Zach Parise

Captain who led the Devils to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final.

Zachary Justin Parise (born July 28, 1984) is an American former professional ice hockey player who was a left winger for the New Jersey Devils from 2005 to 2012. He captained the Devils to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Los Angeles Kings in six games. Parise was drafted by the Devils 17th overall in the 2003 NHL entry draft and turned professional after his sophomore season at the University of North Dakota, spending one year playing for the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League (AHL). Parise joined the Devils for the 2005–06 season. His best NHL season was in 2008–09, when he was the League's third-leading goal scorer (45) behind Jeff Carter with 46 and NHL leader Alexander Ovechkin with 56, while ranking fifth among all NHL players in points with 94.

Quick Facts

Born

28 July 1984

Birthplace

Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.

Position

Left wing

Shoots

Left

League

NHL

Played for

New Jersey Devils
Minnesota Wild
New York Islanders
Colorado Avalanche

Draft

17th overall

Drafted by

New Jersey Devils

Lore & Background

Parise was named captain of the Devils on October 5, 2011, becoming the second captain in Devils history (the other being Scott Stevens) to lead them to the Stanley Cup Final. The Devils were down 0–3 in the series before finally losing in six games at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings. On July 4, 2012, Parise left the Devils' organization to sign with his hometown Minnesota Wild. Parise noted that his parents played a role in him signing with the Wild, stating 'When I made the decision they were real excited as well. That played a big part. I grew up here, I love coming back here in the summers and I thought 'We enjoy it here so much it would be great to be here year round.''

Reader's Guide

Zach Parise played for the New Jersey Devils from the 2005–06 season through the 2011–12 season. He made his debut in the NHL at the start of the 2005–06 season, playing in all but one game, totaling 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points. He became just the 12th player for the Devils to score a goal in his first NHL game. Parise scored his first career Stanley Cup playoff goal against the New York Rangers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals. To open the following season, Parise set a franchise record for scoring the quickest season-opening goal, 26 seconds into the first game. For the season, he nearly doubled his scoring output of the previous season, totaling 62 points. Parise was chosen to play in the NHL YoungStars Game during the All-Star weekend, where he scored two goals and four assists and was named the game's MVP. Heading into the 2007–08 season, Parise and the Devils agreed to terms on a new, four-year contract on August 1, 2007. Parise led the Devils in scoring during the 2007–08 season with 65 points. On November 30, 2007, in a game against the Montreal Canadiens, Parise got his first NHL natural hat-trick.