At age 38, former Wisconsin standout Joe Pavelski remains a force in the NHL

MADISON – Mark Osiecki remembers Joe Pavelski’s stubborn streak.

“You’d have to kick him off the ice,” Osiecki said, reflecting on Pavelski’s two seasons at Wisconsin in 2004-05 and 2005-06. “You would.

“Because he just wanted to continue to do it. And he still does it to this day.”

Osiecki at the time was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under head coach Mike Eaves.

Pavelski was a center from Plover and Stevens Point Area High School whose hockey skills were complemented and enhanced by a Hall of Fame work ethic. That combination allowed Pavelski to help UW win the 2006 national title in Milwaukee.

Fast-forward to today.

Pavelski, 38, is in his 17^th season in the National Hockey League, including the last four with the Dallas Stars.

Dallas’ second-round series with Seattle is even after two games. Game 3 is set for Sunday night in Seattle and Pavelski enters the night with five goals in the first two games of the series.

Joe Pavelski has scored a combined five goals in the first two games of Dallas' series against Seattle

Pavelski scored four goals in Game 1, which Seattle won, 5-4, in overtime. Pavelski became the 40th player in NHL history to score four goals in a playoff game. He also became the oldest player (38 years, 295 days) to score four goals in a playoff game.

He added one goal, the game-winner, in Game 2, a 4-2 Dallas victory.

"I don't know what he's bad at, whether it's golf or playing cards or air hockey," Stars forward Tyler Seguin, who had a goal an an assist in Game 2, told reporters when asked about Pavelski. "We wanted to win that first round for him, and he's come back and given us five goals in six periods, so we want some more from him."

With five goals in the series, Pavelski is tied for second for most goals in a single series, just one behind Teemu Selanne. Selanne had six goals in one series for Anaheim in 2011.

Pavelski has 69 career playoff goals, which is No. 3 among active NHL players. He trails Washington’s Alex Ovechkin (72) and Pittsburgh’s Sydney Crosby (71).

“That’s the thing that is incredible,” said Osiecki, whose second stint at UW ended when head coach Tony Granato was fired after the end of last season. “Because Joe’s not the fastest guy on the ice. He’s not the quickest guy. But his intelligence is incredible.

“But I’m not surprised because his will was so big, to find a way to make it. And seeing him and working with him and being on the ice with him… you don’t see too many guys that have outworked him. He honed his skills.”

The skill that has become Pavelski’s signature move? The tip-in. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Pavelski consistently displays the ability to redirect pucks past helpless goaltenders and into the net.

Two of Pavelski’s goals in Game 1 of the Seattle series came on tip-ins. The first came from the high slot, with Pavelski using the blade of the stick to redirect the puck. The second came just outside the crease and at the end of the rush in the third period with Dallas trailing, 4-3. This time, Pavelski used the shaft of his stick to beat the goaltender.

Defenseman Jani Hakanpaa tried to center the puck from near the right-wing boards but a Seattle player deftly used his stick to deflect the puck into the air. Unflappable as always, Pavelski contorted his body while on one skate and slapped the waist-high puck toward the far post and into the net.

“Three forwards on the Badgers texted me that night,” Osiecki said. “They said: I get it now. I understand why you want to do that stuff around the net.

“He is unreal at it. He just works at it. So, from that standpoint it is awesome to see his success because he worked at it. It’s not God-given. That’s for sure.”

Pavelski missed the final five games of Dallas' first-round series against Minnesota after suffering a concussion

Perhaps most impressive is that Pavelski missed the final five games of Dallas’ first-round series against Minnesota after suffering a concussion in Game 1.

"Excited to be back, that's for sure," Pavelski said. "First lap of warmups, felt a shot of adrenaline right there, was excited. Starting the game was just as much fun. We battled all night. It was a good game. We were right there. Obviously tough loss, we want to get those."

Osiecki sent a text to Pavelski after the opener to see if he was OK. Pavelski responded with a thumbs-up.

“I didn’t want to ask him anything more than that,” Osiecki said. “But the one thing it does – without going into the medical side of it, because I have no idea how bad it was – it gave him a little rest. And that’s a good thing.

“He just comes back and keeps on going. He just keeps on being Joe.”

Unprompted, Osiecki compared Pavelski to another former UW player, a player who lasted 26 seasons in the NHL, tied for the all-time mark with Gordie Howe. The player: Chris Chelios, who played at UW in 1981-82 and 1982-83.

"I hate to compare players," Osiecki said. "But another Badger – Chris Chelios – was similar.

"His size was just OK. Skating was ugly. But the will is incredible and the work habits. Chelly did the same thing as Pavs. They both outworked everybody all the time.

"You knew that Pavs was going to do well. But I don’t think anyone could say that he was going to do this well."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former UW star Joe Pavelski remains a force for NHL's Dallas Stars