Marian Gaborik Officially Announces His Retirement

Marian Gaborik officially announced his retirement from the NHL through an Instagram post.

In it, he gave thanks to all the franchises he played for and his family, which was nice to see.

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It was clear that Gaborik's time in the NHL was over a long time ago, as injuries kept him away from the sport since the 2017-18 season. However, his most recent contract didn't expire until the end of last season, so naturally, he held off retiring until now. The Tampa Bay Lightning were the final team to hold his rights.

Gaborik made an impact on the league before he even skated an in NHL game, as he was the first ever draft pick made by the Minnesota Wild. He surely is remembered most for his time there, as he scored 219 goals (a franchise record) and had 437 points in 502 games with the team. With that, he was also responsible for the team's first ever goal and was their first All-Star.

However, he also had a short, but strong tenure with the New York Rangers where he scored over 40 goals twice. After another brief stay, but this time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, he was a perfect addition for the Kings right before the 2014 playoffs and won the Stanley Cup. During that postseason run, he scored an impressive 14 goals and recorded 22 points in 26 games.

In 1,035 career games between the Wild, Rangers, Blue Jackets, Kings and Ottawa Senators, Gaborik had 407 goals, 408 assists and 815 points. With that he was a three-time All-Star and the 2012 All-Star Game MVP.

Overall, Gaborik had a splendid career. It's just a shame his playing days ended before they should have.