History of the New Jersey Devils
[10] They looked like a possible playoff contender in 1976–77 but a collapse featuring an 18-game losing streak caused them to finish the year with a record of 20–46–14, good for 54 points.
However, the Smythe Division was so weak that year—only the Chicago Black Hawks had a winning record—the Rockies were able to edge out the Vancouver Canucks for second place by two points.
McMullen announced that the Rockies would move to East Rutherford and play at Brendan Byrne Arena in the Meadowlands (which opened the previous year), as the NHL's Board of Governors had approved the relocation.
[31] Gretzky was upset that former teammate Ron Low played for what he considered an inferior team,[32] and in a post-game interview said: "They are putting a Mickey Mouse operation on the ice.
They assembled a nucleus of young players; John MacLean, Bruce Driver, Ken Daneyko, Kirk Muller and Pat Verbeek all complemented the veteran goaltender Resch.
[39][40] In a move that Daneyko and MacLean later credited with helping to turn around the franchise's fortunes, McMullen hired Providence College athletic director Lou Lamoriello as team president in April 1987.
[45] Claiming Schoenfeld's rights had been violated, the Devils appealed to New Jersey Superior Court judge James F. Madden, who issued a temporary restraining order that blocked the suspension.
Under Lemaire, the team roared through the 1993–94 regular season with a lineup including defensemen Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Ken Daneyko, forwards Stephane Richer, John MacLean, Bobby Holik and Claude Lemieux, and goaltenders Chris Terreri and Martin Brodeur, the latter goaltender being honored as the League's top rookie with the Calder Memorial Trophy.
[52] Scared at the embarrassing thought of losing the reigning champions, the State of New Jersey agreed to fund a renovation of the soon after renamed Continental Airlines Arena.
The move paid off, as New Jersey defeated the Florida Panthers, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Philadelphia Flyers to make the Stanley Cup Finals.
In the Finals, the Devils reached the top again, defeating the defending champion Dallas Stars in six games to win the Stanley Cup for the second time.
Stevens was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy,[54] and assisted on Jason Arnott's Stanley Cup-clinching goal in double-overtime of Game 6 in Dallas.
[62] After legal battles over both eminent domain and the city's financial participation in the arena project, the final deal was approved by council in October 2004,[63] and the groundbreaking occurred almost exactly a year later.
[64] Nonetheless, in January 2006, financial issues threatened to halt the deal, as the Devils did not provide the City with a required letter of credit until the last possible day.
[65] Though construction was well underway, in late summer 2006, Cory Booker, who had recently taken office as Mayor of Newark, promised to reevaluate the deal and considered backing out.
During that final victory, which clinched the Devils' sixth division title, Brian Gionta set a new team record for goals in a season with 48, topping Pat Verbeek's 46.
The Devils went on to win their seventh Atlantic Division title and earn the second seed in the Eastern Conference after finishing ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins by two points.
For the 2008–09 season, the Devils signed Brian Rolston, Bobby Holik, Brendan Shanahan, Michael Rupp and Scott Clemmensen, all making their second stints with the team.
On March 17, 2009, before a sellout home crowd, Brodeur broke Patrick Roy's record for regular season wins with his 552nd victory, while Patrik Elias became the franchise's all-time leading scorer with his 702nd point.
After the free agency period opened on July 1, 2009, career-long Devils John Madden and Brian Gionta left to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens, respectively.
[90] John MacLean led the team to a record of 9–22–2, and after sitting in last place in the NHL on December 23, he was removed in favor of Jacques Lemaire, who came out of retirement for his third stint as head coach of the Devils and second in less than two seasons.
[94] Led by Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias and Zach Parise, the team posed a significant offensive threat that year, bearing seven 40-point scorers by the season's end.
The Devils' special teams was also notably exceptional, breaking an NHL record for the best regular season penalty kill since before the Expansion Era.
[105] The Devils would play the Rangers in the conference finals, a rematch of the 1994 series that resulted in a heartbreaking Game 7 overtime loss during Martin Brodeur's rookie season.
Goaltenders Johan Hedberg and Keith Kinkaid, a rookie, were used when Brodeur was injured, though neither of them performed strong enough to help the Devils put anything positive and lasting together.
David Clarkson was lost in free agency to Toronto and Henrik Tallinder via a trade to Buffalo, but Lamoriello brought in Jaromir Jagr, Ryane Clowe and Michael Ryder from the Bruins, Rangers and Canadiens, respectively.
[133] On the back of Hall's impressive performance and with aid from goaltender Keith Kinkaid and rookie Hischier, the Devils clinched a playoff spot for the first time since the 2011–12 season with a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
[143] After a good start with great play from goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood and center Jack Hughes, the Devils would get an outbreak of COVID-19, which sidelined the team for two weeks.
In addition to a breakout season from newly acquired goaltender Vitek Vanecek, the Devils were led by impressive offensive performances from Hughes, Hischier, Hamilton, and Jesper Bratt.
Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald built further on this impressive offensive core by acquiring All-Star forward Timo Meier in a mid-season trade from the San Jose Sharks.
