'Hockey's In My Blood': Scott Gomez Excited To Mold Next Generation Of USHL Talent

It's been eight years since Scott Gomez last coached in the NHL.

But despite a 1,079-game career that included stints with the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers and St. Louis Blues, the head coach of the USHL's Chicago Steel is in no hurry to return.

"I'm not here to say that I'm trying to get to move up in the coaching world," Gomez said. "I'm enjoying what I'm doing right now. I've never really looked ahead, and it's not one of those things that I'm doing this to go back to the NHL. Not at all. "

Gomez knows the ins and out of coaching at the NHL level, having spent two seasons as an assistant with the New York Islanders. He said he relished his time coaching under Doug Weight and Barry Trotz, but feels his duty these days is to give back to players who are trying to develop and realize their NHL dreams.

"It's just a different beast up there," Gomez said. "It was a great experience, learning tools from guys. But at the end of the day, you have to be doing something to give back to these kids, and hopefully, I'm doing an okay job with that."

Gomez's philosophy behind the bench is greatly influenced by those who coached him throughout his long playing career, blending the best of each to create a style uniquely his own.

A Calder Trophy winner in New Jersey when Robbie Ftorek was replaced by Larry Robinson, he has been coached by multiple Hall of Famers, including Lou Lamoriello, Pat Burns and Slava Fetisov, just to name a few.

"I'm pretty strict on the ice, pretty tough on the ice," he said. "Kind of more Pat Burns style in that way. But once we step off the ice, become more like Larry Robinson (who was a more player-friendly coach)."

Gomez, whose last NHL season was in 2015-16, has tried few different media jobs following his retirement, including as a studio analyst on the NHL Network. But ultimately, Gomez kept coming back to coaching, which he feels is his calling.

"Once you're retired, you've got to find something to do," Gomez said. "I tried the TV thing. I tried your job (reporting). It wasn't what it panned out to be. Hockey's my thing. Hockey's in my blood and I was fortunate that the Surrey Eagles gave me a chance."

That chance started as Surrey's assistant coach in 2023-24, winning a 2024 Rogers BCHL Cup following a league-best 44-8-2 record. A year later, Gomez was named head coach and GM before joining the Chicago Steel.

As a development league, there is a balance between winning and teaching. For Gomez, they are one and the same.

"Everyone talks about development," said Gomez. "Development, to me, is winning. I mean, that's how you learn. You learn when you're on a winning organization. When you're on a winning team, you learn that everyone's got to buy in, everyone's got to understand their role.

"All my friends now that are scouts and GMs, they're not looking at points — they're looking at the kid that's part of a winning culture."

Going forward, Gomez doesn't know where coaching will take him. But like his philosophy, he just wants to win and continue to develop.

"I've kind of always been one of those guys that's just you know day by day, year by year," said Gomez. "To give back, to help out these kids, I think that's where I'm most satisfied right now."

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