The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame recently revealed its class of 2025, and a pair of former Sharks are set to be inducted in Joe Pavelski and Scott Gomez.
Among the two, Joe Pavelski is the more well-known for being a San Jose Shark. A 7th-round pick back in 2003, Pavelski went on to become one of the greatest players to wear teal. His 761 points in 963 games in teal are good for third all-time in Sharks scoring, behind only Marleau and Thornton, and second all-time in goals, behind only Marleau. His 1068 career points also make him the leading scorer in the lauded 2003 draft class.
Dubbed Captain America for his role as captain of the USA, Pavelski is undoubtedly one of the greatest American-born players of all time and a slam dunk for the USA Hockey Hall of Fame. It will be interesting to see if he can be inducted into the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame. He is by no means a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but perhaps he will get the call at some point down the line, and it would be deserved for a player who not only defied every odd but also shattered expectations at every point in his career.
Scott Gomez had an excellent career, scoring 756 points over 1079 games. The former Devils first-round pick in 1997 is probably known more for his stops in New Jersey, Montreal, and New York, but he did play 39 games for the Sharks during the Lockout Shortened 2012-13 season in addition to 9 playoff games. Although his time with San Jose was short, he had an excellent career, and it's great to see him get the recognition he deserves with this honor. Gomez is transitioning to coaching this upcoming season, as he will be joining the Chicago Steel in the USHL.