Zach Parise

Verified Timeline

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.''

In Their Own Story

On October 3, 2008, Parise was named an alternate captain for the Devils. He had a breakout season during his fourth year in the NHL, which saw the Devils increase their scoring output by nearly half a goal per game, breaking away from the team's image as a mostly defensive team. While playing in all 82 games, Parise scored 45 goals and added 49 assists for 94 points. Parise finished fifth overall in NHL scoring, and was third in goal scoring, behind only Alexander Ovechkin and Jeff Carter. During the season, Parise was selected to represent the Eastern Conference at the 2009 All-Star Game. After the season, Parise was chosen as one of three nominees for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL's most sportsmanlike player. He was also chosen to the NHL's Second All-Star Team, and named the Devils' team MVP.

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.

Did You Know?

• Parise was drafted by the Devils 17th overall in the 2003 NHL entry draft.
• He scored a goal in his first NHL game, becoming just the 12th Devil to do so.
• He was named captain of the Devils on October 5, 2011, and led them to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final.
• Parise's best NHL season was in 2008–09, when he was the League's third-leading goal scorer (45) and ranked fifth in points (94).