All-Time Devils' Greatest Games | STAN'S LISTS

Once upon a time - when Bobby Orr was breaking all manner of NHL records - a reporter interviewed the superstar's mother at her home in Parry Sound, Ontario.

The Man from Life Magazine said, "Mrs. Orr, tell me what you think of your son?"

To which, she fired back the perfect squelch: "WHICH ONE?"

The Maven brings this up because when I was assigned to select "The Greatest Games in Devils History," I thought of Mrs. Arva Orr and muttered to myself, "Which One?"

Having covered the club since its inception more than four decades ago, I'm challenged upon asking myself which really was the greatest Devils game of all-time, and which ones after that and after that?

As a hockey historian, I love the challenge and - by the way – if you disagree with my findings, please write, knowing that I respect your opinions. (Fasten seatbelts, here we go).

1. Greatest of them All

Game 4, 1995 Stanley Cup Final, June 24, 1995

The 1995 Stanley Cup Final between the Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils appeared to be so one-sided before it began that a Toronto columnist predicted that the Motor City skaters would win the best-of-seven series in three games.

At the pre-series media fest a day before the Final began, the press corps listened intently to the Red Wings answer questions. When it was New Jersey's turn, half of the journalists rudely walked out.

It would not take very long for the reporters to learn the error of their ways. One, Two, Three - just like that - the Devils rang up victories. Now, the most unlikely scenario was about to unfold.

"Our challenge was clear," said Detroit's head coach Scotty Bowman, "to stay alive we had to win Game 4."

And for a while it appeared as if the heavy favorites finally would prevail. Detroit scored twice and half-way through the game the score was knotted at 2-2. "I wouldn't want to see the Wings get the next one," said a press box regular. "If they win this one, they could get hot and win three more."

The newsman had little time to worry. Neal Broten, a member of Uncle Sam's 1980 "Miracle On Ice" gold medalists, took a centering pass from defenseman Scott Niedermayer. Red Wings goalie Mike Vernon was prepared and made the save.

But Broten, who had scored earlier, was like a ferret on the spoor of its next meal. Skillfully, Neal corralled the rebound and deflected the six-ounce hunk of vulcanized rubber past Vernon and into the twine.

The time was 7:56 of the second period and Devils goalie Martin Brodeur would not allow another puck to elude him. Of course, none in the 19,040 sellout crowd at Meadowlands Arena could be sure of that.

As New Jersey's lead held up into the third period there was concern that somehow Bowman's sextet would find a way to tie the game. "I was never sure that it was in the bag," said Devils coach Jacques Lemaire. "I knew what we were up against; this was no time to get cocky."

The insightful Lemaire knew he had to exploit every one on his bench, including peach-faced, Russian-trained Sergei Brylin. As the game clock ticked toward the eight-minute mark, hot prospect Brian Rolston captured the puck along Detroit's right wing boards.

Spotting Brylin in front of the net, Rolston skimmed a radar pass that Sergei tamed with his skate and then deposited behind goalie Vernon. It now was 4-2 at 7:46 but with more than a dozen minutes remaining, the Devils had clinched nothing.

"We wanted one more just for a cushion," revealed defenseman Shawn Chambers, a late-season acquisition of Boss Lou Lamoriello who had scored earlier in the contest. Now Chambers was manning the blue line with little over seven minutes left on the clock when forward Bill Guerin's shot was blocked.

Brylin nabbed the rebound and ladled a pass to Chambers at the left blue line. The Michigan-born defender wound up for a slapper that Vernon still hasn't seen. This time the crowd's roar had an intense - yet relaxed - sense of reality to it. The time was 12:32 and that was all she wrote.

Writing in the club's 25-year history, Rich Chere - who covered the team from its inception - had this delicious Chambers' quote: "I told all the boys before it started, I wasn't going to score until we needed one. Well, we needed one tonight."

Then, a pause and a few seconds of professional reflection: "This is what you play hockey for. This is once-in-a-lifetime here."

2. The Second Greatest of them All

Game 6, 2000 Stanley Cup Final, June 10-11, 2000

To put this remarkable contest in a pugilistic panorama, it was like a pair of heavyweight champions slugging it out for a full 15-rounds and good luck to the winner.

Unlike New Jersey's first championship run, this encore marathon took place during a traumatic season orchestrated by coach Robbie Ftorek for most of the crusade. Then, suddenly, boss Lou Lamoriello sensed problems in the regular-season homestretch and replaced Ftorek with Robbie's aide de camp Larry Robinson.

The beauty part was that everybody loved Larry from the previous movie when he assisted Jacques LemaIre and the Devils to their first Stanley Cup in 1995.

"But this was a different scene," recalled Emmy-winning former NJ 12 reporter George Falkowski."The first time around, Jacques and Larry had been together all season. Now Larry had to step in and untangle the knots that forced Lamoriello to make the moves."

Robinson had one thing going for him and it was a BIG thing - his demeanor, or presence if you will. Only a commanding figure whose confidence was built as a Stanley Cup-winning player with the Montreal Canadiens could survive being thrust into command with only eight games remaining in the season.

"But Larry got us through the first three rounds," said Bobby Holik, a veteran of the first Cup championship. "I'm sure being Jacques Lemaire's assistant had a lot to do with Larry's coaching success."

What it did was bring New Jersey to a win from annexing their second title but it would be a slug-for-slug battle right to the end. "When we beat Detroit in 1995," recalled Sergei Brylin, "it was four games and over. This time the combat was intense right into that Game 6."

The first period was an infirmary's delight. Before the stanza was four minutes old, New Jersey's Scott Gomez collided with Dallas' defenseman Darryl Sydor who suffered a leg injury. Next on the Stars casualty list was center Joe Nieuwendyk who was deposited to the ice by Jason Arnott.

Not surprisingly, Dallas retaliated - especially big defender Derian Hatcher who floored Claude Lemieux. It was to be part of Hatcher's one-two punch; the second of which was even more devastating.

Rich Cheer described it thusly in the club's commemorative book: "It was at the 12:08 mark of the first period. (Petr) Sykora was 15 feet inside the blue line when Hatcher came across, left his feet and hit the Devils right winger with an elbow to the head.

"Sykora went down immediately and remained on the ice before being removed on a stretcher. As he was being wheeled off Patrik Elias leaned over and said a few words. Sykora was taken to a local hospital to be examined."

The scoreless tie finally was broken at 5:18 of the second period. With defenseman Brian Rafalski in the penalty box, the Devils orchestrated a 3-on-1 rush, finished off with defenseman Scott Niedermayer being the lamplighter. But the Stars soon counterattacked and tied the count on Mike Keane's shot at 6:27.

Rich Chere: "It was all the Stars would get against Martin Brodeur,"

Of course, no one could forecast it at the time, but the game evolved into a classic, back and forth marathon with neither Brodeur nor Ed Belfour allowing any rubber to go by.

Although the Devils were the visiting team, they carried the offense for most of the regulation time. In the back of their minds was teammate Sykora; hospitalized but no one knew the extent of his injury.

Meanwhile, coach Robinson had to juggle his lineup. The "A Line" of Arnott, Sykora and Elias was minus a key component, but Robbie managed right through regulation and into the first overtime session.

"We wanted to win for Petr," said captain Scott Stevens. "There was no chance of him coming back for a seventh game, so we wanted to win this one."

But there were severe complications. Late in the first overtime Arnott was hit with a penalty. There was 1:17 left in the frame and Devils penalty-killers would have their hands full, taming Brett Hull, Mike Modano and the other power play specialists.

"Somehow the boys did the job first at the end of the first sudden death and then 43 seconds into the second overtime," said Robinson.

The marathon continued with absolutely no way to guess the finish. Then, it happened; just past the eight-minute mark Arnott and Elias invaded the enemy zone. Elias skated for a loose puck deep in the right corner.

Instinctively, Arnott glided from the left wing toward the net. Had there been such a thing as radar on a hockey stick the ensuing play could not have been more perfect.

Not knowing where Arnott might have been, Elias skimmed the Hail Mary of all Hall Mary passes. The puck could have had eyes since it landed in the best possible place on Arnott's stick.

"I had to roof it to beat Eddie Belfour," Arnott recalled. "That was the only way we were going to beat him."

The puck made its way into the open left side of the Dallas net.

"It was a dream come true," concluded Arnott. "We won The Cup, and we won it for our buddy Pete!"

3. The Stanley Cup Hat Trick

Game 7, Stanley Cup Final, June 9, 2003

William Shakespeare once wrote, "There is much virtue in if."

My Dad liked to say, "You can if 'til the cows come home."

Those of us who covered the 2001 Stanley Cup Final between the Devils and Colorado Avalanche left with an empty feeling after New Jersey was defeated in Game 7. Summing up it was a case of "Close but no cigar" and I'll leave it at that.

Yes, the music stopped but the melody lingered on while Lou Lamoriello scripted what he hoped would be one more championship scenario. "We all knew it wouldn't be easy," said the Major Domo. "We had been to the Final round three times and came away with two

Cups. Our plus was that we still had a core that had been there before and knew the score."

The chief protagonists included captain Scott Stevens, defensemen Scott Niedermayer and Ken Daneyko as well as forward Sergei Brylin. They brought the experience of the 1995 and 2000 championships as well as the heartbreak of 2001.

There also was a different face behind the bench. Gone were the calm and collected Jacques Lemaire along with Larry Robinson. This time an ex-cop would be running the show and Pat Burns was every bit the policeman making the decisions, scolding the laggards and pumping energy up and down the line.

"Pat was a great coach," said forward Jamie Langenbrunner, "an old-school coach. He just wanted us to go out and play hard. We had a system in place, but it was a pretty loose one. Pat just wanted us to focus on the fundamentals and work hard. If you did that he would

reward you with ice time."

The rewards were evident all season. Players accepted Burns; gruff, no-nonsense orchestration and the point was evident in the final standings. New Jersey wound up being Atlantic Division champions with 108 points. League-leading - Presidents' Trophy titlists Ottawa finished just five points in front of the Garden Staters.

"There was a lot to like about our club," added Langenbrunner, especially the balance but most of all we had Marty Brodeur in goal. No other team could make that statement."

Devil domination began in the first playoff round, a four games to one triumph over the Boston Bruins followed by another 4-1 series decision against the Tampa Bay Lightning. "The new guys Lou added all were fitting in," said Captain Stevens. "We couldn't have won without them."

One was Jeff Friesen, a fleet forward who fascinated some reporters with his unique way of tying his skate laces. Another was miniscule forward Brian Gionta from Rochester, New York, who fearlessly battled the likes of 6-8 Zdeno Chara game in and game out.

"Any ideas that the third round would be another cakewalk were quickly dispelled by league-leading Ottawa. The series extended a full seven games culminating at the Senators distant rink in suburban Kanata, Ontario.

To this day, I rank the finale as one of the most gripping I've ever covered. The 2-2 tie extended past the 17-minute mark of the third period. That's when crafty Scott Gomez steamrolled along the left side while Friesen cut down the middle.

As Jeff skated past Ottawa defenseman Wade Redden, Gomez delivered the pass and Friesen did the rest. And that's all she wrote.

The Cup Final was no less-heart-throbbing; a seven-game affair that was settled on June 9, 2003 in East Rutherford. It was a contest that inspired Rich Chere to declare: "The Devils' place among the greatest teams in NHL history is now secure."

Let me assure you; it did not come easy; far from it. The Mighty Ducks were ornery, tenacious and fortified with a goalkeeper named Jean-Sebastien Giguere who was formidable, to say the least.

Prior to Game 7, the final decision was impossible to predict. "We never thought Anaheim would get this far," recalled long-time Devils-watcher George Falkowski. "When it came down to Game 7, we believed the final decision would be a toss-up."

Confounding the forecasters was an enormous gamble taken by coach Burns. For the first six games of the tourney, the skipper had benched defenseman Ken Daneyko, the lifetime Devil. Now, Burns declared, Dano would be in the lineup for the Finale.

The "pro" argument was that Ken was fresh, super-motivated and experienced. The "con" was that it would be putting too much pressure on the grizzled vet.

"I knew that the crowd was behind me," Kenny allowed, "and I was thrilled at the opportunity."

Nor did Dano criticize his mentor. "He just kept the pedal to the metal all year long and didn't let us get complacent. He came in from Day 1 and was a no-nonsense guy. He did some things that sometimes you don't understand. I didn't understand him putting me back in the lineup. But he stayed focused throughout and he kept us focused."

One of Burns' controversial moves was his decision to use big Mike Rupp on the attack. Never known for his finesse nor scoring largesse, Rupp nevertheless was the coach's choice, and it would be decisive in only Mike's fourth career playoff contest.

The game was melodramatically scoreless into the second period when the turning point arrived just past the two-minute mark. Decisively, Scott Niedermayer prevented the puck from leaving the Visitor's zone. He then fired the rubber goalward in the direction of

Rupp who was camped at the slot.

The big guy lifted his stick and the puck obediently ricocheted through Giguere's pads and into the twine. Amazingly, the red light represented Rupp's first career playoff score and only his second point. The joint was jumping to be sure, but the biscuit had beaten

Giguere at 2:22 leaving a ton of hockey to be played.

"We were counting on Marty to hold the fort," said Larry Gaines, the MSG Networks tech expert. "There were just too many minutes left for anyone to get cocky."

But who should relieve the tension but young Rupp again - and in remarkably similar fashion to Goal 1. Niedermayer took the shot and Rupp deflected it; only this time their goalie got a piece of the puck.

But just a piece. When Giguere failed to control the rebound, the appetizing puck awaited a stick. Camped at the right hash marks, Friesen outreached Ducks defenseman Kurt Sauer and nudged the tablet behind the desperate goalie.

Jeff's celebratory stick pierced the air - his ninth goal of the postseason - at 12:18: 2-0 New Jersey.

The teams left the ice after the second period with New Jersey ahead by two but nobody - and I do mean nobody - felt that the game was in the bag. "The Ducks have too many sharpshooters for anyone to get overconfident," said MSG producer Roland Dratch. "Now, it was up to Marty to keep the door closed."

Brodeur remained flawless as the overhead clock ticked away the third period minutes. The capacity crowd wanted one more "security blanket red light" and it finally was illuminated at 16:16 of the closer by none other than "That Man," Friesen - his 10^th of the playoffs.

As for Jeff, he allowed that his emotions broke loose as the final minute was elapsing. "I was about to live the dream I had since I was a kid," Friesen grinned. "I was about to sip champagne from my first Stanley Cup."

For the indomitable Brodeur, this third Cup lifted him up to a new plateau. His blank job in Game 7 tied him with Hall of Famers Johnny Bower of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Lorne (Gump) Worsley of the Rangers, Canadiens and North Stars, among the precious three goalies to shut out the opposition in a Game 7 of the Cup Final.

The only downer - and make no mistake, it was a downer - was the fact that losing goalie Gigeure was voted the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs MVP. "I don't really care," laughed Brodeur, "I have The Stanley Cup."

And that's why 19,050 fans could not stop rocking Continental Airlines Arena, nor smiling their way home. Their New Jersey Devils had scored a rare Stanley Cup hat trick!

4. First Playoff Clinching

April 3, 1988; Devils 4, Chicago 3 OT

Johnny MacLean's overtime goal put the hot Devils ahead of the Rangers. Rookie Sean Burke's goaltending and Jim Schoenfeld's coaching made the difference.

5. Infuriating the Flyers

June 11. 1995; Devils 3, Flyers 2

The road to the Cup Final was paved by Claude Lemieux's Hail Mary shot from the far right boards that beat Ron Hextall.

6. Down Went Lindros

May 26, 2000; Devils 2, Flyers 1

Scott Stevens torpedoed Eric Lindros with an open-ice hit heard round the world. Patrik Elias scored both New Jersey goals including a spectacular late third period game-winner.

7. Henrique Turns Hero

May 25, 2012; Devils 3, Rangers 2 OT

It only took a minute and four seconds of overtime to send New Jersey to the Stanley Cup Final. Before Adam Henrique saved the night, his Devils had to rebound from blowing a two-goal lead.

8. Outing the Islanders

April 14, 1988; Devils 6, Islanders 5

This was the Garden Staters first playoff series in which a 6-1 third period lead almost was blown. With the Devils leading 6-5, goalie Sean Burke had to stop a last second Pat LaFontaine breakaway to preserve the win.

9. Marty Blankets the Leafs

May 8, 2000; Devils 3, Maple Leafs 0

The Devils defense outdid itself in Game 6 of the 2000 Eastern Conference semifinal. The Leafs were limited to only six shots on goal - three in the opening period, two in the middle and only one in the third!

10. An Overtime Classic

Jan. 12, 2010; Devils 1, Rangers 0 OT

It was zero-zero after three periods and extended to a heart-throbbing shootout. Patrik Elias was clutch all night and got the winner. Marty Brodeur sparkled in his last outstanding season.

11. Devils' First-Ever Victory

Oct. 8, 1982; Devils 3, Rangers 2

Following an opening night 3-3 tie with Pittsburgh on Oct. 5, 1982, the Devils followed up with a 3-2 triumph over the Rangers. Merlin Malinowski scored the winner, tucking it in the backdoor past goalie John Davidson. It was the birth of one of hockey's outstanding rivalries.

12. A Shrieking Radio-Called Comeback

Nov. 2, 1985; Devils 6, Rangers 5

Devils famed radio play-by-play man Larry Hirsch almost popped his vocal chords at the end 40 years ago. New Jersey trailed the Rangers 4-0 early in the third period at home after which the Devils scored five of the next six goals to tie the game with just over a minute to play. Mel Bridgman won it 50 seconds into overtime!