A key piece of the Dallas Stars last Stanley Cup Final appearance is no longer playing hockey. Anton Khudobin, the Stars backup goaltender that got hot at right time, announced his retirement from hockey.
Though he had not played in the NHL since the 2022-23 season, Khudobin did play in the VHL and KHL in Russia in the 2023-24 season and did not play this past season. However, before that Khudobin made his NHL debut in the 2009-10 season with the Minnesota Wild and would go on to play for the Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, before landing with the Stars in the 2018-19 season.
In Khudobin's NHL career, he played 260 games tallying 114 wins and 11 shut outs. He recorded a 2.52 goals-against average and a .916% save percentage. During his 14 year career, Khudobin only made the playoffs three times, the first two times, with the Bruins and the Stars, he only played in one game. However, in 2020, during the bubble, Khudobin played in 25 games due to injury to Ben Bishop. Of the 24 games he started, he went 14-10. The Stars dream ended when they fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the Cup Final.
Khudobin was the clear backup until Bishop's injury which left Khudobin with the opportunity for a bigger role in the 2020-21 season, where he played 32 games. However, that would be cut short the next season when he needed season-ending hip surgery. Upon his return back to hockey, he did not seem to get back to his old form and therefore, bounced between Dallas and the Texas Stars before getting traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, where he only played one game for them.
While Khudobin has not played for the Stars recently, Stars fans have not forgotten Khudobin's Stanley Cup run performance and his "We are not going home!" moment.
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