50 Greatest New Jersey Devils Players of All Time: Numbers 50-41

Greatest New Jersey Devils player of all time: 48. Mel Bridgman

Mel Bridgman is a man from a previous era. He would be a player after Lou Lamoriello’s heart, despite never actually playing for the man. He was a consistent scorer who could be very good on both sides of the rink. He didn’t need to be a 30-goal scorer to be a contributor. He came to the Devils in 1983 when they sent future Stanley Cup-winning coach Joel Quenneville (as a player) to the Calgary Flames.

Bridgman was a legend with the Philadelphia Flyers, so it must have been weird for them to see him with the Devils. He was there when they first moved to New Jersey, so the rivalry was still fresh. It would be much different if this was now, but back then it wasn’t that bad.

Anyways, with the Devils, Bridgman gave the Devils a veteran presence on the offense. Six months after the Devils got Bridgman, he was named captain. While the Devils struggled for the majority of the time that he was wearing the “C”, it was a franchise looking for an identity. Bridgman brought that.

During his time with the Devils, Bridgman had three straight 60-point seasons. It was the 80s, so scoring was easy to come by, but it was still impressive on that roster. Some of the young stars on the Devils give him credit for helping show them the ropes. He was a great captain, and he was one of the first stars in Garden State hockey history.