it seems unlikely he’ll be hanging his skates up any time soon. But celebrating a 40th birthday and closing an exceptional career with the Stanley Cup in the same year would be pretty hard to beat.
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