Joe Pavelski has apparently been spending retirement on the golf course. Roughly one year after stepping away from the NHL, Pavelski won a star-studded American Century Championship in style on Sunday.
Pavelski, who hung up his skates after 18 NHL seasons, sealed his American Century Championship with a walk-off eagle putt to cap off a dominant performance.
This was Pavelski’s ninth appearance at the American Century Championship, and it turned out to be the charm. Upon sinking the tough putt, Pavelski celebrated with his caddie and embraced his family.
Longtime MLB pitcher John Smoltz finished second and was among several other elite athletes beaten out by Pavelski at the top of the leaderboard. Country singer Jake Owen finished third, former soccer player Taylor Twellman finished fourth and NBA superstar Stephen Curry finished fifth.
Even with this win, Pavelski still has a lot of work to do if he wants his golf trophy case to match that from his NHL career. Across 1,332 games, the most by any American-born player, Pavelski totaled 476 goals and 592 assists. Pavelski was a four-time All-Star and earned second-team All-Star honors in 2014.
The 2025 American Century Championship actually produced a few viral moments. In addition to Pavelski’s winning put, 49ers tight end George Kittle delivered some “sweet chin music” to The Miz in the tee box and Phillies legend Jimmy Rollins hit a hole-in-one to win a boat.