Player Inductees

Biography

A gifted skater, Scott Niedermayer used that skill to win every major North American and international championship through his sensational career. As a junior, he won the Memorial Cup and gold at the World Junior Championships, won the Stanley Cup on four occasions, took gold at the World Cup and at the IIHF World Championships, and contributed to two Olympic gold medals.

Born August 31, 1973, Scott Niedermayer was drafted third overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils. He made his NHL debut with four games with the Devils during the 1991-92 season. Playing full-time the next season, Niedermayer was named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team after a season with 11 goals and 40 points.

Scott and the Devils went to the Eastern Conference Final in 1993-94, but were eliminated by the New York Rangers. They made no mistake in 1994-95, though, sweeping the Detroit Red Wings to claim the first Stanley Cup championship for the franchise.

Niedermayer continued to anchor the New Jersey blueline and in 1999-2000, Scott and the Devils won a second Stanley Cup championship, defeating the Dallas Stars. Niedermayer tied a record for most shorthanded goals by a defenceman during the playoffs by scoring two while a man short.

New Jersey reached the finals again in 2000-2001, but this time, were stymied by the Colorado Avalanche. Two years later, the Devils again played for the Stanley Cup, defeating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the final. The Ducks included Scott's younger brother, Rob, at forward. During 2003-04, Scott Stevens, the Devil's captain, was injured, and Niedermayer served as captain in his absence. He enjoyed a 14-goal, 40-assist season and was awarded the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman.

During the summer of 2005, Scott ended his twelve-season career with New Jersey by signing with Anaheim as a free agent. Joining his brother, Scott was named team captain of the Ducks. Teamed on the blueline with Chris Pronger on the newly-renamed Anaheim Ducks, Niedermayer scored career-bests in goals (15) and points (69), and then led the team to a first franchise Stanley Cup. It was a fourth for Scott. He was also awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable playoff performer.

Niedermayer decided not to report to the Ducks by the start of the 2007-08 season as he contemplated retirement, but re-joined the team just prior to the turn of the year. Although playing just 48 games, Scott collected 25 points but the Ducks were eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs.

The talented blueliner played two final seasons with Anaheim before announcing his retirement in June 2010. Through 18 NHL seasons, Scott played 1,263 regular season contests, scoring 172 goals and adding 568 assists for 740 points. He also scored 25 goals, 73 assists and 98 points in 202 playoff games.

A four-time Stanley Cup champion, Scott was named to the NHL's First All-Star Team three times and to the Second Team once. He was the Norris Trophy recipient in 2003-04 and the Conn Smythe Trophy winner in 2007. Niedermayer's number 27 was retired by the New Jersey Devils during the 2011-12 season, and his number 28, worn as a junior, was retired by the Western Hockey League's Kamloops Blazers in January 2013. In November 2012, to commemorate an extraordinary international career as well as his outstanding NHL career, Scott was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.