On
October 9,
1974, the
Kansas City Scouts took to the ice for the first time in
Kansas City, Missouri, losing 6-2 to the
Toronto Maple Leafs. The Scouts' lack of success on the ice and
financial problems forced them to move to
Denver, Colorado after only two years.
In Denver, where they
were known as the
Colorado Rockies, they also failed to fare well with the fans, and
in their six-year tenure in Colorado they only made the playoffs once.
Not even the hiring of popular, flamboyant coach
Don Cherry could save the Rockies, and they moved to the new
Meadowlands complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey in
1982.
The team was renamed the New Jersey Devils, a name influenced by
the
legend of the
Jersey Devil, an ominous
cryptozoological creature, supposed to inhabit the
Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. They continued their losing
ways through the remainder of the
1980s,
with the exception of a cinderella run to the Wales Conference Final
in 1988,
where they lost to the
Boston Bruins.
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 respectablility in NHL circles. A team
headlined by defenceman
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, only to lose
to the eventual Stanley Cup champion
New York Rangers in the Eastern conference final.
Despite the setback, the damage was done. The following year, the
same team would win their first-ever Stanley Cup in a
lockout-shortened season, sweeping the
Detroit Red Wings in four games.
The Devils missed the playoffs in 1996, and failed to live up to
expectations through the remainder of the 1990s. In
1999-2000,
however, they reached the top again. Stevens, Holik, Lemieux,
Niedermayer and Brodeur, all integral parts of the 1995 team, won
their second Cup rings, but they were backed up by new blood that the
Devils had acquired in the intervening five years:
Patrick Elias,
Petr Sykora,
Jason Arnott,
Brian Rafalski,
Alexander Mogilny and rookies
Scott Gomez and
John Madden to name a few.
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.
Players of Note
Hall of Famers:
Current stars:
Not to be forgotten:
Retired Numbers:
New Jersey Devils