When you look back at the history of Slovak hockey, elite goaltenders have been few and far between. There used to be a common joke: Slovakia had A-level forwards, B-level defensemen, and C-level goalies.

Almost three years after he last played an NHL game, goalie Jaroslav Halak is calling it a career. Halak, 40, is retiring from hockey with immediate effect, he told Tomas Prokop of Dennik Sport in his home country of Slovakia per a Friday morning social media post. The goalie spent 17 seasons in the NHL split between seven teams.

Jaroslav Halak’s career peaked in 2014-15 with the New York Islanders, where he set a franchise record with 38 wins in 59 starts.