Pavelski, Parise, Gomez headline U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame class

Longtime NHL players Joe Pavelski, Zach Parise, and Scott Gomez headline the United States Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2025.

Olympic gold medal-winning women’s defender Tara Mounsey and photographer Bruce Bennett are also set to be enshrined at a ceremony in St. Paul, Minnesota. USA Hockey announced the quintet of inductees Wednesday.

"All five of these members of the class share a common bond through the Winter Olympics," USA Hockey executive director Pat Kelleher said on a video call with reporters. "It’s appropriate as we gear up for another Olympic and Paralympic year that all of these people are going into the Hall together."

Gomez was one of the first Latino players to make the league and made history as the first to come from the state of Alaska. He won the Stanley Cup twice with New Jersey.

Overlapping for much of their careers, Gomez, Pavelski, and Parise combined to play 53 seasons and all represented the U.S. at the Olympics.

Mounsey helped the U.S. win the first women’s hockey gold medal at the Games in 1998 and was part of the team that reached the final in 2002.

"To be a part of that team was incredible," Mounsey said. "To look back and see how the sport of women’s ice hockey has just exploded since the 1998 year, it’s just incredible to witness the opportunity that these young girls have now on the ice and the role models that they have to look up to."

Bennett has photographed nearly 6,000 games in the NHL and internationally over his 50 years in the business.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl