Scott Gomez scored the first goal of the Florida Panthers season in a 4-2 defeat over the Dallas Stars in Thursday night's showdown at the American Airlines Center in Dallas,Texas.
It’s been a long journey for former New Jersey Devil and Stanley Cup Champion, Scott Gomez but the Alaskan native found a home with the Florida Panthers this summer and his name on the score sheet in his Panthers debut.
A Calder Memorial Trophy winner and two-time Stanley Cup champion in New Jersey, Gomez began to see his career slowly fall apart after signing a lucrative seven-year deal with the New York Rangers after seven-years with the Devils.
Gomez however would only fulfill two years on his contract with the Blueshirts before they sent him and two other teammates to Montreal in exchange for Chris Higgins, Ryan McDonagh, Doug Janik and Pavel Valentenko.
His time was cut short yet again and he would only remain with Montreal for two and a half seasons before landing a one-year contract with the San Jose Sharks in the shortened 2012-2013 season. The play-making center contributed 13 assists and 2 goals in the regular season, adding two more points in nine playoff games.
At 33-years old Gomez now finds himself playing for the Florida Panthers who missed the playoffs last year after finally finding their way back into the post-season in the 2011-2012 season. They lost in game seven of the Conference Quarterfinals to the New Jersey Devils.
With a fresh start and a lot in the rear view mirror, Gomez plans to be the veteran in the room to help the young players on the Panthers bench. Players like Florida’s first-round draft pick in 2011 Jonathan Huberdeau.
“ I can’t stress enough how much they helped me when I was that age,” Gomez told the Miami Herald during Panthers training camp.
Now instead of looking up to guys like Scott Neidermayer and Scott Stevens, the seasoned veteran can do what those players did for him by sharing his experiences. And Gomez certainly has a lot of those to share.
