Throughout the year, the Sip Advisor will alphabetically travel the National Hockey League (NHL), discovering the best and worst each team has to offer in a variety of subjects. We will also feature a drink based off the franchise. Today, we head to the swamplands of New Jersey and make a deal with the Devils:
Establishment Story: The Devils came to exist when the Colorado Rockies were relocated to New Jersey in 1982. The franchise had previously moved from Kansas City – where it had been founded in 1974 as the Scouts – to Colorado in 1976. Even while winning their first Stanley Cup in 1995, rumours were circulating that the team could move yet again, this time to Nashville. In response, the state pledged to fund a new arena for the franchise.
Stanley Cups: The Devils have won three Stanley Cups, from five appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals. They were triumphant in 1995 vs. the Detroit Red Wings, in 2000 vs. the Dallas Stars and in 2003 vs. the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Their losses came at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche in 2001 and the Los Angeles Kings in 2012. In a seven year span, from 1995 to 2001, New Jersey appeared in four championship series.
Celebrity Fan: Kevin Smith, creator of the View Askewniverse movies (Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma, etc.), is from New Jersey and has been a lifetime fan of the Devils. He has even blogged about the team for NHL.com. Smith can often been seen in Devils gear and hockey is featured in nearly all of Smith’s movies in some form, including the Devils jersey making appearances in the Clerks film franchise.
Super Fan: Mark Baumann, known simply as Baumann, is a long-time season ticket holder and is credited with creating the D-E-V-I-L-S chant in 1995. He wears a Devils jersey with his last name and the number 00 on it. The Devils also have two well-known supporters’ sections at their home games, the Crazies (Section 233) and the Diablos (Section 122), both recognized for their chants and other conduct.
Mascot: NJ Devil is about what you’d expect as a representative of the team. He’s meant to have a resemblance to the mythical Jersey Devil, which is said to inhabit the state of New Jersey. The franchise’s previous mascot was Slapshot, a large puck, but the man inside the suit was accused of touching three women inappropriately and agreed to counselling to settle the lawsuit. As a result, the mascot was retired in 1993.
Tradition: In the mid-1990s, the Devils became known for their implementation of the neutral zone trap, a defensive system which stifles offensive production and led to what is now called the Dead Puck Era (lack of scoring, also resulting from penalties for clutching and grabbing not being called). The trap’s success led to three Stanley Cups for New Jersey in a nine-year span, so the results were there, even if the exciting on-ice product wasn’t.
Appearances in Media: In the May 1995 episode of Seinfeld, titled The Face Painter, character David Puddy reveals his eccentric support of the Devils while taking Elaine Benes to a New Jersey-New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden. His face is painted in the team’s colours and he behaves wildly, removing his shirt and clashing with rival Rangers fans. When Benes says he can’t paint his face anymore, he starts painting his chest.
Events/Scandals: After already being moved from Kansas City to Colorado and then onto New Jersey, the Devils organization continued to struggled. Things were so bad, following a 13-4 Edmonton Oilers victory over the Devils in 1983, Wayne Gretzky called the team “a Mickey Mouse operation” that was “ruining the whole league”. Although Gretzky later apologized for his statements, for the next game between the two clubs, fans showed up wearing Mickey Mouse apparel.
Rivalry: The Devils have two main rivals, largely based on geographic location. First, their feud with the New York Rangers is known as the Battle of the Hudson River, the body of water which separates the states. Second, there’s the Philadelphia Flyers, with the grudge known as the Battle of the Jersey Turnpike, with the Flyers even having their practice rink located in New Jersey. All three teams currently play in the Metropolitan Division.
Tragedy: Pat Burns coached the Devils for two seasons (2002-2004), leading the team to their 2003 Stanley Cup championship, before he was forced to resign his position and focus on his health, following colon and liver cancer diagnoses. Sadly, the cancer returned in 2009 and had metastasized to Burns’ lungs. He passed away on November 19, 2010 and was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.
Player Nicknames: Ken Daneyko played his entire NHL career with New Jersey, earning the nickname ‘Mr. Devil’. Following his retirement, the three-time Stanley Cup winner has even moved into a colour analyst role for Devils game broadcasts. Daneyko holds the franchise records for games played (1,283) and penalty minutes (2,516), with his jersey being retired by the team in 2006.
Line: While some lines scored more, the Crash Line, consisting of Bobby Holik, Randy McKay and Mike Peluso, is fondly remembered for their aggressive checking, neutralizing the top stars of opposing teams. The trio played a very important role in the Devils 1995 Stanley Cup championship, providing secondary scoring to go along with their combined intimidation factor.
Captain: Scott Stevens is the longest-serving captain in franchise history, holding the role for 12 seasons from 1992 until his retirement in 2004. Stevens originally refused to report to the team, following his 1991 trade to the Devils, as compensation for the St. Louis Blues signing away restricted free agent Brendan Shanahan. In the end, his decision to finally play for the organization was a good one, resulting in three Stanley Cup wins.
Enforcer: Nicknamed ‘The Polish Hammer’, Krzysztof Oliwa holds the Devils single-season record for penalty minutes with 295. Oliwa patrolled the ice for New Jersey for parts of four seasons, after being drafted by the team 65th overall in 1993. Oliwa is the only player from Poland to win a Stanley Cup, which he did as a member of New Jersey’s 2000 championship squad.
Family Values: Brothers Jack and Luke Hughes were both high draft picks of the Devils, being selected first (2019) and fourth (2021) overall, respectively. Jack is already a superstar with the team, while Luke is among the club’s top prospects, having made his NHL debut late in the 2022-23 season. Twin brothers Patrik and Peter Sundstrom played part of the 1989-90 season together with New Jersey, while Patrik’s son Alexander was drafted by the Devils in 2005, but never played in the NHL.
Returning Players: Brendan Shanahan was drafted by the Devils second overall in 1987. When he became a restricted free agent in 1991, he signed an offer sheet from the St. Louis Blues, which New Jersey elected to not match. 17 seasons later, after not playing for the first half of the 2008-09 campaign, Shanahan returned to the Devils for what would be the final season of his Hall of Fame career.
Short Stint: High-scoring defenseman Phil Housley bounced around the NHL quite a bit over his 21-season career, including 22 games played with the Devils in 1996. He performed well, recording 16 points in those games, but left for the Washington Capitals as a free agent. Somehow, Housely’s time in New Jersey wasn’t the shortest stint of his eight NHL teams, as he only played a single game for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2003.
Undrafted: In 1999, the Sporting News named Brian Rafalski the best hockey player outside of the NHL. The 25-year-old defenseman was signed by the Devils and would go on to be a member of their 2000 and 2003 Stanley Cup championship teams, largely playing with Scott Stevens. Rafalski left New Jersey in 2007, joining the Detroit Red Wings for back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances, before retiring in 2011.
Trade: When the Devils traded defenseman Tom Kurvers to the Toronto Maple Leafs one game into the 1989-90 season, they received a 1991 first round draft pick in return. Little did they know that selection would turn into the third overall choice, bringing Scott Niedermayer to New Jersey. Niedermayer would be an integral member of three Stanley Cup championship teams, winning a Norris Trophy in 2004, his final season with the club.
Signing: Among the Devils worst signings of all-time was their 17-year, $102 million deal to retain the services of Ilya Kovalchuk, who they had traded for a few months earlier. Since the deal was ruled to have violated the NHL’s salary cap, it was nullified and New Jersey was punished with a $3 million fine and the loss of draft picks. A 15-year, $100 million pact was eventually given to Kovalchuk, who bolted for Russia anyway after three seasons.
Draft Pick: The Devils have benefitted from two first overall selections in recent years, taking Nico Hischier in 2017 and Jack Hughes in 2019. Other top picks that have worked out well for New Jersey include John MacLean (6th overall in 1983), Brendan Shanahan (2nd overall in 1987), Scott Niedermayer (3rd overall in 1991). It’s also hard to believe they landed Martin Brodeur at 20th overall in 1990, given his legendary run with New Jersey.
Holdouts: Scott Niedermayer had two significant contract disputes with the Devils during his tenure with the team. First, Niedermayer missed the first month of the 1998-99 season after rejecting an initial offer of $3.25 million. Niedermayer also sat out the first two months of the 2000-01 season, wanting to be paid an average salary comparable to the best defensemen in the NHL. He finally settled for a four-year, $16 million pact.
Buyouts: The Devils biggest buyout came in 2020, when they bought out the remaining two years of goalie Cory Schneider’s seven-year, $42 million contract. Schneider came to New Jersey to be the heir to Martin Brodeur’s goaltending throne and for a time, he was an apt replacement to the legend. Sadly, a string of injuries hampered Schneider’s performance, including a 21-game losing streak, spanning over a year.
Unique Game: The Devils took part in a trio of Super Series exhibition matches against teams from the USSR in the late 80s and early 90s. New Jersey took part in the 2018 NHL Global Series, playing a single game against the Edmonton Oilers in Gothenburg, Sweden, to open their 2018-19 season. The Devils also took part in a 2014 Stadium Series contest versus the New York Rangers. A decade later, they will face the Philadelphia Flyers, as part of the 2024 Stadium Series.
Goal: With Game 6 of the 2000 Stanley Cup finals tied, the contest entered double overtime. A win earned the Devils their second Stanley Cup in franchise history. Jason Arnott provided the heroics, putting away the Dallas Stars. Also, Martin Brodeur holds the NHL record for goalie goals, with two scored in the regular season and one in the playoffs. Only one of his tallies was a shot on goal, while the other two, including one game-winner, were own goals by the opposing team.
Fight/Brawl: While the Devils have participated in a number of brawls over the course of their history, a one-on-one fight has become part of hockey folklore, thanks to its spread on social media. During Brendan Shanahan’s early years in the NHL, he once attacked Buffalo Sabres veteran Rick Vaive after a faceoff. Vaive had no clue what he did to deserve being jumped, but it was soon revealed a 14-year-old Shanahan had asked Vaive for an autograph, but was turned down and this was the long-awaited revenge.
Injury: During an October 2014 game, Devils forward Martin Havlat was hit by Jason Chimera of the Washington Capitals. Havlat fell into referee Darcy Burchell, as well as the boards, which caused the visor of his helmet to push into his face. The result was severe lacerations to his nose and upper lip, requiring numerous stitches to close the wounds. Havlat joked about the incident, saying he didn’t need any mask for upcoming Halloween celebrations.
Penalty: In one of the most infamous confrontations in hockey history, Devils coach Jim Schoenfeld got into an argument with referee Don Koharski following his team’s loss in the 1988 playoffs. Koharski fell, but accused Schoenfeld of pushing him. Koharski stated he hoped the incident was caught on video, to which Schoenfeld replied: “Good, ’cause you fell, you fat pig! Have another doughnut! Have another doughnut!” Schoenfeld was suspended one game and fined $1,000, while the team was fined $10,000.
Wildest Story: On January 22, 1987, an extreme blizzard in New Jersey resulted in only 334 fans (of an expected 11,247, based on tickets sold) showing up to a Devils game versus the Calgary Flames. Those that did manage to make the dangerous trek and attend the contest, where New Jersey won 7-5, were all made members of the 334 Club. Each fan was later sent a badge commemorating the unique game.
Blooper: During the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, legendary Devils goalie Martin Brodeur came out of his net to play a dumped in puck. Unfortunately, Brodeur lost the handle on his stick and as it fell to the ice, the puck deflected off it and into the net. It was a rare mistake for one of the best puck playing goalies of all-time. The Devils still managed to win the Stanley Cup, so no harm, no foul, I guess.
Miscellaneous: When New Jersey won the 1995 Stanley Cup, a new tradition was born. For the first time, each player (and some other members of the organization) got to spend a day with the trophy. Since then, children have been baptized in it, dogs have eaten meals out of it, kids have [accidentally] used it as a toilet, and it has travelled the globe, including to some of the most famous sites in the world.
New Jersey Devils: Dance with the Devil
- 1.5 oz Bourbon
- 0.75 oz Triple Sec
- Top with Passionfruit Juice
- Splash of Lemon Juice
- Dashes of Tabasco Sauce
- Garnish with a Maraschino Cherry
It floors me how difficult finding drinks for each NHL team has been throughout this project. Perhaps I’m being too picky, but I thought that aspect would be the easy part of my 2023 mission. Anyway, I was curious about the combo of ingredients in this cocktail, so wanted to see how it all came together.
Sip Advisor 