Devils pay tribute to Zajac

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This article was published 10/03/2022 (1369 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEWARK — He’s admittedly lost a step or two, but Travis Zajac still looks like a guy who could play in the National Hockey League. The 36-year-old Winnipegger pulled on a New Jersey Devils sweater one more time Thursday night, taking his usual spot at centre ice.

Only this one was purely ceremonial, a chance for fans to pay tribute to the recently-retired veteran who hit the 1,000 game milestone last year in front of an empty Prudential Center thanks to the global pandemic.

“It’s neat, having friends and family in the building who couldn’t make it in the first time. We only had tarps,” Zajac told the Free Press just prior to puck drop between the Devils and Winnipeg Jets. He was greeted with a long, sustained ovation from the appreciative crowd.

Zajac skated in 1,037 regular-season games over his 15-year career, with all but the final 13 coming with New Jersey. He was traded late last season to the playoff-bound New York Islanders, opting to hang up the blades after they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference final by the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning, who went on to capture a second straight title.

“I’ll say COVID had a little bit to do with it for sure. The starting, the stopping, trying to keep up. I’m not getting any younger. It was a lot of work. I kind of fell out of love with that part of the game,” Zajac said of the difficult decision.

“Trying to stay in shape, trying to eat right, trying to sleep right. If you want to be at your best, it’s 24/7, 365 days a year now. That’s what it is. I don’t want to say I got burned out, but I got a little tired of the process. And I wanted to move on and spend more time with my family and be more involved in their lives.”

Zajac is still spending plenty of time at the rinks these days, although much of it involves his three children, aged 10, 8 and 5. His son’s team was in the crowd Thursday, all sporting “Congratulations Coach Travis” signs. He’s also still hanging around the Devils, occasionally joining them for morning skates and practices to share some of his expertise with the club’s younger players as they go through an extensive re-build, led by young stars such as Jack Hughes.

“It’s more on a volunteer basis. But yeah, I know a lot of these guys. It’s been very valuable being around the coaches, learning from them. Learning the other side of the game,” he said. “You see how much smack they talked about me. But it’s been good, we’ve got a good young team here. They’re just trying to grow and build and become a consistent playoff team. We’re really close.”

Although the game will always be in his blood, Zajac said he doesn’t have any coaching aspirations.

“Not at this level, no. It’s a lot of work, I see the hours the coaches put in,” he said. “But I do want to (keep) coaching at a youth level with my kids. Just being around them, see how they prepare for practices, I don’t think it’s too much of a difference, so it’s nice to learn.”

Zajac, his wife and their kids have decided to say in New Jersey despite his playing days being over.

“You know, we went back to Winnipeg for Christmas for a couple weeks. And it was cold. We were back for two weeks and were like, you know what, we’re making the right decision,” he said with a chuckle. “We’ve been here so long, kids have grown up here, all their friends, their school, their sports. They’re embedded in this community. It just feels like home.”

Despite remaining south of the border, he’ll never forget where he came from, or what it’s meant to him.

“Growing up and being on the pond, that’s where I fell in love with the game. Playing puck with others, walking into the rinks and just going after school and playing hockey until we had to come home,” Zajac said.

“When I think about Winnipeg, it’s a hard-working city. It’s blue collar and I think that’s kind of what my game was modelled around. Leaving it all on the ice, being a good teammate, playing the right way and respecting the game. Winnipeg really modelled me into that type of player.”

And now he has plenty of time to reflect, and appreciate, what he managed to accomplish.

“It’s probably hit me more the past month. The memories, some of the milestones. The lifelong friends I’ve made,” said Zajac. “It’s all good memories. It’s all positive. Hockey’s given to me so much, to my family so much. I feel pretty fortunate. I definitely miss the game but very happy where I’m at in my life.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg