Lovejoy made a difficult career decision at the end of his third collegiate season at Dartmouth College, opting to stay in school to finish his degree instead of accepting a contract offer from the Montreal Canadiens.

More than a decade later, it appears Lovejoy made the right decision.

Though he had to wait two more years for the chance, Lovejoy eventually signed a free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 7, 2008, and went on to win two Stanley Cup championships with the Penguins.

The first came in 2009, and although Lovejoy only played in two regular-season games and no postseason games, he was included in the team picture and awarded a championship ring.

Lovejoy played a much bigger role during his second Cup run in 2016, scoring four goals and 10 points in 66 games before playing in all 24 postseason games. In between those two Cup wins, he played parts of three seasons with the Anaheim Ducks.

During his time with the Ducks, Lovejoy enjoyed one of the best weeks of not just of his hockey career, but his life. Three days after his wife gave birth to the couple's first child, Lila, on Dec. 31, 2013, Lovejoy tied a franchise record for defensemen by scoring two goals in one period against the Edmonton Oilers.

A steady, stay-at-home defenseman, Lovejoy developed his game during a college career that began at Boston College in 2002-03 and, after he sat out a year as a transfer, ended at Dartmouth, where he was named a Third Team All-ECAC selection for the 2006-07 season.

Lovejoy, a native of Concord, N.H., came from an athletic background. His father played hockey for Colby College and his mother was a two-time lacrosse All-American for the University of Massachusetts lacrosse team.

On July 1, 2016, Lovejoy signed a three-year contract with the Devils.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• AHL Second All-Star Team (2009)
• Signed as a free agent by Pittsburgh, July 7, 2008.
• Traded to Anaheim by Pittsburgh for Anaheim's 5th round pick (Anthony Angello) in 2014 NHL Draft, February 6, 2013.
• Traded to Pittsburgh by Anaheim for Simon Despres, March 2, 2015.
• Signed as a free agent by New Jersey, July 1, 2016.