"Lot of fun times along the way," Pavelski said. "Lot of laughs, very fortunate."
At age 38, Pavelski has defied the odds by not only showing longevity but improving his level of play.
In his first 13 seasons in San Jose, Pavelski exceeded .90 points per game for just two seasons. He is better than that in each of the past three years in Dallas. He currently has 31 points in 32 games and is helping lead what many consider to be the best line in the NHL with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz. Pavelski leads the NHL in plus-minus at plus-21, while Robertson is third (plus-19) and Hintz is sixth (plus-18).
Pavelski is only following his best advice in playing "the right way," and he's teaching others how to do it.
"You just see how hard he works and the detail he puts into it, and you learn from that," said forward Ty Dellandrea, who has been working with Pavelski in practice and at morning skates to learn the art of tipping pucks.
Pavelski is known as one of the best in NHL history, and he did it again on Saturday, skillfully deflecting a Robertson shot to score on the power play late in the first period. It was a huge goal and helped change momentum in the game. Later, Jamie Benn would tip in another power play goal and Tyler Seguin would get a key deflection off a faceoff win. The skill is spreading with Pavelski on the team.
"It definitely helps to have him here," Benn said of the team's increased ability to tip pucks.
Pavelski finds a way to make the hard work fun. To him, being on the ice is a privilege, not unlike when he was growing up in Wisconsin. Pavelski was drafted by the Sharks in the seventh round (205th overall) of the 2003 draft out of the USHL. He went on to two big years at the University of Wisconsin, helping the Badgers win the national championship in 2005, and catapulted his career into the NHL. He played just 16 games in the AHL (tallying 26 points) and then was called up to the Sharks for good.
There, Pavelski eventually became team captain and one of the great players in Sharks history, but when the team had to make a tough decision on a contract extension at age 35, they flinched. Pavelski signed a three-year free agent deal with the Stars at $7 million a season, and it's been one of the best values ever for GM Jim Nill. Not only is Dallas getting one of the top scorers on the team, it is also getting the ripple effect of Pavelski's professionalism.
"You see it everywhere," said Stars coach Pete DeBoer, pointing to the fact that Pavelski and his family have invited rookie Wyatt Johnston to live with them. "I think Wyatt Johnston living with him and watching how he prepares, how he comes to the rink, what he does on off nights, how he eats, all of those things. That's going to be invaluable to a guy like Wyatt."
Pavelski is a model of health, and that's one reason he has been able to maintain a high level of excellence. The scouting report on him has always been that he's a little undersized and slow, but he has overcome that.
"What do you say about the guy," DeBoer said. "Great message for all young players out there. When people tell you you're too small, or too slow or you're not an early draft pick, you overcome. That's what he's done."
And he has done all of it with a smile on his face.
"Lot of little things you learn along the way from your teammates and coaches that hopefully give you a chance to keep playing into the future and keep racking up some games along the way," he said when asked about the secret to his longevity. "Lot of good times."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.
