On Wednesday, it was announced that former New Jersey Devils stars Zach Parise and Scott Gomez have been inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame as members of the class of 2025.
Fellow inductees include longtime San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski, Olympic Gold-winning defenseman Tara Mounsey, and Getty Images photographer Bruce Bennett, who snapped the photo used in this article!
Gomez, 45 and now the head coach of the USHL's Chicago Steel, took the time to thank some Devils legends for getting him here on this journey.
"It starts from the top with Mr. Lou Lamoriello. I mean, the way he ran the organization. You learn right away what it takes, what commitment is all about," Gomez told NHL.com. "Larry Robinson and Slava Fetisov, they just took it to another level. They cared and nurtured you. They showed you how to be a pro. I'm here right now because of all those guys."
The Anchorage, Alaska, native last played for the Devils in the 2014-15 season, when he scored seven goals, 27 assists, and 34 points in 58 games. Overall, Gomez scored 123 goals, 361 assists, and 484 points in 606 games rocking the Red and Black.
For his NHL career, the former Stanley Cup champion and Calder Trophy winner racked up 181 goals, 575 assists, and 756 points across 1,079 regular season games in 16 seasons.
The recently retired Parise, 41, left the Devils after captaining the team to a Stanley Cup Final appearance against the Los Angeles Kings, ending his tenure in New Jersey with 194 goals, 216 assists, and 410 points in 502 regular season games.
The Devils' former first-round pick, like Gomez before him, left New Jersey and signed elsewhere, drawing the ire of the fanbase, but ultimately left a lasting legacy worthy of U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame recognition. At least it wasn't the New York Rangers.
Parise finished his NHL career with 434 goals, 455 assists, and 889 points in 1,254 games, spread across 19 NHL seasons with four teams.