Avalanche’s Zach Parise Confirms 2023-24 Will Be Final NHL Season: ‘This is it’
It’s Stanley Cup-or-bust for Colorado Avalanche forward Zach Parise, who confirmed he’ll retire at the conclusion of this year.
The 19-season NHL veteran is embarking on one final run at his first championship after signing a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche last month. Since joining the team, he has one goal in six games while averaging 13:11 of ice time per night.
Parise has failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs since reaching the Stanley Cup Final with the New Jersey Devils in 2012, a series they lost in six games to the Los Angeles Kings.
“Yeah, this is it,” Parise said Tuesday in an interview with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. “This is it.”
Despite scoring 21 goals and 34 points over 82 games with the New York Islanders last season, Parise initially planned to retire after the club fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in the opening round of the postseason.
The 39-year-old thought it was time to be a full-time dad, and he didn’t change his tune for a few months. He stayed in shape, but his primary focus was spending time with his wife and three children.
Seeing his former teammates and colleagues prepare for the upcoming season got him thinking about playing again. Once that happened, he started considering what a 19th – and final – NHL campaign might look like.
“Then, towards the end of the summer I got that itch once guys started to ramp their training up to get ready for camp,” Parise said. “In the back of your mind, you’re thinking, ‘I can still play.’”
After discussing with his family, Parise ramped up hockey activities in October, skating three times a week before ultimately increasing his workload to five. Before long, he felt ready to make another run at Lord Stanley’s Cup.
The extended off-season was incredibly beneficial for the native of Minneapolis, Minn. Not only did it allow him to reset, but it also provided him with a taste of what awaits during his post-playing career.
“I got a good glimpse into what it’s going to be like when it’s over,” Parise said. “I got to coach all my kids’ teams. I got to spend a lot of time with them coaching, helping them, and helping their teams, so it was awesome. It was great being at home.”
Parise considered rejoining the Islanders and stayed in contact with GM Lou Lamoriello throughout his entire contract negotiation process. It would’ve been the easiest, most sensible decision. But it wouldn’t have put him in the best position to win a Stanley Cup, his ultimate goal.
So instead, the 11-time former 20-goal scorer joined an Avalanche team that entered Friday’s slate second in the Central Division at 33-18-4, four points behind the Dallas Stars for top spot.
“I have a lot and I’ll give everything to whatever role, whatever situation they put me in,” Parise said. “Wherever they throw me, I’ll give it everything I’ve got. That hasn’t changed. But I’m grateful to be given the opportunity.”
For a franchise less than two years removed from winning it all, Parise felt signing with Colorado gave him the best opportunity to go out with a bang. And on a team centred around the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Miko Rantanen, Cale Makar and Devon Toews, it’s tough to blame him.
The 17th overall selection from 2003 potted his first goal with the Avalanche against the Hurricanes on February 8th, burying a pass from teammate Logan O’Connor in transition.
Parise, earning a pro-rated $825,000 salary this season, will look to provide a bit of depth scoring for Colorado through the remainder of the regular season. He should also prove valuable in the playoffs, especially inside the locker room, given his 111 games of experience.
The 5-foot-11 winger owns 430 goals and 880 points across 1,230 career regular-season games split between the Minnesota Wild, Devils, Islanders and now Avalanche.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Lorie Shaull. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.