That next opportunity never came for Halak, who officially retired as a professional player Friday. The 40-year-old goalie finished his NHL career with a 295-189-69 record, 2.50 goals-against average, .915 save percentage and 53 shutouts over 17 seasons.

On July 18, longtime NHL goaltender Jaroslav Halak officially announced his retirement from professional hockey. With that announcement, a notable chapter in Montreal Canadiens history reopens, one that stirred intense debate and emotion across the hockey world: the Halak-Price decision.