Jaroslav Halák announces return to professional hockey

Former NHL goaltender Jaroslav Halák has decided to restart his professional hockey career at age 41, after having officially retired in the summer of 2025. The former Montreal Canadiens player stated that recent exhibition matches, including Zdeno Chára’s farewell game in Trenčín and a legends game between Montreal and Winnipeg, inspired his return to the ice.

Halák has been training regularly for several months to prepare for a club engagement. In the interim, the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation (SZĽH) has invited him to join the national team camp ahead of the Deutschland Cup, where he will serve as a goaltender mentor.