Pavelski, Parise, Gomez highlight 2025 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class
Some of the best Americans to ever lace up their skates, and one who captured the biggest moments, are being honored.
On Wednesday, USA Hockey announced the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Former NHLers Joe Pavelski, Scott Gomez and Zach Parise, along with Olympic gold medalist Tara Mounsey and photography legend Bruce Bennett, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Saint Paul, Minn., on Dec. 10.
Pavelski, known by many as Captain America, spent 18 seasons in the NHL and became one of the most consistent players of his generation. During his time with the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars, the Plover, Wis. native was as clutch as they came. Helped his teams advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs 16 times, leading the Sharks and Stars to the 2016 and 2020 Finals, respectively. Pavelski finished his career with 1,068 points, fifth among American-born players. He’s also the all-time leader in postseason goals (74) among U.S. players.
Pavelski also shone on the international stage, leading Team USA to the silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He also played for the Americans at the 2014 Winter Games and 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Parise was an alternate captain on that famous team in 2010 that pushed Canada to the brink in a thrilling gold medal game. He captained the U.S. in 2014 in Sochi, last playing for his country at the World Cup in 2016. The Minneapolis native won gold at the 2002 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship and 2004 IIHF World Junior Championship.
On top of that, Parise had a stellar NHL career. He was part of a solid New Jersey Devils team in the late 2000s and early 2010s, captaining the team to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. Across 19 NHL seasons, which saw Parise play with the Minnesota Wild, New York Islanders and Colorado Avalanche, he scored 889 points in 1,254 regular-season games.
Gomez made history when he burst onto the scene with the Devils in the 1999-00 season, becoming the first Latino player to win the Calder Trophy. He capped that season off with his first of two Stanley Cups with the Devils, as the team went on to win it all again in 2003. In his 16-year NHL career, the Anchorage native also made stops with the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Sharks, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators. Gomez scored 756 points in 1,079 games.
Gomez played for the U.S. at the 1998 and 1999 World Juniors, as well as the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and 2006 Olympics.
In a time when women’s hockey wasn’t yet in the mainstream, Tara Mounsey was a key part of the U.S. blue line. The Concord, N.H. native was a star for a team that won the silver medal at the 1997 and 1999 IIHF Women’s World Championships. She also helped the Americans win the first-ever Olympic gold medal in 1998, following that up with a silver four years later.
At Brown University, she was one of the top players in college hockey, even though it wasn’t an NCAA-sanctioned sport. Mounsey was a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given to the best player in women’s college hockey, in 1999, only to be one of the final four finalists as a senior in 2000.
Bennett is widely regarded as one of the best photographers in the history of the game. Along with being the Islanders’ photographer from 1982 to 2004, he’s also shot games at six Winter Olympics, with a seventh on the way in Milan next February. The Brooklyn native has shot more than 5,300 NHL games, over 470 international games and 45 Stanley Cup Finals.