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New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils took the scenic route on their way to becoming the team we know them as today. Originally the Kansas City Scouts, the team moved to Denver in 1976 to become the first adaptation of the Colorado Rockies. Six years later, the Rockies moved to New Jersey to become the Devils.
Once adopting the New Jersey name, unlike other teams who’ve moved in and out of the state or played within the Garden State, the Devils have earned their Jersey pride.
NJ Devils History
During their first five years in New Jersey, the Devils failed to make the playoffs. Beginning in the late 1980s and lasting until the 2010s, the Devils repeatedly made the playoffs, including a stretch of 13 seasons in a row.
In the 1994-1995 NHL season, the Devils were crowned Stanley Cup Champions for the first of three times. The Devils swept past the Detroit Red Wings 4-0. The Devils were crowned Stanley Cup Champions again in the 1999-2000 season after defeating the Dallas Stars 4-2. Their last Stanley Cup victory came in the 2002-2003 season against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. They won the Stanley Cup Finals 4-3.
The success of the Devils on the ice was due to the many NHL legends who skated in the Meadowlands. Led by legendary goalie Martin Brodeur, defensemen Scott Niedermayer, and Scot Stevens the team produced a roster full of great players.
NJ Devils Timeline:
- 1982: The Colorado Rockies hockey team, formerly the Kansas City Scouts, moved to New Jersey to play at Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands
- 1995: Devils earned their first Stanley Cup title
- 2000: Devils defeated the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals
- 2003: Devils defeated the Mighty Ducks for their third Stanley Cup title
NJ Devils At The Meadowlands & Pru Center
From 1982 until 2007, the Brendan Byrne Arena, also known as the Continental Airlines Arena, served as the home ice for the Devils. The arena is located in the Meadowlands sporting complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
With the arena showing its age, the Devils moved to the Prudential Center in downtown Newark, New Jersey. This state-of-the-art arena is also home to the University of Seton Hall Pirates men’s basketball team.
NJ Devils Key Rivalries
When the Devils relocated to New Jersey in 1982, they joined a metropolitan area already occupied by two NHL teams: the New York Rangers and New York Islanders.
As the new kids on the block, the Devils became immediate rivals to these two historic teams. Competing in the same conference elevated the rivalries. The rivalry with the Rangers has taken on a life of its own. After the Rangers claimed their first Stanley Cup title after 40 years in 1994, the Devils won it all in 1995.
Outside of their New York rivalries, the Devils, like all New York area teams, have developed a strong rivalry with the Philadelphia Flyers. Sharing the same division, the Devils and the Flyers have met 242 times with the Devils holding a 124–96–15–7 advantage.
2021-2022 NJ Devils Season
They finished last season seventh out of eight teams in the Atlantic Division. They won 19 of 56 games and finished with 45 points – ahead only of the Buffalo Sabres. There is no room to go but up for the Devils during the 2021-22 season.
The Devils made some good moves in the offseason. Most notably, they signed Dougie Hamilton and Ryan Graves to anchor their defense which has long been a weakness. The Devils also landed a proven goal scorer in Tomas Tatar.
It’s still been a tough season so far with an under .500 record and a very negative goal differential (-36 as of Feb. 22). They are an extreme longshot for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference – the only team worse in point total is Montreal. The team needs to hope Washington and/or Boston tumble out of their spots and a lot of other teams ahead of them lose consistently.