Devils History
Top 5 Canadian Devils Players of All-Time
Martin Brodeur tops the five best Canadian-born Devils of all time.
With the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics wrapped up, and the announcement of the 2034 Winter Olympics returning to Salt Lake City, national pride is on the mind. The legacy of the New Jersey Devils wouldn’t be what it is today without a select group of players from the same country, Canada. Hanging from the Prudential Center rafters is a reminder that there wouldn’t be three Stanley Cups in New Jersey if it weren’t for the Maple Leaf Flag.
MUST READ: Top-5 American-Born Devils
Here’s a look at the top five Canadian Devils of all-time.
5. John MacLean
Spoiler alert but the top four all have their jerseys hanging in the rafters. That made the selection at five incredibly difficult. In the end, MacLean is a legacy Devil after spending 14 years playing for the organization. He’s second all-time in points and goals with 701 and 347, sixth all-time in games played with 934, fourth all-time in assists 354, and was a major factor in winning the franchise’s first Stanley Cup of all time.
The sixth overall pick in 1983, MacLean, an Oshawa, Ontario native, was the first star player in the organization’s history. He’s most famously known for his overtime-winning goal against the Chicago Blackhawks in 1988 to send the Devils to the playoffs after years as bottom-dwellers in the NHL.
Also, MacLean’s ties to the Devils expand past his playing days. He spent six years as an assistant, including a year on the Cup-winning 2003 team, and served as head coach in 2010-11. MacLean’s impact on the Devils is equally as important as the other Canadians on this list, and an argument could be made he should have his number 15 retired too.
4. Ken Daneyko
Mr. Devil himself ends up as the number four Canadian Devil of all time. The 1982 18th overall pick from Edmonton, Alberta, Daneyko was (and still is) the New Jersey Devils. Known as a defensive stalwart and physical presence for the Devils championship winning teams, Daneyko is the franchise’s all-time leader in games played with 1,283. In addition, Daneyko is second in all-time playoff games played with 175.
For as much love and admiration as he gets from fans off the ice nowadays, Daneyko represented what it meant to be a Devil on the ice. There from the very beginning, it was his hard-working, aggressive style that defined who the Devils were for two decades.
3. Scott Niedermayer
Scott Niedermayer was one of the most dazzling players to watch play and the gold standard for two-way defensemen. Niedermayer leads all Devils in franchise history in goals (112), assists (364), and points (476). Like Daneyko, Niedermayer was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and was the third overall pick in the 1991 draft.
One of the best skaters in NHL history, Niedermayer was a “do-it-all” defenseman for the Devils but shined on the offensive side. His end-to-end goal in the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings is one of the most iconic goals in franchise history and was one of his 11 points that postseason. One of just five Devils to win all three Stanley Cups, Niedermayer finished his career as a Devil as the captain back in 2003-04, before having his jersey retired in 2011.
The Devils currently have a Niedermayer in the making in youngster Luke Hughes.
2. Scott Stevens
Other than number one on this list, Scott Stevens is arguably the greatest Devil of all time and one of the greatest Canadian defensemen of all time. The Kitchener, Ontario native, Stevens played 13 seasons with the Devils after nine seasons with the Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues. Stevens is second amongst Devils defensemen in points (430), goals (93), and assists (337), and holds the franchise record for most points in a season with 78.
“The Captain”, Stevens was an elite defender in all aspects of the game. He could score, skate well, and was a shutdown defender. However, above all else, he was the most feared man on skates. A Scott Stevens highlight package would mainly be composed of some of the hardest hits in NHL history, a tool he used often. The first man to hoist the Stanley Cup in Devils history, there may never be a player like Scott Stevens ever again.
1. Martin Brodeur
It could be no one else. The greatest Devil of all time. The greatest goalie of all time. Brodeur’s impact on the game and the goaltending position is immense. He played the position in a way never seen before and has since become the way to play it. The Montreal, Quebec-born Brodeur was then-General Manager Lou Lamoriello’s greatest draft pick of his career when he took him 20th overall in 1990.
Brodeur’s accomplishments rival no one else in hockey other than Wayne Gretzky. NHL leader in wins (691), shutouts (125), saves (28,928), games played (1,266), and wins in a season (48). His iconic hybrid style and ability to play the puck revolutionized the game, forced rule changes in the sport, and was the catalyst for him to earn four Vezina’s, five Jennings trophies, a Calder, three first-team All-Stars, two Olympic gold medals, three Stanley Cups, and an induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Brodeur spent 21 years as a Devil and has since moved to the front office as VP of Hockey Operations where he looks to help bring a fourth Stanley Cup to the Garden State.
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