Topic: Scott Gomez

Scott Carlos Gomez (born December 23, 1979) is an American professional ice hockey center of both Mexican and Colombian descent, currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL).

In the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Scott Gomez was selected with the 27th pick of the first round by the New Jersey Devils. His father is Carlos, a Mexican-American, and his mother is Dalia, a Colombian-American. At the time, he was playing for the Tri-City Americans of the WHL, and had just been named to the WHL's All-Rookie Team. In the season after he was drafted, he justified the Devils' decision by scoring 108 points in 58 games for the Americans. This earned him a spot on the WHL West First All-Star Team. The year before, Gomez led the South Surrey Eagles of the Tier II Junior "A" British Columbia Hockey League to the Gold medal game of the 1997 Royal Bank Cup against the hometown Summerside Western Capitals, but Gomez and his South Surrey Eagles were defeated 4-3.

After this impressive WHL performance, Gomez was brought to New Jersey for the 1999–2000 NHL season, making him the first native Alaskan to play in the NHL. In his rookie NHL season he had 51 assists and 70 points for the Devils. For his efforts, he was awarded the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie and played in the NHL All-Star Game. Gomez scored 10 points in the 2000 NHL playoffs as the Devils won their second Stanley Cup.