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50 Greatest New Jersey Devils Players Of All Time

By Nick Villano

Former New Jersey Devils players (L-R) Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer, Ken Daneyko and Scott Stevens during Patrik Elias #26 jersey retirement ceremony prior to a game against the New York Islanders at the Prudential Center on February 24, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)"n
Former New Jersey Devils players (L-R) Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer, Ken Daneyko and Scott Stevens during Patrik Elias #26 jersey retirement ceremony prior to a game against the New York Islanders at the Prudential Center on February 24, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)"n /
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New Jersey Devils
John MacLean of the New Jersey Devils: (Robert Laberge /Allsport) /

Greatest New Jersey Devils player of all time: 6. John MacLean

John MacLean was the original scorer on those early great Devils teams. He built his legacy in New Jersey. While he wasn’t their first star, he was the team’s star when they first started winning. The Devils drafted MacLean with the sixth-overall pick in 1983. He was able to make the NHL team the very next season, playing 23 games in his rookie year.

MacLean got better and better every season, putting up 13, then 23, then 31 goals in consecutive seasons. He strangely had a down season in 1987-88, the year everything seemed to fall into place for the Devils to make the playoffs for the first time. That’s fine since MacLean went nuclear in the postseason. It actually started in a pseudo-play-in game. With the Devils facing a “win and in” situation against the Blackhawks, MacLean scored to tie the game in the third period and scored with two minutes left in overtime to put themselves in the race for the Cup officially. He then posted 18 points in 20 games as the Devils made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

MacLean was traded to San Jose in 1998, owning just about every Devils franchise record. He owned the goals, assists, and points record. He kept most of them, but Patrik Elias took most of those records at this point. MacLean still finds himself second all-time in points. With 701, it’s an attainable record for a few players on the team now.

This was a player who might be held in high esteem if it wasn’t for his tenure with the Rangers. He helped the Devils win the 1995 Cup, and he was the catalyst in the 1994 run against those very same Rangers. Still, he was the first great the Devils could claim, and he deserves this spot in the rankings.

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