Tom Kostopoulos' 19th season of professional hockey will be his last, he announced on Wednesday.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's 39-year-old captain confirmed that he will retire following the conclusion of the 2017-18 season.
“I’ve been lucky to make a living playing the game I love for the past 19 seasons,” Kostopoulos said in a team release. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, but I’m looking forward to spending more time with my wife, Lisa, and kids, Lily and Luc, away from the rink.”
It's impossible to fully explain how much Kostopoulos has meant to Wilkes-Barre and the Penguins organization throughout his long career, but I tried to sum it up in this week's in-depth Wilkes-Barre Watch.
“No player has meant more to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, or represented the organization better, than Tom Kostopoulos,” Wilkes-Barre/Scranton CEO Jeff Barrett said in a team release. “His commitment to the team, his teammates, the fans and the local community make him a truly unique individual, and one we are extremely lucky to have known for almost 20 years.”
Kostopoulos is Wilkes-Barre's franchise leader in regular season games played (653), goals (185), assists (282), and points (467). He's also the franchise leader in postseason games played (91), goals (23), assists (44), and points (67).
Kostopoulos has also racked up 61 goals and 96 assists in the NHL, over 630 games with Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Montreal, Carolina, Calgary, and New Jersey.
His first NHL goal came on his first shot in his first NHL game on Dec. 29, 2001 with the Penguins at the Civic Arena:
Wilkes-Barre's final home games of the regular season will be this Friday and Saturday, against Bridgeport and Binghamton. Wilkes-Barre will have four road games to close out the regular season, ending with a trip to rival Hershey on April 15.
The Penguins are a near-lock to make the playoffs, with their magic number down to one point.
The only hardware Kostopoulos has ever taken home is the AHL’s Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award for sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey in 2016.
These playoffs will be Kostopoulos' last chance at a championship. It will surely be a huge motivating factor to his teammates who speak so highly of him.