Pierre-Edouard Bellemare seems to be calling it a career.

The former Vegas Golden Knights center — an Original Misfit — said he is retiring from international competition after France was eliminated in the qualification round Tuesday against Germany in the Winter Olympics in Milan.

The 40-year-old, also captain of the team in his first Olympics, scored the lone goal for the French in a 5-1 loss to end France’s run in Italy.

“That was my last game,” Bellemare said. “I had to reach the quarterfinals to keep on wearing this jersey. It’s a bit tough emotionally, but I’ve never played just for myself, and I’m not going to start now.”

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare says, “This is it.”

Asked if he could play in 2030 — when France hosts — Bellemare said physically, he feels he could, but he owes it to his family to stop.

No more moving around, deciding which toys his young children can keep; allowing his wife to… pic.twitter.com/pHJkghqdtw

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 17, 2026

Bellemare said, physically, he thinks he could play when France hosts the 2030 Olympics, but said he wants to spend more time with his family. He and his wife, Hannah, have two children.

Bellemare appeared in 700 NHL games — the most of any French-born player — for five teams. He went undrafted and signed with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2014 at age 29.

He missed all but nine games in three years with the Flyers. The Knights selected him from the Flyers in the 2017 expansion draft.

Bellemare was a reliable fourth liner for the two years he played in Las Vegas. He reached a then-career-high of 16 points in 2018 and played a key depth role in the Knights’ run to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season.

Bellemare played five more seasons — two in Colorado, two with Tampa Bay and one with Seattle — before playing the past two years with Ajoie HC in the Swiss League.

Ajoie HC has five games remaining in the regular season. Bellemare didn’t specify if he planned to finish the season.

The Knights didn’t name a captain their first three years. In the first year, they relied on the “23 captains” mantra in the locker room.

Bellemare acted every bit as a captain — from the way he played, to the way he poetically answered questions, win or lose.

“I’m also sad that we couldn’t pull off a spectacular game to advance to the next round,” Bellemare said. “Our fans in France deserved it. We’re a small hockey nation. The good news is there’s a lot to look forward to.

“If this Olympic tournament can inspire a young kid to play, that would be fantastic. In a few years, that kid could be here in my skates in this very spot.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.