Bill Guerin

Lore & Background

Guerin played 18 seasons in the NHL, winning two Stanley Cup championships with the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins. He was drafted fifth overall by the Devils in 1989 and played with them from 1991 to 1998, winning the Cup in 1995. He was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in 1998, then to the Boston Bruins in 2001. After a 41-goal season, he signed with the Dallas Stars in 2002. He later played for the St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009. Internationally, he represented the United States at the Olympics in 1998, 2002, and 2006, and participated in two World Cup of Hockey tournaments. He was named general manager of Team USA for the 2025 Four Nations Face-Off and 2026 Winter Olympics.

Reader's Guide

Guerin was the first player of Hispanic descent to play in the NHL. He was selected to four NHL All-Star Games (2001, 2003, 2004, 2007) and named MVP of the 2001 game. He was an NHL second team All-Star in 2002. He became the first player to have a 20-goal season with seven different teams. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.

Did You Know?

• Guerin's 14 years between Stanley Cups as a player was the third-longest wait in NHL history, behind Chris Chelios (16) and Mark Recchi (15).
• He was named captain of the New York Islanders in 2007, becoming the 11th captain in team history.
• Guerin was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 for a conditional draft pick that became a third-round pick after the Penguins advanced to the second round of the playoffs.
• He retired as a Pittsburgh Penguin on December 6, 2010, ranking seventh all-time among Americans in the NHL with 429 goals.