Scott Gomez becomes first Alaska-born player inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
Photo Credit: Erik Hill/Anchorage Daily News
Former NHLer Scott Gomez will become the first Alaskan inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025. The announcement was made by USA Hockey on Wednesday, with an official ceremony taking place on December 10, 2025, in St. Paul, Minnesota.
“Being the first Alaskan in the Hall of Fame is something I take great pride in,” said Scott Gomez. “I know more will come, but to join the other names who have received this honor before me is incredible.”
Born in Anchorage, Gomez was at the center of Alaska’s youth hockey scene.
In two years at East Anchorage High, Gomez registered 183 total points in 55 games, winning the state’s Player of the Year Award both seasons. He played Triple-A hockey for the 18U Anchorage North Stars, tallying 137 points in 40 games.
Growing up in Alaska, Gomez and many other young athletes with professional aspirations looked up to basketball player Trajan Langdon. Four years older than Gomez, the man known as the “Alaskan Assassin” was recruited by Duke University to play Division I college basketball. Langdon went on to have a successful college career, a three-year stint in the NBA, and consistently won while playing the majority of his career in Europe. The 49-year-old is now the president of basketball operations for the Detroit Pistons.
“I think I owe a lot to guys (like basketball player) Trajan Langdon, the Alaskan Assassin,” Gomez said. “When Bobby Knight and (Mike Krzyzewski) and all those guys were coming up to Alaska to recruit him, I remember my dad always putting in my ear that ‘if you’re good enough, they’ll find you,’ so that was kind of our motto up there (in Alaska).”
He then transitioned to junior hockey, leaving Alaska to play in British Columbia, followed by Washington State. Gomez was drafted 27th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.
In the 1999-00 season, the forward would become the first Latino player to win the Calder Trophy as the league’s Rookie of the Year. Gomez had 70 points, including 51 assists, in 82 regular-season games. He would add 10 more points in the playoffs, helping the Devils win the Stanley Cup during his rookie season. Gomez would win his second and final Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2003.
"I was put in a great situation right from the get-go. Look at those (Devils) teams, you had to fit in right away and I learned from the best," Gomez said. "Coming into the room, the leadership and guidance from all of those guys, they took it to another level. They cared, they nurtured you. They showed you how to be a pro. I'm here right now because of all of those guys.
"I was fortunate to play for the Devils."
Gomez would play 606 of his 1079 career regular-season games with the Devils. He also spent time with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, and Ottawa Senators. The two-time NHL All-Star recorded 181 goals and 575 assists for 756 points during his 16-year career. Gomez led the league in assists (56) in 2003-04 and made the playoffs 11 times in 16 seasons.
Gomez always had Alaska in his heart; he came back to his home state twice to play for the Alaska Aces during the 2004-05 and 2012-13 NHL lockouts. Gomez reportedly turned down lucrative offers overseas to play in the East Coast Hockey League in front of his friends and family.
Internationally, Gomez represented the U.S. on multiple occasions. Gomez would represent his country at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, scoring five points in six games. The U.S. would fall short of playing for a medal in the quarterfinals. Gomez played in the IIHF World Junior Championship in 1997-98 and 1998-99. He also donned the red, white, and blue during the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
Now 45 years old, Gomez is in his first year as the head coach of the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League. He was previously an NHL assistant coach with the New York Islanders from 2017-19.
Gomez joins four other American hockey trailblazers to be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025. Two of Gomez’s former teammates, Joe Pavelski and Zach Parise, along with former women’s hockey star Tara Mounsey, will be the three players to be enshrined alongside Gomez. Photographer Bruce Bennett, who has photographed more than 5,300 NHL games, was also named as an inductee.
“It’s a great honor to be inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame,” Gomez said. “To receive the highest honor in our nation’s sport is truly special. This achievement is a testament not just to me but to those who helped me along the way, including USA Hockey, where my journey started.”
