Tom Fitzgerald (ice hockey)
Thomas James Fitzgerald | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 28, 1968 United States |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey player, executive |
| Years active | 1988–2006 (player), 2007–present (executive) |
| Known for | President of hockey operations and general manager of the New Jersey Devils; Stanley Cup champion (2009) |
Thomas James Fitzgerald (born August 28, 1968) is a former professional ice hockey player and current executive from the United States, whose playing career spanned 17 seasons across the NHL and AHL. Presently, he holds the positions of president of hockey operations and general manager for the New Jersey Devils. Fitzgerald earned a Stanley Cup championship in 2009 while serving as the Pittsburgh Penguins' director of player development.
Playing career
Fitzgerald began his hockey journey at Austin Preparatory School in Reading, Massachusetts, before advancing to collegiate hockey at Providence College. In the 1986 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected 17th overall by the New York Islanders. Turning professional in 1988, he played a role in the Springfield Indians capturing the Calder Cup title in 1990.
During five seasons with the Islanders, Fitzgerald made history as the first player to net two shorthanded goals during a single minor penalty in an NHL playoff match (May 2, 1993). The Florida Panthers acquired him through the 1993 expansion draft, where he became a pivotal figure in Florida’s 1996 Stanley Cup playoff run, notably scoring the winning goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
After a brief trade to Colorado in 1998, Fitzgerald joined the Nashville Predators as a free agent, where his leadership qualities earned him the distinction of being Nashville’s inaugural captain for four seasons. He later signed contracts with the Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs, agreeing to a two-year deal with Toronto in July 2002. While with Toronto, Fitzgerald celebrated his milestone 1,000th NHL game in January 2004 alongside teammate Gary Roberts.
In the summer of 2004, he signed with the Boston Bruins. Following the expiration of his contract without renewal in July 2006, Fitzgerald officially retired from professional play on September 12, 2006.
Executive career
Fitzgerald transitioned into management in July 2007 by leaving NESN to accept the role of director of player development for the Pittsburgh Penguins. That October, he contributed as an assistant coach for the United States national men's ice hockey team at the Deutschland Cup, helping secure a second-place finish. On July 3, 2009, he was elevated to assistant general manager within the Penguins organization.
On July 24, 2015, Fitzgerald was appointed assistant general manager for the New Jersey Devils. After Ray Shero was dismissed on January 12, 2020, Fitzgerald assumed interim general manager responsibilities. He was promoted to executive vice president and full-time general manager on July 9. On January 23, 2024, he signed a multi-year extension and was elevated to president of hockey operations while continuing as general manager.
Personal life
Fitzgerald and his wife are parents to four sons: Ryan, Casey, Jack, and Brendan. His broadcasting experience includes work as an analyst for Outdoor Life Network during the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs and serving as a studio analyst for NESN’s Boston Bruins postgame coverage.
His son Ryan was selected by the Boston Bruins in the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and currently competes for the Utica Comets, affiliated with the Devils’ AHL team. Casey was drafted in the third round (86th overall) by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and now plays with the Florida Panthers. Both brothers attended Boston College and played together between 2015 and 2017.
Fitzgerald shares family ties with cousin and NHL player Keith Tkachuk. He is also related to Tkachuk’s sons Matthew of the Florida Panthers and Brady of the Ottawa Senators, along with cousins Kevin Hayes of the St. Louis Blues and Jimmy Hayes, who retired in 2019 after playing for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1984–85 | Austin Preparatory School | HSMA | 18 | 20 | 21 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Austin Preparatory School | HSMA | 24 | 35 | 38 | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Providence Friars | HE | 27 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Providence Friars | HE | 36 | 19 | 15 | 34 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 61 | 24 | 18 | 42 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | New York Islanders | NHL | 23 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 53 | 30 | 23 | 53 | 32 | 14 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 13 | ||
| 1989–90 | New York Islanders | NHL | 19 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1990–91 | Capital District Islanders | AHL | 27 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | New York Islanders | NHL | 41 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Capital District Islanders | AHL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | New York Islanders | NHL | 45 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | New York Islanders | NHL | 77 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 34 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 18 | ||
| 1993–94 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 83 | 18 | 14 | 32 | 54 | |||||||
| 1994–95 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 48 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 31 | |||||||
| 1995–96 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 82 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 75 | 22 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 34 | ||
| 1996–97 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 71 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 64 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1997–98 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 69 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 57 | |||||||
| 1997–98 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 | ||
| 1998–99 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 80 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 48 | |||||||
| 1999–00 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 82 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 66 | |||||||
| 2000–01 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 82 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 71 | |||||||
| 2001–02 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 63 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 33 | |||||||
| 2001–02 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2002–03
|Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 66|||4|||13|||17|||57 | 7|||0|||1|||1|||4 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2003–04 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 69|||7|||10|||17|||52 | 10|||0|||0|||0|||6 |- |
NHL |
71|||4|||6|||10|||40 | ||||||||||||
| colspan="3" ! NHL totals | 1,097 | 139 | 190 | 329 | 776 | 78 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 90 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Placement | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | Penalty Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | United States | WJC | 4th place | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| 1989 | United States | WC | 6th place | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | |
| 1991 | United States | WC | 4th place | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| Junior career totals | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||||
| Senior career totals | 20 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 18 | ||||
See also
External links
- Pages with script errors
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- 1968 births
- Living people
- American expatriate ice hockey players in Canada
- American men's ice hockey right wingers
- Boston Bruins announcers
- Boston Bruins players
- Capital District Islanders players
- Chicago Blackhawks players
- Colorado Avalanche players
- Florida Panthers players
- Ice hockey people from Middlesex County, Massachusetts
- Ice hockey players from Massachusetts
- Nashville Predators players
- National Hockey League general managers
- New Jersey Devils executives
- New York Islanders draft picks
- New York Islanders players
- NHL first-round draft picks
- Sportspeople from Billerica, Massachusetts
- Pittsburgh Penguins coaches
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- Springfield Indians players
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- 20th-century American sportsmen