Matt Stajan and his wife Katie wave to the crowd as he's honoured for having played 1,000 NHL games in Calgary on March 29, 2018.Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press
Matt Stajan has retired from pro hockey after 14 seasons in the NHL.
The 35-year-old native of Mississauga had 413 points (146 goals, 267 assists) in 1,003 career NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames.
A centre, Stajan finished his career last season with EHC Red Bull Munich, which became the first German club to win a berth in the final of the Champions Hockey League.
Off the ice, Stajan has had deep ties to Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre after the death of his first-born child, Emerson, shortly after birth in 2014.
The hospital has renamed one of its emergency pods to honour Emerson, and the Emerson Stajan Foundation also has been created.
“As a kid growing up in Mississauga ... it was my dream to one day play in the NHL,” Stajan said in a statement. “To have had this dream come true, and have been able to play the sport that I love so much for so many years, is something I feel extremely fortunate and grateful for. The memories that I have made will truly last a lifetime.”