New Jersey Devils Top Three All-Star Performances
Today officially marks the beginning of the 2015-16 NHL All-Star Break, and the New Jersey Devils will be sending net minder Cory Schneider to the ‘Music City’ to represent them and the Metropolitan Division in this years All-Star 3 v. 3 tournament.
But before the festivities kick-off with the annual All-Star Skills Competition on Saturday, January 30th, let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable performances by past New Jersey Devils All-Stars.
Some twenty-three All Star Games have been played since the Devils first arrived in New Jersey in 1982, and the Devils organization has been fortunate enough to have at least one player representing them each and every year except in 2012. In total, 17 different players have represented ‘Jersey’s Team’ in the All-Star Game, with former Captain Scott Stevens holding the franchise record 11 All-Star Game selections. Other Devils players elected to the All-Star game numerous times include Martin Brodeur (8), Patrik Elias (4), Brian Rafalski (3) and Scott Niedermayer (3) just to name a few. Former New Jersey Devils coaches Jacques Lemaire, Larry Robinson and Robbie Ftorek also represented the black and red as coaches from behind the bench during All-Star festivities.
Long before some of us were born, the New Jersey Devils were even selected to host the All-Star Game during the 1983-84 season at the historic Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Back then the Devils were in the Wales Conference, and in traditional All-Star Game format they played a regular game against the Campbell Conference. That year the Wales Conference defeated the Campbell Conference by the slightest of margins, winning 7-6 behind Devils All-Star Goalie and former announcer Glenn ‘Chico’ Resch, with defenseman Joe Cirella adding a goal and an assist of his own.
One day the All-Star Game will return to New Jersey, as the Prudential Center is a fantastic venue that’s already hosted the 2013 NHL Draft, but that’s rather here nor there.
Without further ado, here’s a look at the top three All-Star performances in Devils history.
1. Scott Niedermayer Flies x 2
One of the most memorable New Jersey Devils All-Star performances was when Devils retired legend Scott Niedermayer won the Fastest Skater event during the 1998 and 2004 All-Star skills competition, especially because 2004 marked the last season Nidermeyar would ever sport a Devils uniform after he decided to head out West to Anaheim and join his brother Rob Niedermayer on the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
Perhaps what made this even more special was that both performances occurred during the era in which the Devils were proclaimed as a team that played a ‘boring’ style of hockey. The Devils used a strict neutral zone trap that shut down opponents, and because of it they received plenty of heat and backlash from opposing teams and GMs, most notably Bryan Murray.
Scott Niederbayer was the perfect example that even those who play a team game, possess plenty of skill and talent.
2. Zach Parise Shines in the NHL Young Stars Game
Personally, my favorite event during the modern era All-Star Weekend is the NHL Young Stars Game, where the very best NHL rookies and the future of this beautiful sport showcase their skills by competing against one another.
The Devils have sent a total of three players to the Young Stars Game; Paul Martin, David Clarkson and Zach Parise. Both Adam Henrique and Adam Larsson were selected in 2012, but they didn’t attend due to timely injuries. One of the proudest moments in the Devils history was when everybody’s favorite Devil Zach Parise actually won the MVP of the 2007 Young Stars Game after scoring two goals and recording four assists.
Parise isn’t really mentioned much around the ‘Garden State’ after he upped and left to join his former teammate Ryan Suter in Minnesota, but I still blame Jeff Vanderbeek and the pursuit of the Ilya Kovalchuk disaster for that. Still, anytime a franchise has a rookie win the MVP of the Young Stars game they should truly be honored, and I’m sure the Devils were.
3. Martin Brodeur Goes Toe-To-Toe with Jaromir Jagr
Now for hockey historians, this is perhaps the single most greatest moment in Devils All-Star history because it was simply one of the most epic battles between two of the best players in the history of the game.
In the 1999 Skills competition, future hall of famers Jaromir Jagr, then a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, went toe-to-toe with Martin Brodeur in the rapid fire competition. In true Brodeur fashion, the Devils legend shut the door on Jagr, allowing just one goal on five shots including four highlight reel saves from below the tops of the circles against one of the most prolific scorers in NHL History:
Hey Devils fans, what is your favorite New Jersey Devils All-Star Moment? Let us know in the comments below!