5 Surprise New Jersey Devils Who Made All-Star Game
By Nick Villano
Craig Billington – 1993 NHL All-Star Game
We asked a trivia question on Twitter over the weekend. Which New Jersey Devils goalie was the last to make the team prior to Martin Brodeur’s run in net? There were a lot of answers. Chris Terreri, Sean Burke, and Chico Resch, but not many knew the right answer. Craig Billington made the All-Star Game in 1993, one year before Martin Brodeur took over as the starter in net. Billington had a bright future when the Devils drafted him. He was the 23rd-overall pick in the 1984 NHL Draft.
He bounced around minor leagues for most of his career, playing for different AHL teams and eventually spending an entire season with Team Canada before entering the 90s. Once he came back from Team Canada, he became a full-time NHLer. In 1992-93, Billington split time with Chris Terrerri.
Going into the All-Star break, Billington was 15-9-2. It’s not exactly the mark of an All-Star goalie. This is especially true because Scott Stevens also made the All-Star team, so there was no need to hit a quota or anything like that.
The Devils traded Billington in the offseason for fellow All-Star Peter Sidorkiewicz. Neither the Senators or Devils got much out of that deal, as Brodeur was ready to take over the net. It’s a strange All-Star that most Devils fans don’t even realize happened.