Jaroslav Halak

Raised in Bratislava, Jaroslav Halák came through local clubs including HK Ružinov and HC Slovan Bratislava, with a loan stint at HC Dukla Senica in 2004. Those Slovak roots preceded a path to North America and a professional career between the NHL and international competition.

Selected 271st overall in the ninth round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, Halák developed in the AHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs before being called up on 15 February 2007. He made his NHL debut on 18 February 2007 and posted his first NHL shutout on 20 March 2007. Over the next seasons he alternated between AHL and NHL duties before stepping into a larger role with Montreal in 2009–10.

The 2010 playoff run defined his early NHL reputation: named Montreal’s starter for the first round, he stopped 53 shots in Game 6 against Washington, helping the Canadiens overcome a 3–1 series deficit. After that postseason, Montreal traded him to the St. Louis Blues on 17 June 2010 for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz; Halák then signed a four-year deal on 6 July 2010. With the Blues he split starts and, alongside Brian Elliott, won the William M. Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed in 2011–12.

In 2014 Halák was part of multiple transactions: moved to Buffalo on 28 February, then to Washington, and finally his rights were acquired by the New York Islanders on 1 May 2014; the Islanders signed him to a four-year, $18 million contract on 22 May. He set a franchise mark of 11 consecutive wins in 2014–15, appeared in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game, and set the Islanders’ single-season wins record. Later stops included Boston (two-year deal on 1 July 2018), Vancouver (one-year contract on 28 July 2021) and New York Rangers (one-year on 13 July 2022), where he finished the season 10–9–5 in 25 games with a 2.72 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. A PTO with Carolina in November 2023 did not lead to a contract; a one-year signing with Slovan Bratislava in February 2024 produced no games, and Halák announced his retirement on 18 July 2025.

Internationally, Halák started all games for Slovakia at the IIHF U20 tournaments in 2004 and 2005, appeared at the 2007 and 2009 World Championships, and was Slovakia’s starter at the 2010 Winter Olympics — including a 36-of-37 performance against Russia — as the team finished fourth. He also backstopped Team Europe to the final of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. His career is marked by clutch playoff outings and the ability to produce heavy shot volumes in key games, exemplified by his 2010 series against Washington.