5 Most Heartbreaking and Disappointing New Jersey Devils Losses Ever

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(Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images/Getty Images) /

1. May 27, 1994 Game 7 Eastern Conference Finals vs New York Rangers

Well, before we get to all those details of this game, let’s look at the team overall in 1993-94. The Devils during the season were the second-best team in the Conferece, with big powerhouse Scott Stevens becoming captain and lead the team in points with 60 assists. You also have Stephane Richer with had both 34 goals and 34 assists.

While the offense and defense were outstanding, these all pale in comparison to the season Martin Brodeur had. Brodeur’s first season as starting goaltender showed us why he eventually had a Hall of Fame career in his first full season as a starting goalie. He won 27 games, and took home the Calder Trophy that year. All the while, Chris Terreri was backing him up with a 20 win season of his own.

The New York Rangers this season were the best team in the NHL, and were looking for their 54-year cup curse to end. Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, or their outstanding goaltender Mike Richter make up their most recognizable players. There also some proper names like Sergei Zubov, Esa Tikkanen, and Jeff Beukeboom. As for their playoff journey, they only lost one game before facing the Devils, sweeping the New York Islanders, and beating the Washington Capitals in five games. Only losing once in the playoffs seemed huge for them, and now they had a chance to beat another rival to get to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Three games in the series made it to the 2nd overtime. The Devils won the first game thanks to Stephen Richer. The Rangers would win Games 2 and 3, which Game 3 also had a 2nd overtime goal, on a name we would hear later, Stephan Matteau.

We eventually get to Game 7, a game the Rangers captain was not letting them lose, and he said as much.

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For starters, no goals were scored in the 1st period, making fans nervous on both sides. The Rangers fans had nothing to worry about in the 2nd period as Brian Leetch got the 1st goal that made fans feel a little comfortable. Leetch spun around when he had possession of the puck, and when the puck slid under Brodeur. After the 2nd period was over, Devils fans who were sitting home watching the game were more feeling sad at first after Leetch scored, but some fans knew they could look to get the big tying goal. To do that, let’s look toward the final minute of the third. You were having your heart pounding at that time, asking yourself, ‘when will the Devils get that goal?’. The Devils fans’ prayer’s for a goal were about to be answered thanks to Valeri Zelepukin. Under 8 seconds left in regulation, Claude Lemieux passes the puck in front of Richter to Valeri Zelepukin, who had to poke the puck twice to beat Richter. Richter tried arguing for a call, but the referee said he did not see any interference on that play. At home, you were jumping up and down, maybe hugging your family, who knows, the Devils had just tied the biggest game of their season. Now with maximum pressure building on both teams, it had to be settled in overtime, but once again, no team in the 1st overtime scored, so for the 3rd time this season, it went into 2nd overtime. One person had to end this series, and for one player in blue, he was about to become our mortal enemy for 18 years.

This goal defined the bond between Devils and Rangers fans throughout the ’90s and early 2000s. If you knew someone who was a Rangers fan at this time, they would be this goal up frequently, and you probably still hear about the call of the end of the game today from Ranger fans, even though the other game in 2012 haunted Ranger fans. I know it’s tough for us to remind ourselves about this goal, but it is an essential piece in NHL history, and it affects both teams in positive ways. So let’s talk about the goal and the famous call by Howie Rose.

Just 4 minutes into the 2nd overtime, Stephen Matteau takes the puck and wraps it behind Brodeur. The puck gets under him and go’s into the back of the net. The Rangers win and move on to the Stanley Cup finals. Fans who watched at home felt heartbroken, a chance to prove ourselves as a dominant team in the playoffs, went up in flames because of number 32 in the Rangers jersey. However, there is one more important part of this goal. Howie Rose, who did this game for the Rangers radio, used this quote that Ranger fans kept repeating to us; “Matteau! “Matteau! Matteau! Stephan Matteau!” Those words continue to haunt us forever, but 18 years later, we got our revenge back from them. Despite us losing this game, there is something positive about this game. The Devils did have a good season, and that goal helped us gain our confidence back and helped motivated us to win the cup the very next season. This loss not only proves show two teams can have positive outlooks but also two crucial states.

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