New Jersey Devils

Team information

• Inaugural season: 1974 (as Kansas City Scouts)
• Home arena: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
• Owner: New Jersey Devils, LLC
• Team colors: Red, black, and white

Overview

The New Jersey Devils is a National Hockey League (NHL) team that plays in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. Born as the now-defunct Kansas City Scouts, the Devils took the ice for the first time in 1982. Over the course of their history, the Devils have won several Stanley Cup championships and earned numerous other accolades. By the 2019–2020 season, the Devils amassed an all-time record that included 1,515 wins, 1,572 losses, 238 ties, and 162 overtime losses. Often known for their tough and skilled style of play, the Devils are frequently counted among the NHL’s most competitive teams. The Devils are also a financially successful franchise, worth an estimated $550 million in 2019.

In addition to their on-ice play, the New Jersey Devils also maintain an active commitment to philanthropic endeavors. Through its various community initiatives, the team strives to provide programs aimed at educating local youth, encouraging participation in hockey, and supporting people in need. One of the team’s biggest community service programs is Give 82, a partnership between the Devils, the Prudential Center, and United Airlines through which employees of each organization commit to performing 82 hours of community service every year. Another notable effort is the NJ Devil’s Healthy Hat Trick, a school assembly program designed to teach elementary and middle school students about the important of keeping an active and healthy lifestyle. The Devils also host various charity drives like the PSE&G Coat Drive and the Goya Food Drive that are meant to help provide the local community with much-needed goods.

History

The history of the New Jersey Devils began with the establishment of an NHL franchise called the Kansas City Scouts. Part of a two-team expansion first announced by NHL officials in 1972, the Scouts began play in 1974. From the outset, the Scouts struggled both to find success on the ice and to attract fan support in the stands. In two seasons, the team played to a dismal 27 wins, 110 losses, and 23 ties. Effectively unable to continue operating at that point, the Scouts left Kansas City and moved to Denver, Colorado, where they became known as the Colorado Rockies. Despite relocating and rebranding, the team continued to struggle. Ahead of the 1978–1979 season, New Jersey shipping magnate Arthur Imperatore purchased the floundering Rockies with an eye on bringing the team to his home state. Although the NHL approved the move, the team could not immediately head to New Jersey because their new home—the Brendan Byrne Area—was still being constructed. As a result, the Rockies played their final seasons in Denver not knowing exactly when they would leave for New Jersey.

When the team finally moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey in 1982, they officially became known as the Devils. This moniker was a nod to the Jersey Devil, a legendary creature rumored to inhabit the state’s vast Pine Barrens. The Devils made their debut on October 5, 1982, playing the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3–3 tie. Through their first few seasons, the Devils continued to struggle on the ice. That finally began to change when the team hired hockey executive Lou Lamoriello as its president in 1987. Lamoriello, who also appointed himself as the team’s general manager, rebuilt the Devils and turned them into a competitor. In fact, the Devils earned a winning record for the first time in the 1987–1988 season and went on a playoff run that took them all the way to the conference finals. While the Devils would continue to make the playoffs in most of the next few years, they failed to improve on their 1988 performance.

The Devils’ next big step came with the hiring of coach Jacques Lemaire in 1993. With Lemaire at the helm, the Devils once again embarked on a playoff run that culminated in a legendary conference finals series against the New York Rangers. In what is considered to be one of the best playoff series in NHL history, the Devils took the Rangers all the way to Game 7 before being eliminated in double overtime. The following year, the Devils returned to the conference finals against the Philadelphia Flyers, this time winning the series to move to the Stanley Cup Finals. Facing the heavily favored Detroit Red Wings, the Devils defied expectations and won both the series and the Stanley Cup in a four-game sweep.

After several less successful seasons, the Devils returned to form in 1999–2000. Despite some late-season struggles, New Jersey finished strong and entered the playoffs as a legitimate contender for another championship. After dispatching the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Philadelphia Flyers, the Devils headed back to the Stanley Cup Finals to meet the defending champion Dallas Stars. In the end, the Devils beat the Stars in six games to claim their second Stanley Cup. Over the next several years, the Devils continued to be a dominant force in NHL, returning to the Stanley Cup Finals two more times. The team’s first return trip in 2001 ended with 3–1 Game 7 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Things would turn out better for New Jersey two years later when the team eliminated the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Ottawa Senators en route to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. In Game 7, the Devils blanked the Ducks to win their third Stanley Cup championship. In 2007, the franchise moved from East Rutherford to the Prudential Center in Newark.

The 2010s were something of a mixed bag for the Devils. Through the first few years of the decade, the Devils remained competitive and even returned to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012, falling to the Los Angeles Kings. After that, the team entered a downturn that kept them out of the playoffs altogether until 2018.

Notable players

A number of former New Jersey Devils have been honored with induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario. Arguably the most accomplished Devils player to be enshrined at the Hall of Fame, goaltender Martin Brodeur was a critical part of all three of the team’s Stanley Cup championships. In his twenty-one-year career in net, Brodeur played in 1,259 games and made more than 31,000 saves. He also won the Vezina Trophy—the award given to the NHL’s best goalie—on four different occasions. Following his retirement, Brodeur joined the Devils’ front office as executive vice president of business development. Defenseman Scott Niedermayer was another of the Devils’ all-time great players. Like Brodeur, Niedermayer was part of all three Devils Stanley Cup teams. Playing with the team from 1991–2004, Niedermayer scored 112 goals and recorded 364 assists. Scott Stevens was a powerhouse defenseman who became known for his devastating checks during the thirteen seasons he spent in New Jersey. From 1991–2004, Stevens was a key contributor to the Devils’ success, scoring 93 goals and recording 337 assists. He also served as the team’s captain from 1992. Some other Hall of Famers who laced up their skates for the Devils over the years included Larry Robinson, Joe Nieuwendyk, Brendan Shanahan, and Dave Andreychuk.

There have been many other notable New Jersey Devils as well. Defenseman Ken Daneyko was a Devils mainstay for his entire career from 1983-–2003 and set the franchise record for most games played at 1,283 during that span. Over the course of his twenty-year career, Daneyko put up 36 goals and 142 assists. Left winger Patrik Elias also spent his entire Twenty-year career in New Jersey, playing for the Devils from 1995–2015. During that time, he recorded 408 goals and 617 assists and helped the team to win two of its Stanley Cup championships. Right winger Jamie Langenbrunner played with the Devils for nine years from 2002-–2011 and recorded 142 goals and 243 assists in that time. He also served as the team’s captain from 2007. Left winger Zach Parise was a key contributor for the Devils from 2005–2012, scoring 194 goals and recording 216 assists. Right winger Bill Guerin spent seven seasons in New Jersey from 1991–1998 and put up 108 goals and 106 assists in that time. He also made history as the first person of Hispanic descent to play in the NHL. Right winger Petr Sykora made his NHL debut with the Devils in 1995 and played with the team until 2002. During that period, he scored 166 goals and recorded 228 assists. Center Travis Zajac was drafted by the Devils in 2006 and quickly became one of the team’s key players. Heading into the 2019–2020 season, he had amassed a career total of 186 goals and 321 assists.

Bibliography

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