Travis Zajac retires after 15-year career from NHL

Focus Travis Zajac finished his 15-year NHL vocation where it began, marking a one-day contract Monday order to retire with the New Jersey Devils.

Zajac, 36, played everything except 13 of his 1,037 games with the Devils, who traded him to the New York Islanders last season. He had 203 goals and 349 aids his profession, and was viewed as a resource at the two finishes of the ice for New Jersey, who drafted him twentieth in general in 2004.

“As I stand here nearing the end of 2021, I can only be grateful to sign one last time, and retire as a New Jersey Devil,” said Zajac in a statement. “As a kid playing hockey on the outdoor rinks in Winnipeg, I dreamt about playing in the NHL. Growing up the oldest of four boys, it was the perfect hockey environment. Thanks to my parents’ unwavering support in our lives, that dream became a reality. Then, I got to live that childhood goal for 15 years with the Devils.”

Zajac will stay with the Devils in an on/off-ice player development and consulting role, while additionally attempting to develop the club’s youth hockey initiatives.

“His training, discipline and focus rubbed off on every player who walked into that locker room over his 15-year career,” said Tom Fitzgerald, the team’s general manager. “I look forward to Travis working with our organization, on his terms and his timeline, in a manner that influences future Devils in the same manner when he played. We are ecstatic to know we will see the Zajac family around the Prudential Center rinks for years to come.”

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