Last week we ventured into the world of Hockey (which is, by far, the greatest sport on Earth). My article last week discussed the Top 15 Non-NJ Devils Hockey players that impacted my life. This week we shall explore the Top 10 NJ Devils Hockey Players that impacted my life (with some honorable mentions). Let’s drop the puck, go hard into the corners, and beat the goalie like a Rented Mule! Game on!
First, a bit of history and a couple funny stories. The Devils came to New Jersey in the early 1980s. The team struggled in Kansas City (founded in 1974) and Denver (moved there in 1976) before relocating to the Swamp that is East Rutherford, NJ. While in Kansas City they were known as the Kansas City Scouts and while in Denver, they were the Colorado Rockies (before the MLB team).
I remember newspapers running articles about what to name the newly relocated team. I don’t remember too many of the suggestions, but the name decided upon was the New Jersey Devils, named after the mythical Jersey Devil that inhabits the Pine Barrens region of southern New Jersey (where some people mispronounce Taylor Hall as Pork Roll). Remember, at this time I was still a NY Islanders fan, so I was only partially interested.
Over the next several years the Devils struggled (A LOT). During that early time, the now infamous quote by Wayne Gretzky made it’s rounds and summed up the Devils play.
“How long has it been for them? Three years? Five? Seven? Probably closer to nine. Well, it’s about time they got their act together. They’re ruining the whole league. They better stop running a Mickey Mouse organization and put somebody on the ice. I feel damn sorry for Ron Low and Chico Resch.” Wayne Gretzky, Nov. 19, 1983
He apologized the next day, and only said it because the goalie in the game (Low) was an old friend and teammate that Wayne just scored 8 points on in a 13-4 Edmonton Oilers victory, but it still stung across the league. Even if it were true at the time. To Devils fans now, the remark is most often associated with the Devils uniform colors. When a Devils fan says they are wearing their Mickey Mouse colors, it means the original Red, Green and White uniform colors from the early 80s during throwback jersey games.
During the late 80s and early 90s I went to more NJ Devils games than NY Islanders games. We would often go down with my Father, who would use his State Trooper credentials and get us parking right next to the stadium. I think I even remember parking next to the ambulance entrance once and walking in from under the stadium, not the turnstiles. As time went on, my fandom switched from the Islanders to the Devils.
I remember another game in the very early 90s that I drove to. It was a Devils-Islanders game and I found myself struggling with who to root for. Although that game was tough to figure out who to root for, it was the after-game shenanigans that I remember better.
New Jersey got hit with a winter storm that night, but I insisted we should go to the game, especially since I drove a Jeep. I had my sister and two friends with us for the game. When we left the stadium, I missed the exit I wanted to take leaving the Swamp, and ended up taking a different route home. It was still a valid route, but on a smaller road that didn’t get plowed as much as the highway. The drive was very slow. The snow kept piling up. I remember cresting a hill and seeing a Dunkin Donuts and asked if anyone wanted to stop and get something, and we all did. So, we stopped. And I turned off my Jeep. Big mistake!!
When we finished and I tried to start the Jeep, it wouldn’t start. At all. Nothing. Silence. Well, the sound of falling snow and a few choice words. We were stuck. Moisture build up in the starter or engine from the snow killed the Jeep. Thankfully the manager let me use the phone and we called my Dad. His words were a bit choiceier but said he was on his way. We were only about 20 miles away from my house, but it took him more than an hour and a half to reach us because of the weather. I will say, I remember the ride back (all 90 plus mins of it) and the words were not any nicer. Plus, there was a lot of silence in between the words. Too bad I don’t remember who won the game.
Soon after this event, my transition to the Dark Side was fulfilled. I became a NJ Devils fan. So, here are the players from the late 80s and early 90s that drove me to the Dark Side and made me a diehard Devils fan! So, let’s get on with the list.
Top 10 NJ Devils players that impacted me…
#10 Neil Broten, Center. Neil played for the Devils in the mid to late 90s and was a part of the team that won the Stanley Cup in 1995. I always thought it was cool that a member of the 1980 Olympic Gold Medal winning Team USA was part of the Devils and won the Cup. I know he didn’t play too many games with the Devils, but the link to the Gold was important to me. In fact, his younger brother Aaron played more games with the Devils.
I think this is a good time for a tangent and look at all the other members of the Devils organization that had a link with the 1980 Olympic medal winning teams. So, this will be Honorable Mention set number 1, 1980 Olympic Medalists.
Herb Brooks. Yes, that Herb Brooks. Herb only Coached 1 season with the Devils (1992-1993) but they made the playoffs. The season before (1991-1992) Herb Coached the Utica Devils, the NJ Devils farm team.
Center Mark Johnson (currently the University of Wisconsin Women’s Head Coach) played with the Devils from 1985 to 1990. Mark scored 2 goals in the pivotal US vs USSR Miracle on Ice game.
Defenseman Jack O’Callahan played with the Devils for 2 seasons in the late 80s. Jack hurt his knee before the Olympic Games started, but return in time to play in the US vs USSR game.
Defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov (Team Russia) played with the Devils from 1989 until 1995, leaving before the playoffs began, thus losing his chance to win the Cup with the Devils. He did though win with his new team, the Red Wings the following 2 years.
Defenseman Alexei Kasatonov (Team Russia) played with the Devils from 1989 until 1993, before leaving for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
Defenseman Sergei Starikov (Team Russia) only played 16 games in the NHL in 1989-1990, before being sent to the Utica Devils for 2 seasons.
Back to the list…
#9 Kirk Muller, Center. Kirk played with the Devils for 7 years, from 1984 until 1991 after being drafted by the Devils 2nd overall in the 1984 draft. Before Kirk left, he was the Team Captain. His skills were brilliant and was a great scoring machine. As my fandom grew apart from the Islanders, Kirk was the Team Captain that pulled me closer to the Dark Side.
#8 Claude Lemieux, Right Wing. Claude had two stints with the Devils, from 1990 to 1995 and then from 1999-2000, wining two Cups, one in each stint. Known for being a playoff player, Claude’s play was key to the Stanley Cup victories. Also, being a not so nice guy to play against, with a bit of an edge, I liked his play. A little bit a play hard, work hard always makes me smile. Yes, I know he had a tendency to injure people and was not a well like player by opponents. I put blinders on and just look at the good stuff about him…sorry.
#7 Bill Guerin, Right Wing. Like Teemu Selanne from last weeks list, Bill and I are about the same age, so I immediately related to him. Drafted 5th overall by the Devils in 1989, Bill played in 7 seasons for the Devils from 1991 until 1998 before heading to the Edmonton Oilers in a trade. Bill won the Cup with the Devils in 1995 (and then won with the Penguins in 2009 as a player and 2016 and 2017 as an Assistant General Manager). The other link is a bit of a Six-degrees of Separation (all be it just 2 degrees). I’m sure she doesn’t remember, but Bill’s wife Kara and I went to college together. She lived a floor or two above me and we ran into each other many times.
#6 Petr Sykora, Right Wing. Drafted 18th overall by the Devils in 1995, Petr is someone I remember rooting for during the draft. I was hoping we would draft him and we did. I was already a huge fan of the Devils by then, but with the draft process, then Petr playing for the Devils, I had another player with which I had a vested interest. Seeing him get hurt during the Cup winning game in 2000, only to leave and not get a chance to skate around with the Cup stung a bit. This past year, when the Devils honored that team and Petr was the player that brought the Cup out, getting his chance to skate a lap in a Devils Jersey was AWESOME! I know he had a chance to skate the Cup around with the Penguins in 2009, but it wasn’t the same. I wanted to see him skate around with it in a Devils Jersey…and he finally got his chance.
Top 5…
#5 Martin Brodeur, The Greatest Goalie EVER! Yes, I know there is a debate about who is the Greatest Goalie ever, let’s just agree he is one of the best and I will agree your choice is one of the best too. Then we can move on and get going with my list. I know it may shock you where Marty ends up on my list. He is only #5, not higher. Well, the top 4 players are just the impacting to me that the GOAT is at 5th. The records. All the honors and awards. 3 Stanley Cups. The commercials. The jovial attitude. What is there that’s not lovable and impacting? I actually have two signed Brodeur rookie cards. Hockey Hall of Famer. The NHL even changed the game due to his prowess handling the puck. The goalie during my move to the Dark Side. The Devils retired his number and there is a statue outside the Rock in Newark in his honor.
After retirement, Marty joined the Devils as the Executive Vice President of Business Development, and is now an advisor to the General Manager. All of this adds up to a Top 5 selection for me.
#4 Patrick Elias, Left Wing. Remember what I said about Petr Sykora and the draft, the same is even more true with Patty. Patty is the franchise leader in points, goals and assists. As a part of the “A-line” with Petr and Jason Arnott, Patty helped lead the Devils to their second Cup in 2000 and the first of two Cups for Patty (the other coming in 2003). Patty even wore the ‘C’ as Captain for a season. Spending his whole career in Jersey, and even coming back to help mentor the younger players now that he is retired, that is a person I admire. I know he almost left, but he didn’t and that’s what matters. Currently Patrick is not in the Hall of Fame, but I have faith he will be in the future. The Devils retired his Jersey and number but he is still a big part of the future for the Devils.
#3 Ken Daneyko, Defenseman. Mr. Devil. Drafted in the first round during the first draft after the Devils moved to NJ, Ken Daneyko has been with the organization since 1982. That’s right, for almost 40 years Ken Daneyko has been a part of the Devils organization. After his playing career finished, he now works as the Devils Color-Commentator for TV broadcasts. Ken is an icon with the Devils organization. He is the person you want to hang out with. He knows the history of the Devils, was there for all three Stanley Cup wins, and holds the record for most games played for the Devils. Ironically, he wore the number 3 during his career, and he sits at #3 on my list and his #3 sits in the rafters at the Rock.
If you ever want to see the heart of the organization, this is the man that is the heart. Dano’s playing style is toughness and sandpaper. Never flashy, he only scored 36 regular season goals and 5 playoff goals over 20 seasons. That works out to a grand total of a whopping 2.05 goals per year. He went in the corners and got dirty. He worked harder than the other players on the ice. That is why I love his play. That is why he ranks so high on my list. He was a team first player. The Devils teams during the 80s and 90s were never filled with big name superstars, they were filled with average working-class players that played harder than others and focused on team first. Dano is the epitome of a working-class player.
#2 Scott Niedermeyer, Defenseman. Another Devils player that was a part of all 3 Cup wins, Scotty Niedermeyer is an offensive defenseman, scoring 197 total goals over an 18-year career (both with the Devils and later with Anaheim). In addition to his 3 Stanley Cups with the Devils, Scotty won the Norris Trophy in 2004 as the league’s Top Defenseman. He was flashy in comparison to Dano, but still worked hard (albeit at building up his defensive skills since he was more well known as an offensive defenseman as mentioned above). Where Dano’s smile was big a toothless grin, Scotty’s smile was more refined.
Scotty served as Team Captain for a short time when Scott Stevens was out injured. Then, he broke my heart when he left the Devils to play in California. I understand why (to play with his younger brother), but it still stung. I have never been one of the fans that hated him for it though. When he won the Cup with the Ducks, I was happy. Then, after retiring, his number 27 was retired by both the Devils and the Ducks, and finally a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Another player that I have a signed rookie card.
My #1…
#1 Scott Stevens, Defenseman. (Yes, the top three are Defenseman…that shows the style of play the Devils are known for during the 80s and 90s). Scott Stevens is my favorite NHL player of all time. A three-time Stanley Cup Champion, the man was a beast on the ice. He would hit you and you’d wake up three days later wondering what happened. I know his style is not the style played now, but it was awesome. I would sit watching games, waiting for someone to come into the Devils’ zone with their head down, only to have Scott knock him on his butt or into the boards. There are a number of big-time hits by Scott Stevens you can find online, but nothing compared to watching them live at the game or live on television.
The Devils acquired Scott from the St Louis Blues through arbitration after the Blues signed Brendan Shanahan, a Devils restricted free agent at the time. In fact, Scott didn’t even show up to training camp because he didn’t want to leave St Louis. Finally, he showed up, and the rest is team history.
Funny story, when we were younger, my youngest brother was getting a Devils Jersey and asked me which player he should pick. The options were Stephane Richer or Scott Stevens. I told him he should pick Stephane because I didn’t think Scott would last that long with the Devils. I was so wrong, thankfully so. Plus, my brother gave up the jersey a few years later, and now I have it. It could have been a Stevens Jersey, but no, I messed up! As the Team Captain, Scott was the face of the team. A quiet, menacing face that you didn’t want to be on the wrong side of.
I heard stories that he was usually quiet in the locker room, but when he spoke, people listened. I’m not sure if they are true, but if they are, it makes him even more impressive. He let his actions speak louder than words. A first ballot Hockey Hall of Famer, Scott Stevens was the first player to have his number retired by the Devils organization. He came back and coached for the Devils for a short time (and I would love for him to step back into a team role if his family would support).
I remember where I was when the Devils won their first Stanley Cup in the summer of 1995. That summer I was taking a Marine Biology class along the Jersey Shore and was staying with my roommate Tom since he only lived 15 minutes away. We both were employed at the local Friendly’s Restaurant and I was in the back washing dishes with game 4 on the radio. He’s a Rangers fan, so as the time ticked down on game four and it was clear the Devils would win, he came in and sprayed me with the hose in disgust. Or, maybe it was in celebration? The Devils were the Champs! It was awesome!
Two more Cups (so far) would follow. The Devils moved from the Swamp into Newark while I was away from Jersey in the military. It took me several years to finally get a chance to go home and see a game. When I went, I brought my daughter with us so she would get a chance to be at The Rock. That was fun. I know my team has not been great for the last several years. But I have faith they will turn it around sooner rather than later and the Devils will be competitive again. The young core is strong right now and if the General Manger and Coach positions are filled with competent people, the team will bounce back soon.
A list of Honorable mentions of NJ Devils that impacted my life in the 80s and 90s…
Jason Arnott; Sergei Brylin (one of the 5 players with the Devils for all 3 Cup wins); Bobby Carpenter; Bruce Driver; Scott Gomez; Bobby Holik; John MacLean; John Madden; Randy McKay; Jay Pandolfo; Mike Peluso; Brian Rafalski; Stephane Richer; Brian Rolston; Chris Terreri; Valeri Zelepukin; Jacques Lemaire; Larry Robinson; Pat Burns; Lou Lamoriello; Dr. John McMullen
Oh, by the way, I said at the end of the last blog I would say who my favorite all time player is…its my daughter. She has blossomed into an amazing player that works really hard everyday to get better. She only started playing a couple of years ago and she is already working with colleges to play at the collegiate level. That is hard work. That is dedication. She has it all and the drive and determination to go far and make her teammates better. That’s what I like in a hockey player. Because of these things, she is my favorite player.
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