Ziggy Palffy retires

Ziggy Palffy, among the most skilled players to ever wear a Kings jersey, announced his retirement from hockey today.

From the IIHF website:

“One morning is more beautiful than the previous one, and you have other opinions. At this point, I believe that I quit. Definitive. Already I do not want to travel anywhere. Did it enough,” said the 41-year-old winger.

Palffy, 41, last played in the NHL in 2005-06 when he posted 42 points in 42 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He had appeared with his hometown Slovakian club HK 36 Skalica for the past five seasons and posted 73 points in 39 games as a 40 year old in 2012-13. He also represented Slovakia at the 1994, 2002 and 2010 Olympic Games.

In 311 games over five seasons with the Kings (1999-2004), Palffy recorded 150 goals and 340 points. He played his final game with Los Angeles in a 4-4 tie at Anaheim on January 7, 2004 when then-Mighty Ducks defenseman Todd Simpson awkwardly pulled back on Palffy’s stick in a race for a loose puck, dislocating the forward’s shoulder. Some of his biggest postseason contributions came in Game 5 of the 2001 first round series against Detroit, when he scored on a breakaway less than a minute and a half into the game and offered a brilliant assist on a two-on-one with Adam Deadmarsh for a third period insurance goal in an eventual 3-2 victory. Los Angeles closed the series out on Deadmarsh’s overtime game winner in Game 6.

Over 684 career NHL games with the Islanders, Kings and Penguins, Palffy totaled 713 points (329-384=713).