15 Interesting Facts About Zachary Parise

He served as the captain of the United States men's ice hockey team at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

His father, Jean-Paul, was also a professional hockey player who played for Team Canada in the legendary 1972 Summit Series.

He chose to wear jersey number 11 with the Minnesota Wild to honor his father, who wore the same number during his time with the Minnesota North Stars.

He made his NHL debut in the 2005-06 season and became the 12th player in Devils franchise history to score a goal in his first NHL game.

He was named the Most Valuable Player and Best Forward of the 2004 World Junior Championships, where he led his country to its first-ever gold medal.

He played his 1,000th career NHL game on February 7, 2020, in an away matchup against the Dallas Stars.

He set a Devils franchise record by scoring the quickest season-opening goal in team history, finding the net just 26 seconds into the first game of the 2006-07 season.

He won the MVP award at the 2007 NHL YoungStars Game after recording an impressive performance of two goals and four assists.

In his breakout 2008-09 season, he finished as the league's third-leading goal scorer with 45 goals, trailing only Alexander Ovechkin and Jeff Carter.

He was named a Library Champion by the New Jersey public library system to promote the importance of reading to children during his tenure with the Devils.

During his freshman season at the University of North Dakota, he became only the second freshman since 1988 to record a hat-trick in his very first game.

He won the Cliff (Fido) Purpur Award in 2004, which is given by the University of North Dakota coaching staff to the player exemplifying hard work, determination, and excitement on the ice.