The New Jersey Devils could perhaps be the NHL team with the most contrasts. They started as the Kansas City Scouts in the NHL's 1974 expansion, then moved to Denver Colorado as the Colorado Rockies, and finally to New Jersey as the Devils. They have gone from what Wayne Gretzky once called a "Mickey Mouse operation" to a two time Stanley Cup Champion. Overall, if you look at their record you will find, except for the odd year that New Jersey has steadily improved their performance and standings and have risen to a top contender.

The Devils began as the Kansas City Scouts when they were admitted with Washington in the 1974 expansion. Former Red Wing star Sid Abel was named as the first general manager and former NHLer Bep Guidolin was the Scouts first coach. The Scouts and Capitals were certainly not overloaded with talent, and except for Abel himself, the only names of note were a rookie by the name of Wilf Paiement and Simon Nolet who had played for the Philadelphia Flyers.

In their first year the Scouts won only 15 games in an 80 game season, not the worst ever in the league, but certainly close. The Scouts played out of the Kemper Arena for their short time in Kansas, and other than finishing 20 points above Washington in their rookie season, there was little else to celebrate.

Their second year was worse. They won only 12 games and attendance had sunk to rock bottom. After the season was over, the NHL granted approval to move the team to Denver, Colorado where they were renamed the Rockies. The team changed location and their name, but they could not change their losing ways. Although in their first season in Colorado saw them win 20 games, they were still finished 5th in the Smythe Division.

Johnny Wilson coached the Rockies for their first 2 and a half seasons and then a colourful man by the name of Don Cherry finished off the third season as coach. Don indicated that some of the teams problems came from his goaltending. His 3 goal tenders were Hardy Astrom, Bill McKenzie and Bill Oleschuk. After practice one day Cherry was heard to have said, "either we have the best shooters in the NHL, or the worst goaltenders." Unfortunately for Cherry it wasn't the former. Cherry was replaced by Billy MacMillan for the 1980-81 season.

Arthur Imperatore, a New Jersey trucking executive and owner of the team was threatening to move the team to New Jersey, but the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers had veto power and refused to let the Rockies move. Imperatore sold the club to a Buffalo area group of businessmen. The team was later sold again in 1982 to Dr. John A. McMullen who was at the time a part owner in the New York Yankees and later owned MLB's Houston Astros.

On May 27, 1982 the Rockies were given the approval to move to the Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey, just across the river from Manhatten. However, the new ownership had to reimburse the Flyers, Rangers and Islanders as part of the agreement, but McMullen was confident that the Devils would garner the local support they needed to survive. McMullen named Max McNab vice president in charge of hockey operations and Billy MacMillan and the general manager and coach.

The Devils' first training camp attracted players such as Aaron Broten, Joel Quenneville, Joe Cirella and former Islander goal tender Chico Resch. On September 17, 1982 the Devils beat the Washington Capitals 3-1 in their first game. Four days later the New York Rangers were in town and although the Rangers won that contest, owner John McMullen had laid down the challenge and so began the rivalry between the two teams that would carry on for years to come. The Devils finished off their first season with only 17 wins.

Their second season was no better, racking up another 17 wins. Perhaps the lowest point came in Edmonton on November 19, 1983 when Ron Lowe (future Edmonton coach) was in net for the Devils and the Oilers riddled him with 8 goals in two periods. In the third period, Resch took over the goal tending duties and the Oilers took him apart with another 5 goals. The final score was 13-4, the largest score ever against the franchise. But that wasn't the end of it. In a post game interview Wayne Gretzky had said that the organization was "Mickey Mouse." Naturally the media was all over that comment and apart from the score in the sports section, the headlines the next day in the New Jersey area papers referred to Gretzky's comment. Gretzky later apologized for the comment, but later that year, MacMillan was dismissed and Max McNab was the new general manager and head coach. Tom McVie was named as the new coach.

Despite all of the changes and draft picks, the Devils were unable to improve their results dramatically. On April 24, 1987 president Bob Butera resigned and Lou Lamoriello was named as the new president. Lamoriello had been the architect of the Providence's College hockey success for 15 years and had earned the respect of his peers in both hockey and business.

After careful review, one of Lamoriello's first tasks was to replace then coach, Doug Carpenter with Jim Schoenfeld. The Devils also drafted Sean Burke in net during the 1985 draft and ended up with New Jersey after the Calgary Olympics in 1988. In his first game for the Devils, Burke held on as his team won 7-6 over the Boston Bruins. Rarely is a turning point known at the time, but that victory was the point at which the Devils began to rise up from the bottom of the heap. In one of the last games of the 1987-88 seasons in Chicago, the Devils could eliminate the New York Rangers from post season play by defeating the Chicago Black Hawks, and at the same time, could put themselves into their first post season. At 2:21 of overtime, John MacLean beat Chicago goalie Darren Pang and the Devils went to the post season for the first time.

The Devils were up against the first place New York Islanders. The Devils upset the Islanders and then went on to defeat the Washington Capitals, with MacLean once again netting the winner. The Devils then faced Boston. In game 3, Schoenfeld was involved in a verbal altercation at the end of the game with referee Don Koharski. Schoenfeld was suspended but argued that he was not allowed the right of appeal. Bergen County Superior Court Judge James F Madden issued a temporary restraining order which allowed Schoenfeld to coach. The officials refused to work the game and the NHL hired 3 other officials for the game. Jerseys were found for them and the game went on with the Devils winning 3-1. The Devils eventually lost the series but had proven that they were no longer an easy 2 points.

From 1988 to 1992 the Devils went through several coaches, John Cunniff, Tom McVie and Herb Brooks, but they could never seem to get past the first round of the playoffs. On June 28, 1993 former Stanley Cup Champions Jacques Lemaire and Larry Robinson were hired as coach and assistant coach respectively, and with them came a new era to the New Jersey Devils.

In their first season coaching, the duo took the Devils to their best performance ever, winning 47 games, and finishing second in the Atlantic Division. They then defeated Boston and Buffalo in the opening rounds, but were later eliminated by the Rangers in double overtime in the 7th game.

n the strike shortened 1994-95 season the Devils finished 2nd in the Atlantic Division. The Devils, like an army marched over the Bruins, the Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. In the finals they then faced the Detroit Red Wings and before a sell out at the Meadowlands, the Devils won their first Stanley Cup. It was apparent that the New Jersey Devils had now shed the ghosts of the Kansas City Scouts and Colorado Rockies. They had come full circle from a "Mickey Mouse" organization to a force to be reckoned with. With its new found success, attendance rose and success began to breed success.

The following year there were some struggles with where the team would locate due to some arena problems, but Commissioner Gary Bettman was able to help the parties come together and keep the Devils in New Jersey. Depsite finishing 6th in 1995-96 and not making the playoffs, the Devils have in a sense not looked back. Seasoned veterans like Ken Daneyko, Scott Stevens and Jason Arnott have anchored the team, and young guns like Patrik Elias and Scott Gomez are the future.

Form 1996-1999 the Devils finished either first or second in the Atlantic Division. The 1999-2000 season saw the Devils once again reach the Stanley Cup finals eliminating Florida first, then Toronto, and the Philadelphia. In the Philadelphia big Eric Lindros who had been sidelined with concussion problems for several weeks was coming back into the lineup. It was obvious from Eric's play that he had forgotten one of the cardinal rules of hockey, keep your head up. In a classic move, Eric was caught with his head down crossing the blue line Scott Stevens put his shoulder into Lindros and that was all Lindros remembers for a couple of hours. The Devils went on to face Dallas in the final and defeated them, winning their second Stanley Cup.