Former NHLer Joe Pavelski wins celebrity golf tournament
It appears that Joe Pavelski is still putting together a successful athletic career, even after retirement in the NHL, as the former center for the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars has won his first American Century Championship on Sunday.
Joe Pavelski breaks through for his first American Century Championship victory! ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/wB9dp5SJsS
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 13, 2025The American Century Championship is an annual celebrity golf tournament held after the second full week of July at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort on the shore of Lake Tahoe in Nevada. On top of the actual golf tournament, the championship features several events like the Long Drive Challenge, Chip Challenge, and the Hole-In-One Contest.
Pavelski won the tournament with a final score of 73, nine points higher than the next closest opponent in former Major League Baseball pitcher John Smoltz. Also in the top five were country singer Jake Owen, former Major League Soccer forward Taylor Twellman, and Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry.
Pavelski was one of several NHLers in the tournament, as the recently-retired T.J. Oshie was tied for 32nd, and Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk was 36th.
Pavelski becomes the third hockey player ever to win the championship, joining Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux, and 14-season journeyman Dan Quinn. Lemieux won the tournament once in 1998, while Quinn won five times in 1992, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2012. Quinn’s five wins are the second-most among any participant in the championship after former MLB pitcher Rick Rhoden’s eight.
Pavelski spent 18 seasons in the NHL, beginning his career in 2006 with the Sharks. He spent 13 years in San Jose, including captaining the team for his final four seasons, before departing for free agency amd signing with the Stars in 2019. He spent another five seasons there before retiring in 2024.
In 1,332 career regular season games, he had 476 goals and 592 assists for 1,068 points, and is seventh in goals and sixth in points amongst American-born players. In 201 career playoff games, he has 74 goals and 69 assists for 143 points, and is second in goals and fourth in points among American-born players.