The New Jersey Devils did not have a good season, but they have been in the conversation around the Stanley Cup Final. No, it’s not because of Nico Hischier or the former players on the Vegas Golden Knights (Akira Schmid, Alex Holtz) or the Carolina Hurricanes (Taylor Hall). It’s actually because of the head coach for the Golden Knights.
The Devils and its fanbase are well versed in the antics of John Tortorella. The Devils were the centerpiece in one of his most prickly moments. When he was the New York Rangers’ head coach, he got into a screaming match on the bench with then-Devils and now-Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer. At the same time, he’s the only ESPN analyst who picked the Devils to win the Stanley Cup, so we assume it’s water under the bridge.
Analysts evoked the name of the 2000 Stanley Cup Champion Devils when the Golden Knights made the shrewd move to fire Bruce Cassidy, who won them their only Stanley Cup in 2023, and hire Tortorella, who chosed he had bad decision making by choosing the Devils as the Cup winner before the season.
Of course, Lou Lamoriello fired Robbie Ftorek near the end of the 1999-00 season, and Larry Robinson took over. The players hated Ftorek and loved Robinson. The players knew Robinson and were actively excited to play for him. The Knights had no idea what was coming into the room with Tortorella.
We didn’t think it was a good comparison. We understood the comparison, and the fact that the Golden Knights are now two wins away from the Cup makes it an even closer comparison.
What is a good comparison in history is the one with the Carolina Hurricanes.
In 1995, the New Jersey Devils won their first Stanley Cup. It’s a year that most Devils fans still remember today. 1994 broke our hearts, but 1995 made up for it. They were the underdogs going into the Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings, and the Devils swept them. It was amazing.
What we don’t talk about much is what happened in Albany. The Albany River Rats were the Devils’ AHL affiliate from 1993 to 2006. Despite the long affiliation, they only won one Calder Cup. That was in 1995, the same year the Devils won the Stanley Cup.
As first reported by The Athletic’s James Mirtle, the Devils are the last team in the league to have a Stanley Cup champion and Calder Cup champion in the same season. Right now, the Hurricanes are on pace to matching that with the Chicago Wolves.
If Hurricanes and Wolves win, would be a rare Stanley/Calder Cup affiliate team double. Only two franchises have done that, with the last being New Jersey/Albany back in 1995. https://t.co/Ebzz8Yyl8l
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) June 12, 2026
The New Jersey Devils have another tie to the Stanley Cup Final
That 1995 River Rats team has had some interesting names on it. Pascal Rheaume would have three stints with the Devils, including being on the ice when the Devils won the 2003 Stanley Cup. Mike Dunham was a longtime Martin Brodeur backup. Steve Sullivan was a NHL forward for much of his career.
Former Devils stars Sergei Brylin, Brian Rolston, and Krzysztof Oliwa all played for the River Rats that season, but they were on the Devils’ roster by the time the Calder Cup Playoffs hit.
It’s another connection the Devils have to the Stanley Cup Final, and it’s another reason to root against the Carolina Hurricanes.
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