NHL NEWS: Jaroslav Spacek to retire after 13 NHL Seasons

According to NHL.com, veteran defenceman Jaro Spacek, most recently of the Carolina Hurricanes, has decided to retire.  Here is the press release:

Jaroslav Spacek, who played for seven NHL teams during his 880-game career, has decided to retire, according a report in the Czech Republic.

The report is from the website iSports.cz. Spacek played 46 games last season, and was traded from Montreal to Carolina in December. He has 82 goals and 355 points in his career, which included stints with Florida, Chicago (twice), Columbus, Edmonton, Buffalo, Montreal and Carolina.

Spacek was a fifth-round pick in the 1998 NHL Draft. He had at least 40 points three times, including 45 in 2002-03 and 2008-09. The rugged defenseman also represented his native Czech Republic three times at the Winter Olympics, claiming a gold medal in 1998 in Nagano, Japan.

Never really a star player, but always a solid, dependable, two-way defender, Spacek was an important piece of many teams in his career.  He is fondly remembered by many Oiler fans for his short stint in 2006, when he was a huge part of the team’s quality blueline corps that went all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.  He finished his career with 82 goals and 355 points.

Goodbye, and thank you, Jaro.