The 2024-25 New Jersey Devils season opens very soon. On October 4, the Devils will face the Buffalo Sabres in Prague, Czechia. To get ready for the season, we're doing a daily piece countdown of all the numbers of the Devils sweaters and moments in Devils franchise history. We’re in the final four days until faceoff, and first, we’re going to on the other two guys in the rafters, Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko.
Scott Stevens
When you think about the New Jersey Devils’ franchise history, one guy set their whole identity. Lou Lamoriello's move shook up the NHL as a sports league on September 3, 1991, when the Devils won Scott Stevens in an arbitration case with the St. Louis Blues. Immediately, Stevens became a hard-hitting force for a franchise that established itself as one of the toughest teams to play in the league.
Stevens’s physicality and style of play were so great the Devils named him captain in the 1992-93 season, and he held the honor for 12 seasons. Stevens also had a scoring ability when he first joined the Devils, as most fans remember his 1993-94 season, where he scored 70 points.
But why did Stevens wear number four? Scott Stevens answered this question in a Twitter takeover back in 2014.
.@Themrweirdo Hi Andrew - to be honest, it was given to me by Lou but I really like the number 4 so was pretty happy with it. -SS
— NHL (@NHL) December 17, 2014
Stevens would end up playing 956 games in New Jersey and 612 hits in his entire career. When the Devils retired his jersey in 2006, Stevens was emotional in a memorable moment for him and the Devils.
Ken Daneyko
Another Devil who established himself as a franchise starter was Ken Danyeko. Danyeko was the Devils' first draft pick in 1982. For 20 years in the NHL, he played 1,283 games, the most in franchise history, and there was a reason he was nicknamed “Mr. Devil.” Danyeko was never a goal scorer, but he was a very physical guy, always trying to give the Devils a big play.
Danyeko would win all three Stanley Cups in New Jersey and the third cup in his final season at age 38. Danyeko would win the only trophy he was nominated for, the Masteron Trophy, in the 1999-00 season. Danyeko would also get his jersey retired in 2006, and in September of 2014, he would join the Devils as an MSG color commentator alongside Steve Cangelosi and now Bill Spaulding. If you want a more in-depth piece about Danyeko, check out this P&P article.
Sheldon Souray
The late 90’s Devils have produced some of the most underrated stars of the league. Sheldon Souray was one of those young stars who began in the 1997-98 season. Souray had 18 points in 60 games that season, including his first goal, which was the game winner on December 16, 1997, at home vs the New York Rangers.
However, Souray had even fewer points in the following season, with only 5 points in 70 games. It seemed Souray wasn’t working for Ftorek’s system midway through the 1999-00 season. On March 1, 2000, Souray was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Vladamir Malakov. It would take several seasons for Souray to get going, but under Guy Carbonneau, he was a much better player, with a 64-point season in 2006-07. Souray would spend three seasons with the Edmonton Oilers and two more seasons in the NHL with the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks before retiring at the end of the 2012-13 season.
Glenn “Chico” Resch
While Martin Brodeur may be the first goalie you think of when you think about goaltenders for the Devils, the actual first goaltender was Glenn Resch, better known as Chico. Now, Chico and his career with the Devils began on March 10, 1981, when he was traded to the Colorado Rockies, and in the seasons following, once the Rockies ceased after 1982, Resch followed the next franchise, the Devils. He was the first goalie in franchise history to start for them. Unfortunately for Resch and the Devils, they were not significant.
As a relocated franchise, they were easily handled by the NHL’s best teams, which was a big problem, and Resch’s worst season was the 1983-84 season, which saw him have a 9-34 record. However, he would have great moments, like getting the Devils to their first win on October 8, 1982, at home against their new rival, the New York Rangers. Resch would earn his first-ever shutout as a Devil on December 17, 1983, against the Minnesota North Stars. On March 11, 1986, Resch would be traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 3rd round pick.
However, in 1996, he joined the Devils’ broadcasting for Sports Channel NY to become the color commentator along with Mike Doc Emerick. While leaving to do radio color commentary with the Minnesota Wild, he would return to do radio for the Devils in the same position alongside Matt Loughlin.