On Thursday, Minnesota Wild defenseman Alex Goligoski announced his retirement from the NHL.
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Goligoski, 39, was selected 61st overall by the Penguins in the second round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He spent parts of four seasons in Pittsburgh from 2008-11.
Hailing from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, Goligoski – known as “Goose” – played for the Minnesota Golden Gophers from 2004-07. After beginning the 2007-08 season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he made his NHL debut with the Penguins on February 8, 2008. Goligoski made the NHL roster out of camp the following season, which ended up being a run to the franchise’s third Stanley Cup Championship – and his only Stanley Cup ring.
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“Goose” branded himself as a smooth-skating offensive defenseman with good instincts and a heavy one-timer, all of which he pretty much put on display right away:
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He stayed with the Penguins until the trade deadline in 2011, when he was dealt to the Dallas Stars for forward James Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen. Over the course of his Penguins’ career, Goligoski recorded 23 goals and 90 points in 177 games, including the first overtime game-winner in the arena that the Penguins still call home today:
Ex-Penguins defenseman Alex Goligoski has retired per @JoeSmithNHL.
Drafted in 2004, Goligoski was part of the 2009 Stanley Cup team and scored the franchise’s first game-winning goal in Consol Energy Center during a 3-2 overtime victory against the Islanders on Oct. 15, 2010: pic.twitter.com/EoGUbAjm2U
— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) September 5, 2024
He spent parts of seven seasons with the Stars, and then he was traded to Arizona in 2016. After five seasons there, he signed a free agent contract with Minnesota, where he spent the final three seasons of his NHL career.
Over 17 NHL seasons, Goligoski registered 87 goals and 475 points.
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