The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers have always been considered the best rivalry in the NHL. It goes back decades, with the Rangers forcing the Devils to face financial issues because they charged them just to be in their media market in the early years. Once the Devils started to get better, the rivalry started to grow. The Islanders' dynasty years were behind them, and a new top rival was in town.
New Jersey was growing its fanbase, and Lou Lamoriello was creating a dynasty. The Rangers were aligning their stars, especially with the addition of Mark Messier. The Devils and Rangers' first playoff series was a seven-game tilt in the first round of the 1992 playoffs.
Their second playoff series might be the best playoff series in history. The 1994 Eastern Conference Finals had everything. Today, many hockey fans remember The Guarantee by Messier, but that was just Game 6. After forcing the decisive game, we saw one of the craziest endings of all time. The Rangers had a 1-0 lead for most of the game, but with eight seconds left, Valeri Zelepukin scored the tying goal to force overtime.
We don’t need to talk about what happened next.
There continued to be history, with the series in 2012 leading to “Henrique, It’s Over,” and the series in 2023 really cementing Jack Hughes as a superstar. Both were must-see TV.
And the rivalry grew from there. Matt Rempe’s dirty hits made the response appointment television. Both teams held some real hate for each other. There was another line brawl just a couple of years ago, and there was even a goalie fight last season.
And that’s why we're here. The Devils and Rangers had a goalie fight last year, one of the biggest social media moments that exist. That fight didn’t really make much noise. It didn’t help that Jacob Markstrom got destroyed, but the fact that goalies for the Devils' and Rangers' goalies fought should have been huge.
IGOR SHESTERKIN GOALIE FIGHT VS. JACOB MARKSTROM pic.twitter.com/xiKuEauieb
— SNY Rangers (@SNYRangers) April 1, 2026
On Wednesday, we learned where and when the Devils would be shown on national television. The Devils have 12 games on ESPN, Hulu, and TNT. The Rangers have 18 national broadcasts. Yet, there are zero games depicting the Hudson River Rivalry.
The Hudson River Rivalry was lef out of the national broadcast schedule
Just a few years ago, this was tracking to be the best rivalry in the NHL. It was becoming a rivalry that was transcending hockey.
That changed quickly. The Devils haven't been good enough, and the Rangers were downright awful last season. The NHL also blew this rivalry. They put all the Rangers-Devils games in March last season, and they only had three such games. Putting all three games after the Olympic break when none of them were remotely relevant just took all the heat out of the rivalry.
The thing about NHL rivalries is they are fleeting. We didn't hear about the Battle for Florida for decades, but now they are getting outdoor games. The Battle of Alberta is on hold until the Flames are good again. If the Devils and Rangers are good again this season, the rivalry will get more eyes next season, but it is very telling that the NHL did not prioritize this rivalry to a national audience.
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