Scott Stevens
Ronald Scott Stevens is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. As a defenseman, Stevens played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League 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 defence-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 defenceman.
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 defenceman, later passed by Chris Chelios and Zdeno Chara. 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.
Early life
Stevens was born in Kitchener, Ontario, to Larry and Mary Stevens, the middle child of three brothers. Larry owned a paper products company and was also a semi-professional Canadian football player. All three Stevens brothers played hockey as children; older brother Geoff would later go on to be a scout for the New Jersey Devils, while Mike, the youngest, enjoyed a brief NHL career with several teams.As a youth, Stevens played in the 1976 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Kitchener. Growing up near Toronto, he was a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs and idolized Leafs defenceman Börje Salming. Stevens attended Eastwood Collegiate Institute, where he played middle linebacker on the school's Canadian football team. One of his teammates was Markus Koch, who would go on to win a Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. However, hockey was Stevens' true passion. He and his brothers often played hockey in the house, ruining the furniture repeatedly. He eventually earned a spot on the Kitchener Junior B team and passed on the opportunity to tour Czechoslovakia with the Kitchener midget team to play there. His play impressed scouts and he was taken ninth overall by his hometown Kitchener Rangers in the 1981 Ontario Hockey League draft.
The 1981–82 Kitchener Rangers were a team that featured several future NHL players. The defensive corps included Dave Shaw and Al MacInnis, Wendell Young was the team's starting goaltender, and the top-scoring line on the team was Jeff Larmer, Brian Bellows and Grant Martin. Stevens and Shaw were an integral part of the Rangers' defence, playing in every game of the season en route to the team's Memorial Cup victory. In addition, both played in the OHL All-Star Game. Rangers head coach Joe Crozier said of Stevens, "He's come a long way this year ... He's strong, tough, handles the puck well and has tremendous hockey sense." Stevens led all rookie defencemen in scoring and was named the second-best defensive defenceman and second-best body-checker in a poll of OHL coaches.
Playing career
Washington Capitals (1982–1990)
Stevens was taken fifth overall in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals. Due to injuries to other players during training camp, Stevens made the team at age 18 and never played a game in the minor leagues. He made an immediate impact, scoring on his first shot in his first NHL game. He scored 25 points in his debut season and made the All-Rookie Team. In addition, he led all rookie defencemen in penalty minutes. He finished third in the voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the league's Rookie of the Year. He was also named the Capitals' Rookie of the Year. Stevens' debut with the Capitals coincided with the team's first playoff appearance, although they were eliminated in the first round by the New York Islanders.The following year, he would nearly double his point total from the previous year, finishing with 13 goals and 32 assists for 45 points. Only teammate Larry Murphy had more points among defencemen. His 201 penalty minutes would lead the team; he would ultimately lead the Capitals in the category five times during his tenure with the team, and eventually set the team record for most career penalty minutes by a defenceman. However, Stevens' success did not translate to the Capitals, who were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Islanders. During this period, Stevens learned from veterans Rod Langway and defensive linemate Brian Engblom on the finer points of playing defence. Head coach Bryan Murray also helped calm the fiery young Stevens, who would learn to fight less and play harder. Stevens spoke fondly of his time with the Capitals years later, saying:
The 1984–85 season would be a breakout year for Stevens. He set a team record for defencemen by scoring 16 power play goals, and tied a team record for goals by a defenceman with 21. His performance was good enough to land him a spot in the All-Star Game. Stevens would lead all Capitals defencemen in scoring for the first time, finishing the year with 21 goals and 44 assists, and earned the team's Fan Favorite Award. His offensive abilities and size made Murray consider moving him to winger. The Capitals finished second in the Patrick Division, but were out of the playoffs early again, this time courtesy of the Islanders. Before the next season, the Capitals acquired Dwight Schofield in the waiver draft. Schofield was known for his abilities as an enforcer, and his goal was to keep other teams' hitters away from Stevens and Langway, who were deemed too valuable to lose to penalties. The plan worked, as Stevens finished with 165 penalty minutes, the lowest in his career to that point. He also added 15 goals and 38 assists that season. However, the Capitals continued their playoff woes; after defeating the Islanders in the first round, they lost to the New York Rangers in the division finals.
The 1986–87 season saw Stevens return to his old ways, as he spent a career-high 283 minutes in the penalty box. The total set a Capitals record for penalty minutes in a season. Despite missing three games with a broken right index finger, an injury he suffered against the Islanders, Stevens would finish the year third on the team in scoring with 61 points; his 51 assists were also good enough for second on the Capitals. The Caps were once again eliminated by the Islanders in the first round of the playoffs.
During the 1987–88 season, Stevens set Capitals records for most assists and most points by a defenceman in a game, with five assists against the Los Angeles Kings on December 6, 1987. Later that season, he would score at least one assist in eight consecutive games, setting another team record for defencemen. He finished the year second on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 60 assists for 72 points, tops among all Capitals blueliners. He ended up finishing second behind Boston Bruins defenceman Ray Bourque in the voting for the James Norris Memorial Trophy. In addition, he was named as an NHL first team All-Star. Stevens would suffer a shoulder injury in the first round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers, a series the Capitals would win. He returned in time for the Capitals' divisional finals against his future team, the New Jersey Devils. Despite tying a team record by posting four assists in Game 6 of the series, the Capitals fell four games to three.
The Capitals won the Patrick Division in the 1988–89 season, and Stevens' 68 points led Caps defencemen. He had 225 penalty minutes; this was the last time Stevens would have over 200 minutes in his career. He was named to his second All-Star game, and added an assist as the Wales Conference lost to the Campbell Conference 9–5. However, the Caps could not translate their regular-season success into the playoffs, as they lost in the first round to the Flyers. The 1989–90 season saw mixed success for Stevens. He struggled, as he was beset with injuries, including a broken foot that caused him to miss nearly two months. In addition, he was suspended for three games for gouging Chicago Blackhawks player Dave Manson in the eye during a fight. Stevens said he never hit Manson's eye, but that the eye hit Stevens' helmet during the fight. Missing a third of the season led to Stevens' lowest point total since his rookie year; he finished with just 11 goals and 29 assists for 40 points, although it was still second among Capitals defencemen. Despite his lowered stats, the Capitals made their furthest inroads in the playoffs ever. After defeating the Devils in the first round and the Rangers in the second round, the Capitals were in the conference finals for the first time in team history where they were swept by the Bruins.
Over eight seasons with the Capitals, Stevens finished with 98 goals and 429 points in 601 games. He also set team records for penalty minutes, games played by a defenceman, points by a defenceman, goals by a defenceman, assists by a defenceman, playoff games played, playoff points, playoff assists and playoff goals by a defenceman.
St. Louis Blues (1990–1991)
After eight seasons in Washington, Stevens felt it was time to move on. The St. Louis Blues courted him and offered a four-year deal worth $5.145 million. Since he was a restricted free agent, Washington had the option to match the offer sheet. However, they declined and consequently received two first-round draft picks plus $100,000 in cash, turning into five first-round picks if the Capitals did not have a top-seven draft pick in the 1991 or 1992 entry drafts, as compensation.Stevens' signing had far-reaching ramifications on player contracts in the NHL. At the time, the deal made him the highest-paid defenceman in the league. In addition, the deal included a $1.4 million signing bonus. Several defencemen considered superior players to Stevens, including Ray Bourque and Chris Chelios, were earning less money, and Capitals defenceman Kevin Hatcher held out until he received a contract similar to Stevens'. General managers worried that these players would begin demanding bigger contracts. The players did end up asking for more money, and this escalation was one of the factors in the 1994–95 NHL lockout several seasons later.
After he arrived in St. Louis, Stevens was named captain of the Blues. He scored 5 goals and added 44 assists for 49 points, good enough for fifth on a team led by Brett Hull and Adam Oates. He also made the Campbell Conference All-Star team. The Blues were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Minnesota North Stars.