Travis Zajac signs one-day deal to retire a New Jersey Devil

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Long-time New Jersey Devils center Travis Zajac has retired.

Zajac signed a one-day contract with the Devils on Monday so he could retire as a member of the organization where he spent all but 27 games of his 15-year career.

The 36-year-old Zajac plans to remain with the Devils in a player development and consulting role. He also will help to develop the club’s youth hockey initiatives.

“As a kid playing hockey on the outdoor rinks in Winnipeg, I dreamt about playing in the NHL," Zajac said in a statement. “Growing up the oldest of four boys, it was the perfect hockey environment. Thanks to my parents' unwavering support in our lives, that dream became a reality. Then, I got to live that childhood goal for 15 years with the Devils.”

The 20th player taken in the 2004 draft, Zajac played in 1,037 career regular-season games and had 203 goals and 349 assists. He served as an assistant captain in seven of his last eight seasons.

Zajac finished his career with the New York Islanders after a trade in early April. He played 13 regular-season games (one goal, one assist) and 14 playoff games (one goal, one assist) for the Islanders.

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The Associated Press