The New Jersey Devils are a National Hockey League team based in the Continental Airlines Arena of the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Facts
- Founded: 1974-1975 (franchise awarded June 8, 1972)
- Formerly Known As: Kansas City Scouts (1974–1976), Colorado Rockies (1976–1982)
- Arena: Continental Airlines Arena (capacity 19,040), known as the Brendan Byrne Arena until 1996.
- Uniform colors: Red, White, and Black
- Logo design: A red NJ monogram styled like a devil's horns and tail outlined in black and sitting on an open black circle
- Mascot: NJ Devil
- Division titles won: 5 - 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003
- Conference championships won: 4 - 1995, 2000, 2001, 2003
- Stanley Cup wins: 3 - 1995 2000 2003
- President's Trophy: 0
- Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: [3 won, 1 lost] - 1995 (won), 2000 (won), 2001 (lost), 2003 (won)
- Main Rivals: New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders
Franchise history
Logo of the Kansas City Scouts (1974-1976)
Logo of the Colorado Rockies (1976-1982)
Kansas City and Colorado
On October 9, 1974, the Kansas City Scouts took to the ice for the first time in Kansas City, Missouri.It lost the game 6-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team played its home games in Kemper Arena. The Scouts failed to make the playoffs in either of their two seasons, and managed to win just 27 games (out of a possible 160). The team sold only 2,000 season tickets (out of 8,000) for its second season. The Scouts' lack of success on the ice, coupled with financial problems (the team was almost $1 million in debt by the 1975-1976 season) forced them to move to Denver as the Colorado Rockies after only two years.
The Rockies still failed to attract fans, and in their six-year stay they only made the playoffs once. Not even the hiring of popular, flamboyant coach Don Cherry could save the Rockies. Cherry was one of seven coaches the team employed over six seasons. The team changed ownership twice, finally being purchased by New Jersey shipping tycoon Dr. John McMullen on May 27, 1982. McMullen announced that he had "big plans" for the Rockies, but they involved moving the team to New Jersey. He wasted little time moving the franchise for a second time to the new Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey in 1982.
The move appeared to make little sense. The team would be playing right in the middle of the Tri-State Area, home to the three-time defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders and another NHL power, the New York Rangers. McMullen had to compensate the the Islanders, Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers for invading their territory as a condition of the move.
New Jersey
1980s
1982-1983 New Jersey Devils Official Team Photo
The team was officially renamed the New Jersey Devils on June 29, 1982, a name influenced by the legend of the Jersey Devil, an ominous cryptozoological creature supposed to inhabit the Pine Barrens. Even though the team moved to New Jersey, the Devils didn't fare much better than their predecessors, finishing with a losing record in their first five seasons and never once coming close to playoff contention. Attendance was dreadful for much of this time; the only sellouts came when the Rangers or Islanders played and thousands of their fans crossed the Lincoln Tunnel.
The low point came on November 13, 1983. That night, the powerful Edmonton Oilers pummelled the Devils and goaltender Ron Low, a former Oiler, 13-4. Wayne Gretzky was very upset that his former teammate had to play on what he regarded as a "Mickey Mouse organization." Gretzky later publicly admitted he'd gone too far, but privately maintained that his read of the Devils of the time was accurate.
The Devils began to change this trend in 1987, when McMullen hired Providence College hockey coach and athletic director Lou Lamoriello as team president in April. Lamoriello named himself general manager before the start of the next season. This move appeared to make as little sense as the move from Denver to New Jersey appeared to make. Lamoriello had never played, coached or managed in the NHL and was largely unknown outside the American college hockey community. However, with his astute business sense and keen ability to spot hockey talent, Lamoriello would become the architect of what some consider to be one of the most successful turnarounds in professional sports. In 1988, the Devils finished with the franchise's first winning record in its 14-year history and made the playoffs on the last night of the season. They then made a Cinderella run through the playoffs, making it all the way to the Wales Conference Finals. The run ended there with a loss to the Boston Bruins.
Lamoriello also changed the face of the NHL when he helped Viacheslav Fetisov (who is considered one of the best defensemen to ever play the game) and Sergei Starikov leave the U.S.S.R. to become two of the first Soviet-born players to play in the NHL
1990s-present
Between 1990 and 1993, the Devils made the playoffs each year, only to bow out in the first round each time. In 1994, the Devils started gaining respectability in NHL circles. A team headlined by defensemen Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer; Claude Lemieux, Bobby Holik, Valeri Zelepukin, Stephane Richer and John MacLean on offense; and goaltenders Martin Brodeur and Chris Terreri steamrolled through the regular season, finishing with the league's second-best record and the franchise's first 100-point season. The Devils took the New York Rangers, the only team with a better record during the regular season, to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals before losing the seventh game in double overtime. The Rangers went on to win the Stanley Cup.
Despite the setback, the team returned to the Eastern Conference Final during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 NHL season and defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, four games to two. The team went on to win its first-ever Stanley Cup, sweeping the heavily favored Detroit Red Wings in four games.
The Devils missed the playoffs following the 1996 season and failed to live up to expectations throughout the remainder of the 1990s. In 1999-00, however, they reached the top again. Stevens, Holik, Lemieux (who had returned in 1998 after winning another Cup with the Colorado Avalanche), Niedermayer, and Brodeur, all integral parts of the 1995 team, were backed up by new blood that the Devils had acquired in the intervening five years: Patrik Elias, Petr Sykora, Jason Arnott, Brian Rafalski, Alexander Mogilny, and rookies Scott Gomez and John Madden to name a few.
Shortly before winning his second Cup, McMullen sold the team to YankeeNets for $175 million. YankeeNets then owned the New York Yankees and New Jersey Nets. The new owners largely left the Devils in Lamoriello's hands.
The team fell short of winning their third Stanley Cup in 2001, losing to the Colorado Avalanche in seven games. In 2002, they were thought to be contenders once again, but lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. In 2003, they returned to the top, beating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for the Stanley Cup, four games to three. Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Ken Daneyko, and Sergei Brylin each won their third cup and Jeff Friesen, Jamie Langenbrunner, John Madden, and Brian Rafalski were all important contributors.
Throughout the 1990's, Lou Lamoriello's Devils perfected the system of the neutral zone trap, an effective yet decidedly boring style of hockey which frustrated opposing teams with a clogged neutral zone. This style of hockey had been imported by Devils head coach and defensive guru Jacques Lemaire - a key player on the defensive-oriented Montreal Canadiens team during the 1970's. During the 1990's, the Devils gained a reputation for clutching and grabbing, clogging up the neutral zone and slowing down a once exciting and fast paced game. Many say that this system which culminated in a 1995 Stanley Cup win was one of the worst moments in NHL history for it sanctified a horribly boring style of hockey as the standard for the rest of the league to follow. In 2005, the NHL instituted a series of offensive-minded rule changes in order to mitigate the effects of the neutral zone trap - these included curtailing goalie movement behind the net, limiting forecheckers' ability to clutch oncoming forwards and eliminating the two-line offside pass.
Recently New Jersey State Assemblyman Craig Stanley, who is a Baptist deacon, announced that he planned on introducing a resolution to have the Devils change their name because of its religious undertone. However, Devils officials including Lamoriello said that there would be no name change. Despite the logo and mascot implying that the Devils are modeled after the Christian representation of the Devil, the team's name comes from the legendary Jersey Devil.
In July 2005 it was announced that head coach Pat Burns would not return for the 2005-2006 season after being diagnosed with cancer for the second time in little more than a year. Larry Robinson, the Devils' coach from March 23, 2000, to January 28, 2002, returned as head coach in the 2005-2006 season, but he resigned on December 19, 2005 due to high stress. Lamoriello moved down to the bench to be the interim coach, and will remain as head coach for the 2005-2006 season [1].
The Devils also started 2005-2006 without two defensive stalwarts: Scott Niedermayer signed with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and longtime captain Scott Stevens announced his retirement on September 6, 2005. Stevens' jersey, #4, was retired by the Devils on February 3rd, 2006. John Madden, Alexander Mogilny, Brian Rafalski and Colin White were all named alternate captains, but no official captain was named. Once Patrick Elias returned from his bout with Hepatitis A, he was given his position as alternate captain back, and many suspect he will eventually be named the next captain.
Computer rendition of planned Newark Arena
Newark Arena
The Devils are moving to Newark, New Jersey. Construction on the proposed Newark Arena will be completed for 2007-2008 Devils season. The project is costing $310 million and the location is accessible to public transportation at the nearby Newark Penn Station.
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Logo |
Season |
League |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
OTL |
GF |
GA |
PTS |
PIM |
Finish |
Playoffs |
 |
1982-83 |
NHL |
80 |
17 |
49 |
14 |
-- |
230 |
338 |
48 |
1270 |
5th, Patrick |
Missed playoffs |
|
1983-84 |
NHL |
80 |
17 |
56 |
7 |
-- |
231 |
350 |
41 |
1352 |
5th, Patrick |
Missed playoffs |
|
1984-85 |
NHL |
80 |
22 |
48 |
10 |
-- |
264 |
346 |
54 |
1282 |
5th, Patrick |
Missed playoffs |
|
1985-86 |
NHL |
80 |
28 |
49 |
3 |
-- |
300 |
374 |
59 |
1424 |
6th, Patrick |
Missed playoffs |
|
1986-87 |
NHL |
80 |
29 |
45 |
6 |
-- |
293 |
368 |
64 |
1735 |
6th, Patrick |
Missed playoffs |
|
1987-88 |
NHL |
80 |
38 |
36 |
6 |
-- |
295 |
296 |
82 |
2315 |
4th, Patrick |
Conf Final, 3-4 (Bruins) |
|
1988-89 |
NHL |
80 |
27 |
41 |
12 |
-- |
281 |
325 |
66 |
2499 |
5th, Patrick |
Missed playoffs |
|
1989-90 |
NHL |
80 |
37 |
34 |
9 |
-- |
295 |
288 |
83 |
1659 |
2nd, Patrick |
Div SF, 2-4 (Capitals) |
|
1990-91 |
NHL |
80 |
32 |
33 |
15 |
-- |
272 |
264 |
79 |
2024 |
4th, Patrick |
Div SF, 3-4 (Penguins) |
|
1991-92 |
NHL |
80 |
38 |
31 |
11 |
-- |
289 |
259 |
87 |
1611 |
4th, Patrick |
Div SF, 3-4 (Rangers) |
 |
1992-93 |
NHL |
84 |
40 |
37 |
7 |
-- |
308 |
299 |
87 |
1815 |
4th, Patrick |
Div SF, 1-4 (Penguins) |
|
1993-94 |
NHL |
84 |
47 |
25 |
12 |
-- |
306 |
220 |
106 |
1734 |
2nd, Atlantic |
Conf Final, 3-4 (Rangers) |
|
1994-951 |
NHL |
48 |
22 |
18 |
8 |
-- |
136 |
121 |
52 |
787 |
2nd, Atlantic |
Stanley Cup Champions, 4-0 |
|
1995-96 |
NHL |
82 |
37 |
33 |
12 |
-- |
215 |
202 |
86 |
1486 |
6th, Atlantic |
Missed playoffs |
|
1996-97 |
NHL |
82 |
45 |
23 |
14 |
-- |
231 |
182 |
104 |
1135 |
1st, Atlantic |
Conf SF, 1-4 (Rangers) |
|
1997-98 |
NHL |
82 |
48 |
23 |
11 |
-- |
225 |
166 |
107 |
1488 |
1st, Atlantic |
Conf QF, 2-4 (Senators) |
|
1998-99 |
NHL |
82 |
47 |
24 |
11 |
-- |
248 |
196 |
105 |
1355 |
1st, Atlantic |
Conf QF, 3-4 (Penguins) |
|
1999-00 |
NHL |
82 |
45 |
24 |
8 |
5 |
251 |
203 |
103 |
1313 |
2nd, Atlantic |
Stanley Cup Champions, 4-2 |
|
2000-01 |
NHL |
82 |
48 |
19 |
12 |
3 |
295 |
195 |
111 |
1235 |
1st, Atlantic |
Final, 3-4 (Avalanche) |
|
2001-02 |
NHL |
82 |
41 |
28 |
9 |
4 |
205 |
187 |
95 |
1010 |
3rd, Atlantic |
Conf QF, 2-4 (Hurricanes) |
|
2002-03 |
NHL |
82 |
46 |
20 |
10 |
6 |
216 |
166 |
108 |
938 |
1st, Atlantic |
Stanley Cup Champions, 4-3 |
|
2003-04 |
NHL |
82 |
43 |
25 |
12 |
2 |
213 |
164 |
100 |
894 |
2nd, Atlantic |
Conf QF, 1-4 (Flyers) |
|
2004-052 |
NHL |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
2005-06 |
NHL |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 1 Season was shortened due to the 1994-95 NHL lockout.
- 2 Season was cancelled due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout.
Notable players
Current squad
As of March 17, 2006 [2]
| Forwards |
| Number |
|
Player |
Shoots |
Position |
Acquired |
Place of Birth |
| 9 |
 |
Zach Parise |
L |
C |
2003 |
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| 10 |
|
Erik Rasmussen |
L |
C |
2003 |
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| 11 |
 |
John Madden - A |
L |
C |
1997 |
Barrie, Ontario |
| 14 |
|
Brian Gionta |
R |
RW |
1998 |
Rochester, New York |
| 15 |
|
Jamie Langenbrunner |
R |
RW |
2002 |
Duluth, Minnesota |
| 16 |
|
Jason Wiemer |
L |
C/LW |
2006 |
Kimberley, British Columbia |
| 17 |
|
Darren Langdon |
L |
LW |
2004 |
Deer Lake, Newfoundland |
| 18 |
 |
Sergei Brylin |
L |
C |
1992 |
Moscow, U.S.S.R. |
| 19 |
|
Jason Ryznar |
L |
LW |
2002 |
Anchorage, Alaska |
| 20 |
|
Jay Pandolfo |
L |
LW |
1993 |
Winchester, Massachusetts |
| 22 |
|
Viktor Kozlov |
R |
C |
2004 |
Tolyatti, U.S.S.R. |
| 23 |
|
Scott Gomez |
L |
C |
1998 |
Anchorage, Alaska |
| 25 |
|
Cam Janssen |
R |
RW |
2002 |
St. Louis, Missouri |
| 26 |
 |
Patrick Elias - A |
L |
LW |
1994 |
Trebic, Czechoslovakia |
| 29 |
|
Grant Marshall |
R |
RW |
2003 |
Mississauga, Ontario |
Retired numbers
Team captains
Note: This list does not include former captains of the Kansas City Scouts and Colorado Rockies
Franchise scoring leaders
These are the top-ten point-scorers in the history of the New Jersey Devils/Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts franchise. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season. Bold indicates a player still active with the Devils. Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
Sources
- Mays, Jeffery C., George E. Jordan (February 3, 2005) Newark, Devils make arena a reality, The Star-Ledger (NJ).
- Kansas City Scouts info, Accessed on July 10, 2005.
- McMullen Interested in Purchasing Avalanche?, Accessed on July 10, 2005.
- Dates in NJ Devils History, Accessed on July 10, 2005.
See also
External links
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey_Devils under GFDL
