Born	July 28, 1984 (1984-07-28) (age 25), Bloomington, MN, U.S.
Height Weight	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team	New Jersey Devils
Ntl. team	United States
NHL Draft	17th overall, 2003 New Jersey Devils
Pro career	2005 – present

Zachary Justin Parise (born July 28, 1984) is an American professional ice hockey player and an alternate captain of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL).^[1] In his breakout 2008–09 season, Parise was the league's third leading goal scorer (45) behind Jeff Carter with 46 and league leader Alexander Ovechkin with 56 , while ranking fifth among all NHL players in points with 94.^[2]

[edit] Playing career

Parise, son of former Minnesota North Stars centerman J. P. Parise, played high school hockey for four seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary's in Faribault, Minnesota. His final two years at Shattuck-St.Mary's, he scored 146 goals and 194 assists. In 2002 he went on to play for the University of North Dakota. In 2002–03 while playing for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey team, he was named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's All Rookie Team and All Conference 3rd team. In 2004 he was nominated a second time for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s top player.

Parise was drafted 17th overall (1st round) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils.^[3] His father, J. P., is a retired ice hockey player and his brother, Jordan, is currently a goaltender on EC Red Bull Salzburg of the Austrian Hockey League.^[4]. In 2004, at the University of North Dakota, Parise was a first team All-American his sophomore year.

Parise was the MVP of the 2004 IIHF World Junior Championship, won by the United States.^[5]

After the 2004–05 NHL lockout resulted in the cancellation of the season, Parise made his delayed debut in the NHL for the 2005–06 season. In his rookie year, Parise played in all but one game, totaling 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points. The following season, Parise opened the Devils' year by setting a franchise record for scoring the quickest season-opening goal, 26 seconds into their opener.^[6] For the season, he nearly doubled his scoring output of the previous season, totaling 62 points. He posted a similarly dependable performance for the 2007-08 season, leading the team with 65 points. On November 30, 2007 of that season, in a game against the Montreal Canadiens, Parise got his first National Hockey League natural hat trick.^[7]

On April 28, 2008, it was announced that Parise has been named an alternate captain of the 2008 U.S. Men's National Team in the 72nd annual IIHF World Championship.^[8]

On October 3, 2009, Parise was named an alternate captain for the Devils.

Parise's breakout season came in his 4th 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.^[2] Playing with Travis Zajac and captain Jamie Langenbrunner on the "ZZ Pop" line (a play on the name of popular rock band ZZ Top), Parise was very much responsible for the team's offensive turn, ranking as high as third in the NHL in goals and fifth in the NHL in points.^[2] He made his first All-Star appearance at the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal, Quebec, in which he scored a goal. He also set the Devils record for shots in a season in 2009. Parise, along with Pavel Datsyuk and Martin St. Louis, was nominated for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for the 2008-2009 season. The trophy is presented each year to the National Hockey League "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." .

Parise is sponsored by Easton.^[9]

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Regular season and playoffs

[edit] International play

Medal record
Competitor for  United States
Men's ice hockey
World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
Gold	2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships	Ice hockey

Played for the United States in:

• 2005, 2007 and 2008 men's Ice Hockey World Championships
• 2003 and 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships

[edit] International statistics

[edit] Awards

• WCHA All-Rookie Team (2003)
• NCAA West First All-American Team (2004)
• WCHA First All-Star Team (2004)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (2009)
• Named to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 2009.

[edit] External links

• Zach Parise's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Zach Parise's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

[edit] References