Paul Stastny knew people were going to figure it out eventually.
But he didn’t see the point in making a big deal of it.
And so when I reached out this week to see how he was doing, curious whether he was talking to teams about one last run, I got a completely different answer.
“I haven’t filed anything, but in early September we decided we were done,” Stastny said.
After putting up 822 points in 1,145 career regular-season games over 17 NHL seasons, the 37-year-old forward has called it quits.
Without much fanfare.
“I didn’t put anything out on social media or anything,” Stastny said with a chuckle. “I kind of came into the league quietly and I’m leaving the league quietly. That’s the way I like it.
“All the people close to me know, and then word always gets out eventually.”
Well, we all know now.
Stastny said he had some calls from teams this summer but wanted to wait and see how he felt.
“I wanted to take all the emotions out of it,” he said. “The summer got further along, and I got on the ice a few times … I wouldn’t say the spark wasn’t there — I still love the game — but I think I was just ready to move forward to the next chapter.
“When you know, you know.”
Stastny and his wife and two kids, aged 8 and 6, are currently at their home in…
