Scott Gomez

Scott Gomez
Scott Gomez
Born	Scott Carlos Gomez; December 23, 1979 (age 46); Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey player (former), coach
Years active	1999–2016 (player), 2017–present (coach)
Known for	Former NHL player; head coach of Chicago Steel (USHL)

Scott Carlos Gomez (born December 23, 1979) is a former professional ice hockey player from the United States and currently serves as the head coach of the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League (USHL). Previously, he held the position of assistant coach with the New York Islanders in the National Hockey League (NHL). During his playing career in the NHL, Gomez represented several teams, including the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, and Ottawa Senators.

New Jersey Devils

Selected 27th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Gomez was then playing for the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he earned a spot on the WHL's All-Rookie team. After accumulating 108 points over 58 games and being named to the WHL West First All-Star Team, he made his NHL debut with New Jersey during the 1999–2000 NHL season, becoming the first player born in Alaska to compete in the NHL.

In his inaugural NHL season, Gomez tallied 70 points, including 51 assists, which earned him the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s best rookie and a place in the NHL All-Star Game. He added 10 points in playoff action as the Devils secured their second Stanley Cup. The next season, he contributed 63 points and helped guide New Jersey to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they were defeated by the Colorado Avalanche. Following a drop to 48 points in 2001–02 and missing some playoff games due to injury, Gomez rebounded with 55 points in 2002–03 and played a key role in winning another Stanley Cup, adding 12 points during that postseason.

During the 2003–04 campaign, Gomez matched his rookie point total with 70 points and tied for the league lead with 56 assists; however, New Jersey was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. When the 2004–05 NHL lockout occurred, Gomez returned home to Anchorage to play for the Alaska Aces, where he led the league in scoring and earned MVP honors before suffering a broken pelvis that ended his season prematurely.

Upon resuming NHL play in 2005–06, Gomez achieved personal bests with 33 goals and 84 points. Alongside linemates Brian Gionta and Patrik Eliáš (who had replaced Zach Parise), he helped reverse a sluggish start to clinch their division title. He added nine points during that year’s playoffs. In July 2006, Gomez signed a one-year contract worth $5 million and became an unrestricted free agent after finishing the 2006–07 season with 60 points while leading New Jersey to a second-round playoff appearance.

New York Rangers

On July 1, 2007, Gomez inked a seven-year deal valued at $51.5 million with the New York Rangers. On that same day, fellow Ranger signee Chris Drury, who also wore number 23, retained that jersey number after a puck flip determined Drury kept it; consequently, Gomez switched to number 19. It is noteworthy that Drury had won the Calder Memorial Trophy one year prior to Gomez.

Reflecting on his exit from New Jersey, Gomez commented, "Both sides were ready to move on. They're a tremendous organization... But at the end of the day, it was time."

When facing his former team at Prudential Center on November 14, 2007, Gomez was met with boos from previous fans but contributed two assists in a 4-2 victory for the Rangers. On February 1, 2008, he notched his 500th career point by assisting against New Jersey.

During the first round of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs against New Jersey, Gomez tallied two goals and four assists as New York won the series four games to one. The Rangers were subsequently ousted by the eventual Eastern Conference Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in round two.

On October 1, 2008, Gomez helped lead New York to victory in the Victoria Cup, defeating Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4–3. Two days later, he was appointed an alternate captain for the Rangers.

Montreal Canadiens

On June 30, 2009, Gomez was transferred from the Rangers to the Montreal Canadiens along with Tom Pyatt and Michael Busto. In exchange, the Rangers acquired Chris Higgins, Doug Janik, Ryan McDonagh, and Pavel Valentenko. This move reunited Gomez with his former Devils teammate Brian Gionta, who had recently joined Montreal.

The transaction faced scrutiny due to Gomez’s diminishing performance despite his substantial contract. While playing for Montreal in the 2009–10 NHL season, Gomez donned number 91 because his previous jersey numbers were retired by the Canadiens—19 for Larry Robinson and 23 for Bob Gainey.

For the 2010–11 NHL season, Gomez opted for number 11, a number famously worn by longtime Canadiens captain Saku Koivu and one he favored during childhood.

Throughout this time, Gomez endured a prolonged scoring slump: after netting a goal on February 5, 2011, he went more than a year without scoring despite regular appearances. He missed 30 games in the 2011–12 season and did not score in his final 29 games of 2010–11, seven playoff matches against the Boston Bruins, and the first 24 games of 2011–12—amounting to 60 consecutive scoreless games. During this stretch, he contributed 22 assists but held a −15 plus-minus rating and took 122 shots on goal. The drought concluded on February 9, 2012, when he scored a one-timer in a 4–2 victory over the New York Islanders.

2012–13 lockout

Amid the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Gomez returned to play for the Alaska Aces of the ECHL. Initially joining on a training basis, he eventually signed for the 2012–13 ECHL season and tallied 13 points across 11 games.

The revised collective bargaining agreement (CBA) affected Gomez notably in two ways: first, any AHL salary exceeding $900,000 had to be counted against the NHL salary cap, preventing teams like Montreal from "burying" high salaries in the AHL as previously done with players such as Wade Redden. Second, clubs were allowed to buy out up to two contracts at up to two-thirds of the remaining salary without cap penalties during 2013 or 2014, facilitating compliance with the lowered salary cap.

However, buyouts could not be applied to players who were injured. To ensure eligibility for a buyout without injury risk, Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin instructed Gomez on January 13, 2013, to remain away from team activities throughout the shortened season.

Although Gomez continued to receive his pro-rated salary for the 2012–13 season despite not playing, the NHLPA expressed concerns that sitting out an entire year might jeopardize his future opportunities within the NHL.

On January 15, an amendment to the CBA permitted teams to execute one of their two available compliance buyouts before the start of the shortened season. Players subjected to early buyouts would receive their full pro-rated salaries for 2012–13 (which would count against that season’s cap), while other buyout conditions remained unchanged.

Following this update, Gomez was placed on unconditional waivers and subsequently bought out on January 17, 2013, which rendered him a free agent.

San Jose Sharks & Florida Panthers

On January 23, 2013, Gomez agreed to a one-year deal worth $700,000 with the San Jose Sharks. During his tenure, he appeared in 39 games, tallying two goals alongside 13 assists.

Later, on July 31, 2013, Gomez inked a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers. Over the course of 46 games, he contributed two goals and added 10 assists.

Return to New Jersey, St. Louis Blues and Hershey Bears

Gomez joined the New Jersey Devils' training camp for the 2014–15 season on an unsigned tryout basis and secured a one-year contract on December 1, 2014. He reached a milestone by playing his 1,000th NHL game on December 28 and concluded the season with his highest point total since 2011, amassing 34 points across 58 games.

With the Devils prioritizing youth in their rebuilding efforts, Gomez was not offered a new contract. As a free agent, he accepted a tryout invitation from the St. Louis Blues for the 2015–16 campaign on August 27, 2015. On October 7, he signed a one-year two-way contract valued at $575,000. Mainly deployed on the power play unit, he registered eight points in 21 contests before being placed on waivers on December 29. After clearing waivers, Gomez requested his release and was subsequently placed on unconditional waivers to become available as a free agent.

In January 2016, Gomez signed a professional tryout agreement with the Hershey Bears, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Washington Capitals. He opted to terminate his tryout contract on March 1, 2016.

Ottawa Senators

Following an injury to the Senators' first-line center Kyle Turris, Gomez signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Ottawa Senators on March 2, 2016, agreeing to a $575,000 contract.

Gomez announced his retirement from professional hockey on August 31, 2016.

Coaching career

On May 30, 2017, Gomez was appointed assistant coach for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). After completing the 2018–19 season, he decided against returning to the Islanders' coaching staff.

In August 2023, Gomez accepted an assistant coaching role with the Surrey Eagles in the British Columbia Hockey League. Subsequently, in June 2025, he was named head coach of the Chicago Steel competing in the United States Hockey League.

Web show

Gomez debuted a YouTube series entitled Scotty's House on July 30, 2020, which chronicles his personal experiences in Alaska.

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1994–95	East Anchorage High School	HS-AK	28	30	48	78	—	—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	East Anchorage High School	HS-AK	27	56	49	105	—	—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Anchorage North Stars AAA	Midget	40	67	70	137	44	—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	South Surrey Eagles	BCHL	56	48	76	124	94	21	18	23	41	57
1997–98	Tri-City Americans	WHL	45	12	37	49	57	—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Tri-City Americans	WHL	58	30	78	108	55	10	6	13	19	31
1999–00	New Jersey Devils	NHL	82	19	51	70	78	23	4	6	10	4
2000–01	New Jersey Devils	NHL	76	14	49	63	46	25	5	9	14	24
2001–02	New Jersey Devils	NHL	76	10	38	48	36	—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	New Jersey Devils	NHL	80	13	42	55	48	24	3	9	12	2
2003–04	New Jersey Devils	NHL	80	14	56	70	70	5	0	6	6	0
2004–05	Alaska Aces	ECHL	61	13	73	86	69	4	1	3	4	4
2005–06	New Jersey Devils	NHL	82	33	51	84	42	9	5	4	9	6
2006–07	New Jersey Devils	NHL	72	13	47	60	42	11	4	10	14	14
2007–08	New York Rangers	NHL	81	16	54	70	36	10	4	7	11	8
2008–09	New York Rangers	NHL	77	16	42	58	60	7	2	3	5	4
2009–10	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	78	12	47	59	60	19	2	12	14	25
2010–11	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	80	7	31	38	48	7	0	4	4	2
2011–12	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	38	2	9	11	14	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Alaska Aces	ECHL	11	6	7	13	12	—	—	—	—
2012–13	San Jose Sharks	NHL	39	2	13	15	22	9	0	2	6
2013–14	Florida Panthers	NHL	46	2	10	12	24	—	—	—	—
2014–15	New Jersey Devils	NHL	58	7	27	34	23	—	—	—	—
2015–16	St. Louis Blues	NHL	21		1		7		8		4
2015–16	\[\[Hershey Bears\]\]	\[\[AHL\]\]	\18		4		20		24		0
\2015-16	\[\[Ottawa Senators\]\]	\[\[NHL\]\]	\13		-		-		-		-

International

Year	Team	Tournament	Placement	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1998	United States	WJC	5th place	7	1	0	1	2
1999	United States	WJC	8th place	6	3	7	10	4
2004	United States	WCH	Semifinalist	7	2	1	3	2
2006	United States	OG	8th place	6	1	4	5	10
Junior career totals				13	4	7	11	6
Senior career totals				11	2	7	9	10

Awards and achievements

Award	Year
BCHL
Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy	1997
Abbott Cup	1997
Doyle Cup	1997
Mowat Cup	1997
Fred Page Cup	1997
CJHL
Top Forward Award	1997
WHL
All-Rookie Team selection	1998
First All-Star Team distinction	1999
NHL
NHL All-Rookie team honor	2000
NHL All-Star Game appearances	2000, 2008
Calder Memorial Trophy recipient	2000