50 Greatest New Jersey Devils Players of All Time: Numbers 40-31

Greatest New Jersey Devils player of all time: 35. Colin White

Colin White is such a hard player to rank. He was a solid player on the blueline and spent 11 seasons in New Jersey. He has a lot of the accolades Devils players need to make it on this list. He was a part of two Stanley Cup Champions. He played all 23 games as a rookie in 2000 as the Devils made it to the Final and won.

White had a great start to his career. He made the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2001 (he was still eligible due to a lack of games played in his first season). He was that typical defensive defenseman, keeping pucks away from Martin Brodeur. It was a priority for the Devils.

Things changed for White in 2007. During a preseason practice, a puck off the stick of rookie Niclas Bergfors tipped into White’s face. It came close to his right eye, causing blurred vision and other issues. He came back in November and immediately took on a minutes-eating role, but he was clearly a little hesitant about his usual physicality.

White was always a heavy hitter, breaking more than 100 hits nearly every season. He didn’t lose what made him really good, but he did basically stop fighting. White was still really good, putting up arguably his best performance in the 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He broke 22 minutes per game in the postseason. He was solidified in the Devils top four, a unit that included Brian Rafalski, Scott Stevens, and Scott Niedermayer.