Random Players on Stars Playoff Teams: Ben Lovejoy, 2019

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For Concord, New Hampshire, native Ben Lovejoy, the Dallas Stars would be the final team he would play for in his 11-year NHL career.

The defenseman started his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2008-09 season by playing two games in December 2008. The Penguins won the 2009 Stanley Cup over the defending champion Detroit Red Wings with Lovejoy playing no games in the Playoffs.

Lovejoy played 12 games the following season and recorded three assists. Like 2009, Lovejoy didn’t play for the Penguins in the 2010 Playoffs.

In the 2010-11 season, Lovejoy got more playing time and recorded 17 points (3G, 14A) in 47 games with a +11 rating. Lovejoy scored his first NHL goal against the Florida Panthers on Dec. 22, 2010. In HBO’s Penguins Capitals 24/7 Road to the NHL Winter Classic, Lovejoy had a spotlight on him about his big night after he got hit in the face by a slapshot after scoring his first NHL goal:

In the 2011 Playoffs, Lovejoy recorded 2 assists in Pittburgh’s seven-game series loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. The following year, Lovejoy played in two games against the Flyers in the 2012 Playoffs and recorded no points.

During the 2012-13 season, the Penguins traded Lovejoy to the Anaheim Ducks in February 2013. In the 2013 first round Playoff loss to the Red Wings in seven games, Lovejoy recorded 2 assists.

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In March 2015, Lovejoy was traded back to the Penguins. Lovejoy recorded 2 assists in Pittsburgh’s five-game series loss to the New York Rangers in the 2015 first round.

Lovejoy was a member of the Penguins 2016 Stanley Cup roster as he recorded 10 points (4G, 6A) in 66 games played. In the 2016 Playoffs, Lovejoy played in all 24 games and recorded 6 points (2G, 4A) as the Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks in six games.

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After winning a Stanley Cup, Lovejoy joined the New Jersey Devils in 2016. In December 2017, Lovejoy announced that said he would donate his brain to science for concussion research becoming the first active NHL player in the league at the time to do so.

Lovejoy was a member of the 2018 Devils Playoff team after the Devils missed the Playoffs for five consecutive seasons. The Devils fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games. Lovejoy recorded an empty-net goal in Game 3 of the series.

In February 2019, the Stars acquired Lovejoy in a trade with the Devils in exchange for defenseman Connor Carrick and a 2019 third-round pick. Lovejoy finished the 2018-19 season with 2 assists in 20 games played as a Star.

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In the 2019 Playoffs, Lovejoy recorded just one assist in playing all 13 games for the Stars. The St. Louis Blues eliminated the Stars in round two in seven games.

In August 2019, Lovejoy announced his retirement from the NHL at 35 years old. Lovejoy finished his career with 101 points (20G, 81A) in 544 games played.