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Scott Young

Scott Young

Scott Young (Clinton, Mass.) spent 17 successful seasons playing in the National Hockey League, winning two Stanley Cup championships (1991-Pittsburgh, 1996-Colorado) while amassing 342 goals and 415 assists in 1,181 regular-season games. The former Boston University Terrier ranks No. 15 among all American players in NHL games played, No. 12 in goals and No. 20 in points.

He retired after the 2005-06 season with a penchant for clutch goal-scoring, having finished among the NHL leaders in game-winning and shorthanded goals on multiple occasions. His three game-winning goals with St. Louis in the 2001 Stanley Cup playoffs tied for the league lead, as did his two short-handed goals. Beyond his goal-scoring prowess, Young was perhaps best known for his versatility. In addition to playing both forward and defense at various points in his career, he was a valuable contributor on the power play and the penalty kill while possessing the ability to be effective in any role, on any line. 

Young was also among the most versatile and dedicated competitors for Team USA during a star-spangled international playing career that spanned from 1985 through 2002. He is one of only 12 U.S.-born men’s hockey players to compete in three Olympic Winter Games.  

Young first forged his offensive reputation in high school, scoring at more than a goal-per-game pace for St. Mark’s School in Massachusetts. His outstanding play earned him a spot on the 1985 U.S. National Junior Team. One year later, amidst a rookie-of-the-year campaign in Hockey East, Young was back with the U.S. National Junior Team, helping lead the squad to its first medal in tournament history. He played a third time with the U.S. National Junior Team in 1987, serving as team captain and earning a place on the tournament all-star team with a team-leading 11 points (7G, 4A). 

In 1988, Young made his breakthrough on the highest level, debuting in the NHL with Hartford and playing defense for Team USA in the Olympic Winter Games, during which he posted eight points in six contests. He returned to the Olympics as a forward in 1992, and in 2002, earned a silver medal. In total, he amassed 15 points (8G, 7A) in 20 Olympic games. Young also played for Team USA in three IIHF Men’s World Championships (1987, 1989, 1994) and helped author one of the greatest moments in American hockey history as a member of the 1996 World Cup of Hockey champions. 

After the conclusion of his playing career, which included NHL stops with Hartford, Pittsburgh, Quebec, Colorado, Anaheim, St. Louis and Dallas, Young returned to his native Massachusetts, where he served as a youth and high school hockey coach and as director of hockey operations at Boston University. He is today an assistant coach with the Terriers.