Scott Lee Clemmensen (born July 23, 1977) is an American former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...

, who played with the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

and the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL).

Playing career

A native of

Urbandale, Iowa Urbandale is a city in Polk and Dallas counties, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city population was 45,580. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Urbandale was incorporated as ...

, Clemmensen was drafted by the

in the 8th round, 215th overall, in the

1997 NHL Entry Draft The 1997 NHL Entry Draft was the 35th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 21, 1997. As of 2022, the only remaining active player in the NHL from the 1997 draft class is Joe Thornton. Selections ...

after playing high school hockey with the Des Moines Capitals of the MHSHL, and then

junior hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

with the

Des Moines Buccaneers The Des Moines Buccaneers are a Tier I junior ice hockey team in the United States Hockey League (USHL). The team has played in the Western Conference since the 2009–10 season. History The Buccaneers began USHL play during the 1980–81 season ...

of the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...

(USHL). Upon being drafted, Clemmensen went on to play

college hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

with the

Boston College Eagles The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...

from 1997–2001, and won the NCAA National Championship with them as a senior. He played in four consecutive NCAA tournaments, reaching the

Frozen Four The annual NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament is a college ice hockey tournament held in the United States by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to determine the top men's team in Division I. Like other Division I cham ...

all four years and the title game 3 of the 4 times. To this day, he holds the NCAA record for most career wins in the tournament, with 10 victories. Turning pro in the 2001–02 season, Clemmensen made his NHL debut in New Jersey's season opener vs. the Washington Capitals and played in two games for the Devils, while playing the majority of his professional rookie season with the

Albany River Rats The Albany River Rats were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center. History Before the formation of the franchise Without a viable indoor arena with a ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL), the Devils' minor league affiliate. He remained for the following three seasons in Albany, competing with fellow Devils' goaltending prospect

Ari Ahonen Ari Ahonen (born February 6, 1981) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted in the first round, 27th overall, by the New Jersey Devils in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. Ahonen is the only goaltender in SM-liiga histo ...

for starts. In 2003–04, Clemmensen was called up and appeared in four games for the Devils, posting a 1.01

goals against average Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on s ...

(GAA). He received his first NHL start against the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

on January 20, 2004, winning 3–0. In doing so, Clemmensen became the first player in the history of the National Hockey League to have been born in the state of Iowa. Following the

2004–05 NHL lockout The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play. The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to ...

, Clemmensen became

Martin Brodeur Martin Pierre Brodeur (; born May 6, 1972) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey goaltender and current team executive. He played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 21 of them for the New Jersey Devils, with whom ...

's permanent backup, appearing in 13 games (starting in 9) and posting a 3.35 GAA for the 2005–06 season. The following year, Clemmensen appeared in six games in relief of Brodeur, recording a 3.14 GAA. In the off-season, he became a free agent and after the Devils signed

Kevin Weekes Kevin Weekes (born April 4, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 348 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is now a studio analyst for NHL Networks' ''On the Fly'', ''NHL Tonight'', and ESPN's The Poi ...

to back up Brodeur, Clemmensen signed a one-year, two-way contract with the

on July 6, 2007. He played the majority of the 2007–08 season splitting starts with Maple Leafs

Justin Pogge Justin Pogge (; born April 22, 1986) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing with Grizzlys Wolfsburg of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He played in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the ...

with the

Toronto Marlies The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies is owned by Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, a c ...

of the AHL, while appearing in three games for the Maple Leafs. He made his first start with the Maple Leafs on January 1, 2008, as the result of an injury to starter

Vesa Toskala Vesa Tapani Toskala (born May 20, 1977) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender. After initially playing for his hometown team Ilves of the SM-liiga, Toskala played the majority of his professional career in the National Hockey Le ...

, and recorded a 4–3

shootout A shootout, also called a firefight or gunfight, is a fight between armed combatants using firearms. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used to describe those that do not involve military forces or only invo ...

win against the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

. Going into the 2007 Calder Cup playoffs back with the Marlies, Clemmensen assumed the starting role over Pogge and helped the club to the Western Conference semi-finals against the

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the C ...

, where they were eliminated in five games. On July 10, 2008, Clemmensen returned to the New Jersey Devils, signing a one-year contract. He started the 2008–09 season with New Jersey's new AHL affiliate, the

Lowell Devils The Lowell Devils were a minor ice hockey team in the American Hockey League playing in Lowell, Massachusetts, at the Tsongas Center. As their name implied, they were the top minor league affiliate of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey L ...

. However, when Brodeur suffered a major injury early in the season, Clemmensen was called up to backup second-string goalie

. However, as Weekes struggled in his early starts following Brodeur's injury, Clemmensen took over and started the majority of the games in Brodeur's absence. On February 25, 2009, Brodeur was taken off the

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

and Clemmensen was sent back to the Lowell Devils. In 40 games, Clemmensen posted a 25-13-1 record and two shutouts. His 25 wins are the highest total by a goaltender besides Brodeur in franchise history, while his 2.39 GAA and .917

save percentage Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various goal-scoring sports that track saves as a statistic. In ice hockey and lacrosse, it is a statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal ...

were statistically in the league's top ten. He was awarded the Devils' Unsung Hero Award, as voted by his teammates, and was also selected as the Devils' nominee for the

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. It is named after Bill Masterton, the only player in NHL h ...

, awarded for perseverance and sportsmanship. He was not, however, retained as one of the league's three finalists. In April 2009, Clemmensen was called up once again, this time to backup Brodeur for the 2009 playoffs after an injury to Weekes. Clemmensen signed with the

on July 1, 2009. On November 3, 2011, the Panthers loaned Clemmensen, who suffered a knee injury in the pre-season, to the

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was sold ...

of the

for conditioning purposes. He eventually reunited with former Devils teammate,

John Madden John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, who he led to eight pla ...

in 2012, helping the Panthers clinch the playoffs for the first time in twelve years. Scott Clemmensen Albany Devils 2015

On July 1, 2014, Clemmensen returned to his original club, the New Jersey Devils as a free agent on a one-year contract. On June 30, 2015, Clemmensen ended his professional career but remained with the Devils in accepting a development goaltending coach role.

International play

On May 1, 2009, Clemmensen was selected to represent

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

at the 2009 IIHF World Championships as the starting goalie. He also played for

in the 2010 IIHF World Championships, posting two consecutive shutouts: a 10-0 win over Kazakhstan, which he shared with

Ben Bishop Benjamin Manning Bishop III (born November 21, 1986) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender under contract to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bishop previously played for the St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Sen ...

, and a 4-0 victory against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* *
Scott Clemmensen on HockeyGoalies.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clemmensen, Scott 1977 births Living people Albany Devils players Albany River Rats players American men's ice hockey goaltenders Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey players Florida Panthers players Ice hockey people from Iowa Lowell Devils players New Jersey Devils coaches New Jersey Devils draft picks New Jersey Devils players People from Urbandale, Iowa San Antonio Rampage players Sportspeople from Des Moines, Iowa Toronto Maple Leafs players Toronto Marlies players NCAA men's ice hockey national champions