Stanley Cup champion and 1000-game NHL veteran Alex Goligoski retires from the Minnesota Wild

Earlier today, 1,110 game veteran Marc Staal officially announced his retirement from the NHL, and now, another veteran has chosen to do the same, with the NHL revealing that Alex Goligoski has hung up the skates.

It was a career that started way back at the 2004 NHL Draft, with Goligoski being drafted in round two by the Pittsburgh Penguins, with the now 39-year old playing a key role in the first Stanley Cup for the team in the era of Sidney Crosby. Since leaving Pittsburgh, he's gone on to play 14 seasons with Dallas, Arizona and most recently the Minnesota Wild, tallying an impressive 1,078 games over that time.

In those games, Goligoski has tallied 87 goals and 475 points, and has been a constant source of experience, physicality and leadership for any of the teams lucky enough to plug him in on the back end year after year.

Away from the ice, Goligoski just recently welcomed his third child into the world, so he will have plenty to do in retirement, but after 17 years in the NHL, it's safe to say that one day if he wants to return to the sport in a coaching, development or executive role, we could definitely see him once more.

Source: NHL.com
Goligoski retires from NHL after 17 seasons