Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

UMass Lowell has announced Tom Fitzgerald, a Billerica native who recently ended a 17-year NHL career, has been named an assistant coach on the staff of head hockey coach Blaise MacDonald.

A former first round pick, 17th overall, Fitzgerald was selected by the New York Islanders in the 1986 NHL Draft. He was selected by the Florida Panthers in the 1993 expansion draft, and spent the next five seasons in Florida. Fitzgerald enjoyed his best offensive seasons while with the Panthers, scoring a career-best 18 goals in 1993-94 and totaling career-highs for both assists (21) and points (34) in 1995-96 when he made his only appearance in a Stanley Cup Final.

After a brief stint with the Colorado Avalanche, Fitzgerald played the next four seasons with the Nashville Predators (1998-02) and served as the club’s first captain in 1998-99. After two years with the Toronto Maple Leafs he played the 2005-06 season, his final one in the NHL, with the Boston Bruins.

"It's a lot of work to play in the NHL. Believe me, there has been a lot more talented players than me that came through the league who didn't play as long as I did," Fitzgerald told The Sun's Barry Scanlon when he announced his retirement back on Sept. 12. "Other than winning the Stanley Cup I accomplished everything I could have wanted to accomplish. I played in over 1,000 games. I was basically a grinder."

In addition to his work with the River Hawks, Fitzgerald will also work as a studio analyst for select Bruins telecasts on the New England Sports Network (NESN) during the 2006-07 season.

"I wanted to go out as a Boston Bruin. I'm thrilled to retire as a Boston Bruin," Fitzgerald told Scanlon. "I wanted to stay in the game."