Jaroslav Halák facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jaroslav Halák |
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Halák with the New York Islanders in 2015
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| Born | 13 May 1985 Bratislava, Czechoslovakia |
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 182 lb (83 kg; 13 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Played for | Montreal Canadiens St. Louis Blues Washington Capitals New York Islanders Boston Bruins Vancouver Canucks New York Rangers |
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| National team |  Slovakia |
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| NHL Draft | 271st overall, 2003 Montreal Canadiens |
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| Playing career | 2005–2023 | ||
Jaroslav Halák (born May 13, 1985) is a former professional ice hockey goaltender from Slovakia. He was chosen by the Montreal Canadiens in the ninth round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Halák played for many teams during his career, including the Canadiens, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, and Washington Capitals. He was known for his strong play in goal.
Contents
Jaroslav Halák's Hockey Journey
Starting with the Canadiens and Blues
Halák began his professional career with the American Hockey League's (AHL) Hamilton Bulldogs. He was called up to the Montreal Canadiens in February 2007. This happened after their main goalie got injured. Halák played his first NHL game on February 18, 2007, and helped his team win. He also earned his first NHL shutout in March 2007, stopping all shots against the Boston Bruins.
Halák spent most of the 2007–08 season with the Bulldogs. But he became the Canadiens' full-time backup goalie after a trade. He even started his first playoff game in April 2008. During the 2009–10 season, Halák played very well. His strong performance, along with his play for Slovakia at the Vancouver Olympics, made many people want him to be the team's main goalie.
Halák was named the Canadiens' best player for the season. He became the starting goalie for their playoff series against the Washington Capitals. In one amazing game, Halák stopped 53 shots, setting a team record. The Canadiens came back from being down 3-1 in the series to win in seven games. This was a huge upset, and Halák's excellent goaltending was a big reason why. He stopped 131 out of 134 shots in the last three games. After beating the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Canadiens lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Final.
After that season, the Canadiens had to choose between Halák and another young goalie, Carey Price. They decided to keep Price. In June 2010, Halák was traded to the St. Louis Blues. He signed a four-year contract with the Blues. Before starting with the Blues, Halák held an autograph session in Montreal. He wanted to thank the fans and raise money for a children's hospital. More than 5,000 fans showed up, showing how popular he was.
Halák won his first game with the Blues in October 2010. He also got his first shutout with the team later that month. In the 2011–12 season, Halák and his fellow goalie, Brian Elliott, won the William M. Jennings Trophy. This award is given to the goalies on the team that allows the fewest goals in the regular season.
Moving to New York and Other Teams
Before the 2013–14 trade deadline, Halák was traded from the Blues to the Buffalo Sabres. He was then traded again just five days later to the Washington Capitals. Halák did not play any games for the Sabres.
In May 2014, Halák's rights were traded to the New York Islanders. He signed a four-year contract with them. On December 4, 2014, Halák set a new Islanders record. He won his 11th game in a row, breaking the old record. In January 2015, he was chosen to play in the NHL All-Star Game. This was his first time being an All-Star. He also tied and then broke the Islanders' record for most wins in a season, with 38 wins in the 2014–15 season.
In March 2016, Halák got injured and missed the rest of the season. In December 2016, he was sent to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the AHL.
Time with the Bruins, Canucks, and Rangers
After his contract with the Islanders ended, Halák signed a two-year contract with the Boston Bruins in July 2018. He had a great first start with the Bruins, getting a shutout win. When he returned to Long Island to play against his old team, the Islanders fans gave him a special tribute video and a standing ovation. He finished that season with 22 wins.
In May 2020, the Bruins extended Halák's contract for another year. During the shortened 2019–20 season, Halák won his second Jennings Trophy, sharing it with Tuukka Rask. He had 18 wins and three shutouts that season. In the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, Halák became the Bruins' starting goalie after Rask left for personal reasons.
After three seasons with the Bruins, Halák signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks in July 2021.
In July 2022, Halák signed a one-year contract with the New York Rangers. He got his first win as a Ranger in November 2022. He finished his last NHL season with 10 wins in 25 games.
Retirement from Hockey
In November 2023, Halák signed a tryout contract with the Carolina Hurricanes but was released later that month. He was unable to sign another NHL contract.
In February 2024, Halák signed a one-year contract with his original club, Slovan Bratislava, in Slovakia. However, he did not play any games for them.
On July 18, 2025, after not playing a competitive game for over two years, Jaroslav Halák officially announced his retirement from hockey.
International Hockey Play
 Halák in 2010 with the Slovakia men's national ice hockey team |
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| Medal record | ||
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| Men's ice hockey | ||
Representing  Slovakia |
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| World U18 Championships | ||
| Silver | 2003 Russia | |
| Representing Team Europe | ||
| Canada Cup / World Cup | ||
| Silver | 2016 Toronto | |
Halák proudly represented Slovakia in many international hockey tournaments. He played for his country at the IIHF World U20 Championship in 2004 and 2005.
His first experience playing for the senior national team was in 2007 at the 2007 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. He also played in the 2009 tournament.
In February 2010, Halák was the starting goalie for Slovakia at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He played incredibly well, especially against a strong Russian team. Halák and his teammates finished fourth in the tournament. This was Slovakia's best finish ever at the Olympics for ice hockey. Halák also played in the 2014 Olympics.
At the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, Halák led the surprising Team Europe all the way to the final. They played against Team Canada for the championship. Team Europe earned a silver medal in this tournament.
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T/OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2001–02 | Slovan Bratislava | U20 | 22 | — | — | — | 1257 | 41 | 0 | 1.96 | — | 6 | 6 | 0 | 353 | 7 | 2 | 1.19 | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Slovan Bratislava | U20 | 20 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 1200 | 41 | 1 | 2.02 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Slovan Bratislava | U20 | 29 | — | — | — | 1694 | 51 | 5 | 1.81 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Slovan Bratislava | Slovak | 12 | — | — | — | 651 | 18 | 0 | 1.66 | .942 | 1 | — | — | 45 | 6 | 0 | 8.00 | .903 | ||
| 2003–04 | Dukla Senica | Slovak.1 | 21 | — | — | — | 1240 | 54 | 1 | 2.61 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Lewiston Maineiacs | QMJHL | 47 | 24 | 17 | 4 | 2697 | 125 | 4 | 2.78 | .913 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 460 | 27 | 0 | 3.52 | .908 | ||
| 2005–06 | Long Beach Ice Dogs | ECHL | 20 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 1026 | 35 | 2 | 2.05 | .932 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 252 | 13 | 0 | 3.09 | .910 | ||
| 2005–06 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 786 | 30 | 3 | 2.29 | .927 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 28 | 16 | 11 | 0 | 1618 | 54 | 6 | 2.00 | .932 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 912 | 44 | 2 | 2.89 | .906 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 454 | 22 | 0 | 2.91 | .901 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 284 | 10 | 1 | 2.11 | .934 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 77 | 3 | 0 | 2.34 | .889 | ||
| 2008–09 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 34 | 18 | 14 | 1 | 1931 | 92 | 1 | 2.86 | .915 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | ||
| 2009–10 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 45 | 26 | 13 | 5 | 2630 | 105 | 5 | 2.40 | .924 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 1013 | 43 | 0 | 2.55 | .923 | ||
| 2010–11 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 57 | 27 | 21 | 7 | 3294 | 136 | 7 | 2.48 | .910 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 46 | 26 | 12 | 7 | 2747 | 90 | 6 | 1.97 | .926 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 104 | 3 | 0 | 1.73 | .935 | ||
| 2012–13 | Lausitzer Füchse | 2.GBun | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 1 | 0 | 0.92 | .950 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 16 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 813 | 29 | 3 | 2.14 | .899 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 40 | 24 | 9 | 4 | 2238 | 83 | 4 | 2.23 | .917 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 701 | 27 | 1 | 2.31 | .930 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | New York Islanders | NHL | 59 | 38 | 17 | 4 | 3550 | 144 | 6 | 2.43 | .914 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 418 | 16 | 0 | 2.30 | .926 | ||
| 2015–16 | New York Islanders | NHL | 36 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 2091 | 80 | 3 | 2.30 | .919 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | New York Islanders | NHL | 28 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 1606 | 75 | 2 | 2.80 | .915 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 27 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 1536 | 55 | 2 | 2.15 | .925 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | New York Islanders | NHL | 54 | 20 | 26 | 6 | 3025 | 161 | 1 | 3.19 | .908 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 40 | 22 | 11 | 4 | 2309 | 90 | 5 | 2.34 | .922 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 31 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 1834 | 73 | 3 | 2.39 | .919 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 544 | 25 | 0 | 2.76 | .902 | ||
| 2020–21 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 19 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 1091 | 46 | 2 | 2.53 | .905 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 17 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 797 | 39 | 0 | 2.94 | .903 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | New York Rangers | NHL | 25 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 1454 | 66 | 1 | 2.72 | .903 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 581 | 295 | 189 | 69 | 33,303 | 1,390 | 53 | 2.50 | .915 | 39 | 17 | 20 | 2,177 | 90 | 0 | 2.48 | .919 | ||||
International Play Statistics
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Slovakia | WJC18 | 8th | 7 | — | — | — | 416 | 18 | 1 | 2.59 | .887 | |
| 2003 | Slovakia | WJC18 |  |
7 | — | — | — | 420 | 14 | 0 | 2.00 | .932 | |
| 2004 | Slovakia | WJC | 6th | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 360 | 14 | 2 | 2.33 | .930 | |
| 2005 | Slovakia | WJC | 7th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 360 | 13 | 2 | 2.17 | .916 | |
| 2007 | Slovakia | WC | 6th | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 119 | 5 | 1 | 2.52 | .904 | |
| 2009 | Slovakia | WC | 10th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 189 | 10 | 0 | 3.17 | .872 | |
| 2010 | Slovakia | OG | 4th | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 423 | 17 | 1 | 2.41 | .911 | |
| 2011 | Slovakia | WC | 10th | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 354 | 15 | 0 | 2.54 | .909 | |
| 2014 | Slovakia | OG | 11th | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 93:30 | 8 | 0 | 5.13 | .857 | |
| 2016 | Team Europe | WCH | |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 362 | 13 | 1 | 2.15 | .941 | |
| Junior totals | 26 | — | — | — | 1556 | 59 | 5 | — | — | ||||
| Senior totals | 27 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 1540 | 68 | 3 | 2.70 | .907 | ||||
Awards and Achievements
- 2-time William M. Jennings Trophy winner – 2012, 2020
- Set a New York Islanders franchise record for most consecutive wins (11 wins in 2014–15)
- Set a New York Islanders franchise record for most wins in a season (38 wins in 2014–15)
- Played in the NHL All-Star Game in 2015
