Mainstay NHL centre Jeff Carter announced, following the official elimination of his Pittsburgh Penguins from NHL playoff contention, that he would be retiring from the game at the age of 39, wrapping up a nearly two-decade career highlighted with two Stanley Cups and an Olympic title.

The 11th overall pick of the Flyers in the 2003 NHL Draft, Carter spent six seasons in Philadelphia before joining Columbus in 2011, but it was a trade deadline move to Los Angeles that would cement his career, capturing the Stanley Cup (and scoring the Cup-winning goal) in 2012, winning a second Cup in 2014, becoming just the seventh player to capture the Stanley Cup and Olympic Gold in the same year. Carter spent a decade with the Kings before another trade deadline move saw his return to Pennsylvania, this time with Pittsburgh, spending his final three and a half seasons with the Penguins. Carter retires with 851 points in 1,321 career games over nineteen pro seasons, with another 84 points in 133 career playoff games, making the postseason in all but seven seasons.

A native of London, Ontario, Carter played at the 2003 Under-18 Championships before making his World Juniors debut in 2004, capturing Silver in Helsinki before capturing Gold the following year, Canada’s first of five straight, leading the tournament in goals and making the tournament All-Star Team. Thanks to his NHL playoff success, Carter only appeared once at the Worlds, the 2006 edition in Rīga, Latvia, but was named to Canada’s 2014 Sochi Olympic squad, notching five points in six games en route to Gold.

Thanks to the 2005 World Juniors having one of the rare cases of the IHLC and Gold Medal not being united, Carter only captured the IHLC twice in his career, first in 2006 and then in 2014. We wish Jeff and his family the very best for his retirement and the things to come!

Photo Credit: The Score – IIHF – HHOF – IOC