| Ben Lovejoy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Lovejoy with thePittsburgh Penguins in 2016 | |||
| Born | (1984-02-20)February 20, 1984 (age 41) Concord, New Hampshire, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 214 lb (97 kg; 15 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Pittsburgh Penguins Anaheim Ducks New Jersey Devils Dallas Stars | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2007–2019 | ||
Benjamin N. Lovejoy (born February 20, 1984) is an American former professionalice hockeydefenseman. He most recently played for theDallas Stars of theNational Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for thePittsburgh Penguins, theAnaheim Ducks and theNew Jersey Devils.
His nickname "The Reverend" comes fromThe Simpsons characterReverend Lovejoy.[1]
As a youth, Lovejoy played in the 1998Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Middlesex Islandersminor ice hockey team.[2]
Lovejoy played hockey atCardigan Mountain School inCanaan, New Hampshire[3] and then atDeerfield Academy inDeerfield,Massachusetts.
Undrafted by an NHL team, Lovejoy played one year forBoston College and three years forDartmouth College of theNCAA'sHockey East andECAC conferences, respectively. During his third year of collegiate hockey, he was offered a professional contract by theMontreal Canadiens, though he declined the offer in order to finish his degree and develop further as a player. Lovejoy also playedlacrosse at Dartmouth, earning All-Ivy honors in 2006. He graduated from Dartmouth in 2006.[4]
Lovejoy began his professional career immediately after his final collegiate season and played five games with theNorfolk Admirals of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL) to end the2006–07 season. In the summer of 2007, Lovejoy signed an AHL contract with theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the top minor league affiliate of thePittsburgh Penguins. He scored his first professional goal at home on March 17, 2008. Lovejoy ended the season with 20 points (two goals and 18 assists) from 72 games and recording a +16plus-minus rating.[5]
On July 7, 2008, Lovejoy signed an NHL contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.[6] On December 7, 2008, when a replacement was needed for Pittsburgh defensemanHal Gill, Lovejoy received his first call-up to the NHL. At the time of his recall, he was ranked in the top ten amongst AHL defensemen with 14 points (four goals and ten assists) and placed in the top ten amongst all AHL players in plus minus, with +14 in 24 games. Lovejoy made his NHL debut on December 8, 2008, in a 4–3 loss against theBuffalo Sabres.[7]
Lovejoy was named to the PlanetUSA squad for the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic, which was held January 25 and 26, 2009, at theDCU Center inWorcester, Massachusetts. During the skills competition, he took part in the hardest shot competition.[8]
On April 11, 2009, Lovejoy received the Second Team AHL All-Star Award, as well as being named the League's top defenseman. He ended the regular2008–09 season leading the entire AHL in plus-minus, with +42. He was called up during the playoffs by Pittsburgh as a spare player. Lovejoy did not play in the playoffs, but was included in the team picture, and awarded a Stanley Cup ring. Lovejoy only played 2 games for Pittsburgh in 2008–09, so his name was not stamped on theStanley Cup.[9][10]
Lovejoy notched his first NHL point with an assist during a 6–5 Penguins victory over theBoston Bruins on November 14, 2009. He scored his first NHL goal on December 22, 2010, againstScott Clemmensen of theFlorida Panthers. In the same game, he was hit in the face with a puck, causing massive swelling.[10][11]
Shortly after the beginning of thelockout-shortened2012–13 season, on February 6, 2013, Lovejoy was traded by the Penguins to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in2014.[12]
Prior to the beginning of2013–14 season, Lovejoy, as an unrestricted free agent, re-signed with the Ducks on a three-year contract. On January 3, 2014, Lovejoy scored two first period goals against theEdmonton Oilers. The two goals were scored less than three minutes apart, establishing a new Ducks franchise record for defensemen.[13]
On March 2, 2015, Lovejoy was traded back to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defensemanSimon Després.[14] In the2015–16 season, Lovejoy contributed 4 goals and 10 points in 66 games before playing in all 24 post-season games en route to the Penguins' claiming their fourthStanley Cup. Lovejoy became the first New Hampshire native to win the trophy.[15]
On July 1, 2016, Lovejoy left as a free agent to sign a three-year contract with the New Jersey Devils.[16]
In the final year of his contract with the Devils in the2018–19 season, Lovejoy appeared in 51 games from the blueline adding 7 points while leading the team in shorthanded icetime. With the Devils out of playoff contention, on February 23, 2019, he was traded to the Dallas Stars in exchange forConnor Carrick and a third-round draft pick in2019.[17]
On August 29, 2019, Lovejoy announced his retirement from professional hockey onNHL Tonight.[18]
On August 29, 2019, Lovejoy announced his retirement from professional hockey onNHL Tonight.[19] In 2020, he joinedNHL on NBC as a replacement forJeremy Roenick, who was fired in 2020.
Lovejoy married Avery Eyre in 2010. Avery also went to Dartmouth College where she was captain of the squash team. They have three daughters.[20] His parents are Carl and Cari Lovejoy. Ben is the eldest of their three children. His father played hockey forColby College, and his mother was a two-time All-American and all-time leading-scorer in lacrosse atUMass. She also played field hockey and raced for the UMASS ski team. Cari has been inducted into the UMASS Hall of Fame. Lovejoy has two younger brothers, both of whom played college sports. Brother Nick played hockey and lacrosse for Dartmouth College, and Matt was an All-American lacrosse player for theUniversity of Virginia.[21]
On December 7, 2017, Lovejoy announced he would be donating his brain to concussion research, becoming the first active NHL player to do so.[22]
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2000–01 | Deerfield Academy | HS-Prep | 6 | 12 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2001–02 | Deerfield Academy | HS-Prep | 11 | 19 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2002–03 | Boston College | HE | 22 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Dartmouth College | ECAC | 32 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Dartmouth College | ECAC | 32 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Dartmouth College | ECAC | 32 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 72 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 63 | 23 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 18 | ||
| 2008–09 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 76 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 84 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 | ||
| 2008–09 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 65 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 92 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 47 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 34 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 32 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 78 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 39 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 2014–15 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 40 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 20 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 66 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 30 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | ||
| 2016–17 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 57 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 51 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 20 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 544 | 20 | 81 | 101 | 287 | 76 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 26 | ||||
| Awards | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| All-ECAC HockeyThird Team | 2006–07 | |
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup champion | 2016 | |