New Jersey Devils Team Profile
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Website: https://www.nhl.com/devils |
MAJOR HONORS
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Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NJDevils (451k followers)
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Stanley Cups: 3 |
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Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/njdevils (731k followers) |
Conference Champions: 5 |
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Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/njdevils (277k followers) |
Division Titles: 9 |
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Date Founded: 1974
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Hall Of Famers: 12 |
Let’s start by looking back two years ago, when the Devils beat everyone’s expectations and made the playoffs despite most feeling they’d be not just bad, but BAD. That was the year they drafted Nico Hischier with the first pick in the draft and Taylor Hall made a name for himself, winning the Hart Memorial Trophy as League MVP. But then last year, they reverted back to form (thanks in part to an injury to Hall that sidelined him most of the year) and were BAD. The good part of being bad though is another good draft pick, and thanks to the lottery, the Devils got the best one, which they subsequently used on a hopefully once in a decade talent Jack Hughes. Will Hall’s return, Hughes’ star-power, and a few key free agent signings push the Devils into contender staus?
Currently, oddsmakers don’t think so, placing them 17th amongst all NHL teams to win the Stanley Cup at +2500, and at +1300 to win the Eastern Conference.
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With two #1 picks in the past three years (2017’s Nico Hischier and this year’s Jack Hughes) and a 27 year-old Taylor Hall, the Devils have a young star-studded core to build around. They used free agency and trades to add some fire power and defense with the acquisition of one-time Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban from Nashville, as well as Wayne Simmonds, who’ll provide some veteran leadership.
They’ll join a team that, while not great, got some much-needed experience last year. Kyle Palmeri led the team with 27 goals last year, and he’ll most likely partner with Hughes to create a scary line. Younger grunts like Blake Coleman, Miles Wood, and John Hayden paired with the elder statesman of the group Travis Zajac, to form solid line options on the wings and center. On defense, Subban will be paired with Andy Greene and Sami Vatanen, or possibly 2018 first round pick, 19-year old Ty Smith.
The X factor is how Subban will gel with the rest of the team. He’s a large personality, and how he deals with the young core, and how they deal with him, will go a long way in determining the Devils’ future success.
Private equity billionaire and serial sport s franchise owner Joshua Harris, along with partner David Blitzer, bought a majority stake in the Devils in 2013 for $320 million. His portfolio of professional teams also includes the Philadelphia 76ers, a stake in Premier League team Crystal Palace, and an interest in being the owner of an NFL team, should they be based out of London.
New York Rangers: While the Rangers have their own special “Potvin Sucks!” cheer, the Devils have adapted it to fit their own sentiments, cheering “Rangers Suck!” instead. This fits with the hatred felt between the two fanbases, and they have the on-ice history to back it up. The two teams have met in “The Battle Of The Hudson River” over 280 times, 34 times in the playoffs, and the rivalry seems like it will only continue with the recent drafting of Jack Hughes by the Devils at #1 and the Rangers selecting Kaapo Kakko at #2. Some highlights include:
Philadelphia Flyers: One source of the animosity between the two teams is location: the northern part of New Jersey is all Devils, but the southern part, with its proximity to Philadelphia, and the Flyers longer history, is overwhelmingly Philly fans. (Plus the Flyers practice facility is in Voorhees Township, NJ.)
On the ice, while the two teams have played each other since 1982, The Battle of the NJ Turnpike only truly started gaining momentum in the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals, when the Devils beat the favored Flyers in 6 games en route to their first Stanley Cup. 5 years later, the two met again when the Devils came back from being down 3-1 in the series to win in Philly in game 7. These two series were remembered by the feud between Eric Lindros and Scott Stevens, with the 2000 Game 7 eventually being Lindros’ last game as a Flyer, thanks in no part to Stevens’ concussion-causing hit. In 2004 and 2010, the Flyers exacted their revenge by eliminating the Devils from the playoffs, while the Devils got back to their winning ways in 2012, eliminating the Flyers in the semis.
Hey, we can’t all be the Rangers. Unlike their cross-Hudson foes (who continually top Forbes list of most valuable NHL franchises at 1.5 billion) the Devils are below the league average of $630 million with a $455 million valuation. But on the bright side the Devils are at least stable in terms of cash, compared to not so long ago (1995) when they were thinking of moving to Nashville.
Salary-wise, the Devils made some moves this summer to piggyback on their pick of Jack Hughes, adding defenseman P.K. Subban from the Predators, which makes him the highest paid Devil at $9 million per season. G Cory Schneider and LW Taylor Hall are the second highest paid teammates with $6 million/year salaries, while C Travis Zajac is right behind them at $5.75 million.
For the first part of their existence in New Jersey after their move from Colorado in 1982, they weren’t good. At all. And that made it tough to develop a fan base, especially when there were already three popular NHL teams nearby in the Rangers, Islanders, and Flyers. But as with all things sports, winning helps, and as the Devils won their Stanley Cups, and continued to be successful, a true fan base developed, including the Crazies, a group of hard-core fans with their own section at The Rock.
In terms of celebrity fans, there are a few Jersey residents who cheer them on, including Kal Penn, Kevin Smith, and Zach Braff. But no one will be a bigger fan than Seinfeld’s David Puddy.
“The Rock” as it’s known to Devils fans (and to the delight of the arena’s corporate sponsor, Prudential Insurance,) the arena was also supposed to permanently house the New Jersey Nets. Unfortunately, the Nets were sold to developer Bruce Ratner, who moved the team away from NJ to Brooklyn. Outside The Rock sits Championship Plaza, a part of the project to revitalize the city of Newark. And nothing says welcome like a creepy 20 foot tall hockey player.
*Credit to the main photo of this article belongs to Julio Cortez/Associated Press (Patrik Elias), Ron Frehm/Associated Press (Rangers), Mark Lennihan/Associated Press (Rangers), Bill Kostroun/Associated Press (Prudential Center, Legends)
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