Unbelievable, just now we found out that an all time New Jersey Devils player has officially submited his resignation letter due to some….

New Jersey Devils hockey has been played for forty years this year. With this franchise there have been heartbreaking lows and amazing highs. Among the many franchise marks the Devils broke this season were victories (52) and points (112). This high seems so much nicer after the recent lows. It got us thinking of the best goalie of all time, three Stanley Cups, five Stanley Cup Final appearances, and eleven Hall of Famers. Devils fans are fortunate overall.

Official league entry for the Devils was in 1982. Colorado native Dr. John McMullen introduced the franchise to the Garden State. For a team that began in Kansas City eight years before to moving to the Northeast, it is their third stop. The league had 21 clubs at the time, and expansion was still some ten years off.

There has been discussion about moving ever since, including a rather embarrassing interview with Gary Bettman during the Stanley Cup Final. There have been amazing highs (Henrique, it’s over might be tops among them) and incredible lows (we’d need some time for this one, but the day Zach Parise left has to be at least near to the top).

Love of this team and this sport is one thing that binds Devils supporters together. Considered the third team in the New York Metropolitan Area are the Devils. That increases the fervor with which supporters root for them. Brendan Byrne Arena was where it all began. In due course, it changed into the Continental Airlines Arena, a championship arena located in East Rutherford. The Prudential Center hosts the games these days.

It all peaks with the players. Their jerseys are worn by us. We bay their name. Some of us purchase season tickets merely to spend a little time with them, while others of us wait for hours to catch a glimpse of them. Players whose jerseys you once owned will still be seen around the arena. Let us now honor them and rank them according to how they have affected this franchise. To be very clear, our rating of the players is solely determined by their contributions to the Devils. Every active player will be evaluated according to their contributions up to this point, as though they had retired today.