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Tom Fitzgerald had just finished hanging out with some other members of the New Jersey Devils organization at a restaurant on Santana Row in San Jose when his brother reached out to him.

As it turned out, not only was Scott Fitzgerald in town over the weekend, he and his brother were staying at the same hotel.

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Scott Fitzgerald is in his first season as the director of player personnel for the Sharks. He’s based at home in the Boston area, but comes to San Jose periodically throughout the year. This turned out to be a good time for a trip out west, because it meant there was time for an impromptu family get-together.

“I’m happy for him,” said Tom Fitzgerald, who has been the Devils’ general manager since January 2020. “He’s a smart hockey guy. Instinctive. There’s no filter. He speaks his mind. He’ll let you know it. He’s always been passionate about hockey.”

Scott Fitzgerald had worked his way up from being a “bird dog” for a couple of local programs to scouting for the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets and eventually earning a job with the hometown Bruins. He was part of a Stanley Cup champion in 2011, the team’s first title in 39 years.

Then, everything changed.

Tom remembers exactly where he was when he heard the news. He remembers who told him. He also remembers the feeling of rushing to the hospital, and hoping that his brother would be alive when he got there.

Scott was involved in a bad car accident in March 2013. He was driving with his son, Nolan, in Wilmington, Mass., when another car crossed over the median and hit Fitzgerald’s car head on.

“It sucked,” Tom said. “I don’t like talking about it. It was a sad day for our family, but also a lucky day because him and my nephew are with us and that’s the most important thing. But it definitely derailed his career.

“Talk about a fantastic organization, though, the Bruins and the way they handled everything and helped him get back into it — Donnie Sweeney and Cam Neely really treated him well.”

Scott had several significant injuries from the crash. Between time spent in the hospital and then subsequent therapy and rehabilitation, he estimated the recovery process took four-to-five months.

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“It took me a little bit to get back on my feet,” Scott said. “It was hard, but (Bruins management) were there front and center to reassure me that, ‘Hey, you’re going to be fine. Don’t worry about (hockey). Worry about getting healthy.’”

At the time of the accident, Scott was Boston’s assistant director of amateur scouting. He was bound to a wheelchair while the Bruins made another run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2013, but then-GM Peter Chiarelli held meetings with his scouting staff leading into the 2013 NHL Draft at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital so Scott could participate.

When he was ready to get back to work, the Bruins worked with him to change some of the parameters of his job.

Spending up to 20 days per month on the road and traveling everywhere from Calgary to Stockholm to Moscow to scout players would have been extremely difficult. So he spent more time in the Boston area and focused more on an area where he had lots of experience — scouting college players.

“The Bruins as an organization always seemed to be in a position to go for it, so you move some picks to always try to give yourselves the best chance to win,” Scott said. “We used the college free agent market as a pretty good tool. It’s basically like free players if you can recruit them, and it is a recruitment process.”

He had already played a big role in landing a guy who became one of the most successful college free agents of the salary cap era — defenseman Torey Krug. A Michigan kid who went to Michigan State, Fitzgerald had originally stumped for the Bruins to draft Krug. When he made it through two draft cycles without being selected, Fitzgerald helped lead the recruitment that eventually led to him signing with the Bruins.

It wasn’t just Krug. The Bruins also signed Frank Vatrano, Noel Acciari, Kevan Miller and Karson Kuhlman as college free agents, all guys who became NHL players.

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“He really enjoyed the college stuff, and he’s plucked a few,” Tom said. “If he’s not the best at it, he’s one of the best.”

Scott’s first NHL opportunity came with the Blue Jackets. One of Tom’s former head coaches, Doug MacLean, became the GM and president in Columbus and hired Scott to help him scout players for the expansion draft. After that, he moved into a scouting role and worked for the Blue Jackets until the Bruins called him home in 2006.

He spent 16 years with the organization before Mike Grier called and offered a new opportunity with the Sharks. Grier had just been named GM in San Jose. He had previously worked for Tom in New Jersey as an assistant coach, but Grier got to know Scott well through being a hockey dad.

Scott’s son Riley, Tom’s son Brendan and Jayden Grier are all 2003s — youth hockey players are often referred to by their birth year — and they all grew up playing with and against each other in the Boston area. Riley and Jayden played together for a season with the East Coast Wizards, a AAA U16 team.

That connection helped Scott decide it was time for a new challenge.

“Mike is a good person … tremendous character,” Scott said. “I think he has a pretty good vision of what type of team he wants to build and get this thing turned around. I’m super excited to be here. I know a lot of the guys that have been here originally (before Grier was hired). It is a longer flight to come here, different than a 15-minute car ride, but it’s been really, really good. We are excited. It’s going to take time. It’s going to take baby steps.”

His role with the Sharks has a variety of duties. Fitzgerald is going to help recruit college free agents — his connections with agents and coaches in that corner of the hockey world are too valuable to not tap into.

He’s also going to work with San Jose’s amateur scouting director, Chris Morehouse, specifically as another scout for players the Sharks believe could be drafted in the first two rounds. He can also help the pro scouting team with some extra viewings.

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“It might be a little bit of everything, but let’s help everyone pull on that rope,” Scott said.

Tom remembers exactly where he was when Grier called his brother to finalize the new job. The Fitzgerald brothers spend a week with their families in York Beach, Maine, in the summer. They’ve been going since 2015. The Tkachuks, cousins of the Fitzgeralds, make the trip as well.

“It’s a family affair. He got the call there and we were all happy for him,” Tom said. “It’s a great opportunity for him. He can identify talent. Mike is learning the business now like I did (as a first-time GM), and it’s like drinking from a fire hose at times. But things start to slow down. At the end of the day, it’s your instincts and you need to lean on your experiences and lean on good people. So I think they’re a good match.”

(Photo of Scott and Tom Fitzgerald with the Stanley Cup courtesy of Scott Fitzgerald)

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