The New Jersey Devils have a long history of success, but none of that success is even relatively recent. The Devils have made the playoffs in three of the past 14 seasons, and they’ve only won a single playoff series in that time. Who knows how long it will take them to tally three series wins like they did in 2012, or four like they did in 2003.
Speaking of 2003, that was the last time the Devils won the Stanley Cup, putting the stamp on this group as one of the best. The trio of Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens, and Scott Niedermayer was nearly impossible to beat on the back end, but the Devils were not just winning with their stars alone.
The Devils always had players who were on just one Stanley Cup team. For every Sergei Brylin and Bobby Holik, who had multiple Stanley Cups, there’s a John MacLean, Joe Nieuwendyk, or Alexander Mogilny, who all won one Cup with the NJ crest on their sweater. Another player who only won one Cup with the Devils is Russian forward Oleg Tverdovsky.
Tverdovsky was never a huge contributor in the NHL. After he was drafted second overall in the 1994 NHL Draft by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (their second first-round pick in franchise history after Paul Kariya came the year prior), he was quickly traded to the Winnipeg Jets in a package for Teemu Selanne. Almost as soon as he found an apartment in Winnipeg, Tverdovsky and the Jets were relocated to Arizona and renamed the Coyotes.
It was with the Coyotes that he was chosen for his first All-Star Game. After that, he was traded back to the Ducks for former Devils interim coach Travis Green and a first-round pick.
By the time Tverdovsky was traded to the New Jersey Devils in the summer of 2002, he was used to getting moved. He was also used to being part of a blockbuster.
And to Devils fans, the move in 2002 was indeed a blockbuster. Tverdovsky and Jeff Friesen were traded to the Devils for Petr Sykora, Mike Commodore, and Jean-Francois Damphousse. With New Jersey, Tverdovsky played 50 regular-season games and 15 in the playoffs. His numbers weren’t great, but he did his job, and the Devils won the Stanley Cup.
Now, he’s getting another job on his resume.
Former Devils Stanley Cup winner is becoming a team owner
Roman Tkachenko and Oleg Tverdovsky are new investors in the Nanaimo Clippers hockey club. The Clippers are a member of the British Columbia Hockey League and have been in existence since 1972. They were once home to a few NHL greats, including Devils legend Mel Bridgman.
Just last season, the Clippers made it all the way to their championship finals before losing to the Brooks Bandits.
Tverdovsky brings an NHL and KHL background to the team which could solidify their space in the BCHL.
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