| Born: | April 1, 1964 | Draft: | 1982 Capitals 5th Overall |
| Hometown: | Kitchener, Ontario | Position: | D |
| Known For: | Hall of Fame | Shoots: | Left |
| National Team: | Canada |
Ronald Scott Stevens (born April 1, 1964) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. As a defenseman, Stevens played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues and New Jersey Devils, serving as captain of the Devils from 1992 to 2004. Although offensively capable, his defensive play and his heavy body checking on opponents were crucial to his success.
Stevens started his career with the Capitals, where he helped the team make the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time. After spending a season with the Blues, he was acquired by the Devils through arbitration. Personifying the team’s defense-first mentality, he captained the Devils to four Stanley Cup Finals appearances in nine years, winning three of them. In 2000, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite his team success with the Devils, he never won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league’s best defenseman. His career came to an end after a slapshot hit his head and caused post-concussion syndrome.
Stevens was later inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007, his first year of eligibility. Stevens retired with the most games played by an NHL defenseman (1,635 games), later passed by Chris Chelios. Stevens was also the youngest player in league history to reach 1,500 games played, playing in his 1,500th game at age 37 years, 346 days. He did not have a negative plus/minus in any of his 22 NHL seasons, and had the most penalty minutes of any player enshrined in the Hall of Fame until Chris Chelios was inducted in 2013. In 2017, Stevens was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history.
Scott Stevens Statistics
Deeper Dive
- New Jersey Devils Scott Stevens: Dirty or Tough?
- Devils Legends Stevens and Daneyko Together on TV
- New Jersey Devils Five Best Defensemen All-Time
- New Jersey Devils: New and Old Devils in the Rafters
Achievements
- IIHF World Championships Bronze Medal — 1983
- IIHF World Championships Silver Medal — 1985, 1989
- Canada Cup Gold Medal — 1991
- World Cup of Hockey Silver Medal — 1996
- NHL All-Rookie Team — 1983
- NHL All-Star Game — 1985, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003
- NHL First All-Star Team — 1988, 1994
- NHL Second All-Star Team — 1992, 1997, 2001
- Conn Smythe Trophy — 2000
- NHL Plus/Minus Award — 1994
- Stanley Cup Champion — 1995, 2000, 2003
- No. 4 Retired by Devils — Feb. 3, 2006
- Inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame — 2007