New Jersey Devils’ Scott Gomez Announces Retirement

Photo credit: Gretty Images

After playing half of his career with the New Jersey Devils Scott Gomez is hanging up the skates.

The 2-time Stanley Cup winner announced on August 31st that he would not return to the NHL this season after playing 13 games with Senators last season.  While Gomez’s career might not be filled with accolades and awards, it did have several well-known moments of controversy, most notably his depart with the New Jersey Devils, the team that drafted him in 1998.

Following a solid 2006-07 season with the team, he jumped ship and signed with the only team a Devil’s fan would cringe at, the New York Rangers. His tenure in New York did not last long and he was traded to the Montreal Canadians in ’09.  During his time in Montreal he was severely criticized for his lack of contribution to the team which would later be the sentiment by San Jose and Florida fans.  Many thought his signing in San Jose & Florida was for him to just be a designated penalty box sitter though he did see ice time in both cities outside the sin bin.

In 2014, Gomez re-signed with his first team and fans made their voices heard most with disappointment (a few with joy).  The air of distrust with Gomez by Devils faithful was palpable but that must have driven him to achieve because he had one of his best seasons in years and was a top rated Devil.  That however would be the end of his career with the Devils, the next season he signed with the St. Louis Blues and was released a few months into the 2015 season.  In March ‘16 he was signed by the ailing Ottawa Senators where he played the final 13 games of his career.  The Alaska native leaves the NHL after playing 1,079 games and scoring 181 goals.