Due to his wife, a significant New Jersey Devils player has formally announced his retirement.
Devils’ Next Number Retired Needs to Be John MacLean
On Friday, the New York Islanders hired John MacLean as an assistant coach. He has a long history with general manager Lou Lamoriello; in 1983, he was drafted by Lamoriello, who was GM of the New Jersey Devils. The man called “Johnny Mac” put up 701 points in 934 games in red and black.
Many Devils fans have called for MacLean’s number 15 to be raised to the rafters of Prudential Center, and after the recent announcement that the Los Angeles Kings will retire Dustin Brown’s number 23 and the San Jose Sharks will raise the number 12 of Patrick Marleau to the rafters, it begs the question: could MacLean be the next Devil to have a number his number retired?
MacLean’s Devils Career
MacLean was the Devils’ first draft pick of the New Jersey era. Before the club moved to East Rutherford in 1982, the Kansas City Scouts and Denver Rockies teams of the 1970s ranged from mediocre to downright awful. He debuted as a 19-year-old, putting up a single goal on 22 shots.
MacLean’s first few years in the NHL were a learning curve before a breakout 31-goal season in 1986-87. A year later, he scored an overtime goal against the Chicago Blackhawks that sent the New Jersey Devils to the playoffs for the first time. He scored 18 points in 20 playoff games and was the second highest scorer on the team as they made a Cinderella run to the Wales Conference Final. They fell to the Boston Bruins in seven games, but the Devils, led by MacLean, were now a threat.
Related: John MacLean: How He Became a Devils Legend
The next season was the best of MacLean’s career. Not only was it the first of three straight 30-goal seasons, but he put up 87 points in 74 games. He also made the All-Star team for the first time in his career and became a leader off the ice.
