Scott Gomez had the pedigree of a top prospect, which led to the New Jersey Devils taking him with the 27th pick of the 1998 NHL Draft. But he also had an unusual hockey background that drew attention. A left-handed center, Gomez was born in Alaska to a father born in Mexico and a mother born in Colombia.

He hit the ice for his first NHL game in the 1999-2000 season as the league’s first Latino player. Then, he tallied two assists in his second game for a team that was coming off three straight 100-point seasons but hadn’t made it past the conference semifinals. 

That was the start of a season that saw Gomez win the Calder Memorial Trophy before helping the Devils win their first Stanley Cup.

Over his first four seasons in the NHL, Gomez would play in two more Cup Finals and win another title, making him integral to the Devils’ success. That steady and reliable play throughout his career is why Gomez is part of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025. He will be inducted on Dec. 10 in St. Paul, Minnesota, along with photographer Bruce Bennett and players Tara Mounsey, Zach Parise and Joe Pavelski. The late executive Ray Shero will also be honored as this year’s Lester Patrick Trophy winner.

“Certainly, his stats were there, and you might have questioned his skating a little, but obviously that was not a factor,” Lou Lamoriello, a Hall of Famer and former longtime general manager of the Devils, said about what he saw before drafting Gomez. “But his skills, his talents, seeing the ice, hockey sense. He sees the ice extremely well as far as reading plays. He was one of the best on the power play, especially in the half-wall situation, as you want to see, and his points on the power play, assists, also bear that out. Just a quality, quality player, offensive-minded, worked the defense and he was loved by his teammates.”

Gomez finished his rookie season with 19 goals and 51 assists for 70 points, which were second on the team to Patrik Eliáš’ 72. Gomez went on to rack up 181 goals and 575 assists for 756 points, peaking with 33 goals in 2005-06 and leading the NHL with 56 assists in 2003-04. 

On top of his successful NHL career, he also made a handful of appearances with Team USA. Gomez played in the 1998 and 1999 World Junior Championships, helped the U.S. win a bronze at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and capped off his international career at the 2006 Olympics. 

“You’re talking about a guy that played the game maybe a little differently than what prototypical New Jersey Devils would have been in that time,” said Jamie Langenbrunner, a U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer who played with Gomez from 2002-07. “He saw it a little bit differently but also was able to conform to what the team wanted to do and make it fit. His creativity, his ability to make players around him better, put guys into good positions. His competitiveness is underrated.”

The early success included double-digit point totals in the three Cup runs.

Gomez left the Devils to join the New York Rangers in 2007. From there, he played for the Montreal Canadiens before bouncing around from the San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers, Devils, St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators before retiring following the 2015-16 season.

He didn’t make a big deal about his Latino or Alaskan roots. But as the NHL lockout cancelled the 2004-05 season, he did go back to play for his hometown Anchorage Aces of the ECHL. Not surprisingly, he earned MVP honors after putting up a league-best 86 points (13 goals, 73 assists) in 61 games. He returned to the Aces during the 2012-13 lockout for 11 games, notching six goals and seven assists.

But it was his Latino heritage that garnered him a lot of attention early, making him a role model for others to follow in his footsteps.

“He had that as a badge of honor and represented well,” Langenbrunner said. “Kind of to his personality, he stayed authentic to who he was and proud of it but didn’t use it to not conform to what the team was or have some completely different thing. He found that balance.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.

Click here for tickets to the 2025 USHHOF Induction Celebration