Devils–Rangers rivalry - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

New Jersey Devils – New York Rangers
History
1st Meeting	October 5, 1982
Last Meeting	April 9, 2011
Next Meeting
Number of Meetings	209
Regular Season Series	98–84–27 (.532) New York
Largest Margin of Victory	9–1 New Jersey (March 19, 2000)
Post Season History
Post Season Meetings	4-1 (Rangers)
1992 PDSF 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs The 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League began on April 18, after the conclusion of the 1991–92 NHL season...	Rangers won, 4-3
1994 ECF 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs The 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League , began after the conclusion of the 1993–94 NHL season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-7 series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the...	Rangers won, 4-3
1997 ECSF 1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs The 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League , began in April, 1997, following the 1996–97 NHL season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-seven series for conference quarter-finals, semi-finals and championships, and then...	Rangers won, 4-1
2006 ECQF 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs The 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs for the National Hockey League championship began on April 21, 2006, following the 2005–06 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, seeded one through eight from each conference, played best-of-seven series with re-seeding after the conference quarterfinals...	Devils won, 4-0
2008 ECQF 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs The 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 9, 2008, after the 2007–08 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-7 series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the conference champions...	Rangers won, 4-1

The New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

- New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

Rivalry (also known as the Hudson River rivalry), exist between two National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

teams in the New York metropolitan area. The two teams are called "cross-river rivals." This is because Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...

in Midtown Manhattan

Midtown Manhattan

Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...

, where the Rangers play, is less than ten miles and across the Hudson River from the Prudential Center in downtown Newark

Newark, New Jersey

Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

(and previously, the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford

East Rutherford, New Jersey

East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....

), the home ice of the Devils. Travel between both arenas is easily accomplished by both road (usually through the Lincoln Tunnel

Lincoln Tunnel

The Lincoln Tunnel is a long tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting Weehawken, New Jersey and the borough of Manhattan in New York City.-History:...

) and rail (along the Northeast Corridor

Northeast Corridor

The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...

and PATH).

Early history

The rivalry began when the Devils moved from Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

to the New York metropolitan area

New York metropolitan area

The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...

, in spite of the territorial fees paid to the Rangers, New York Islanders

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

, and Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

. For over 25 years, fans of both the Rangers and Devils have seen the best out of both their clubs whenever they meet. Despite the Devils' overall playoff superiority since the 1990s, the first three playoff series between these teams were all Rangers victories. Their first meeting occurred in the spring of 1992

1992 Stanley Cup playoffs

The 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League began on April 18, after the conclusion of the 1991–92 NHL season...

, when the Presidents' Trophy

Presidents' Trophy

The Presidents' Trophy is an award presented by the National Hockey League to the team that finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season. If two teams tie for the most points, then the trophy goes to the team with the most wins. The winning team is also awarded C$350,000...

-winning Rangers survived a seven-game Patrick Division Semifinal series with the Devils.

1994 Eastern Conference Finals

The rivalry's most famous moments, however, are centered around the teams' second encounter: the Rangers' championship season of during the Eastern Conference Finals

1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League , began after the conclusion of the 1993–94 NHL season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-7 series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the...

. Although both teams were the top point-getters in the NHL in 1994 (the Presidents' Trophy-winning Rangers netting 112 and the Devils notching 106), the story entering the series was the Rangers' 6-0 record against New Jersey that regular season. In the final weeks of the regular season, the Devils were chasing the Rangers for the best record in the NHL. In response, the New York news media pushed Rangers Coach Mike Keenan

Mike Keenan

Michael Edward Keenan is a former head coach in the National Hockey League , most recently with the Calgary Flames, and former General Manager of the Florida Panthers. He is currently working as an analyst for the New York Rangers on MSG Network.Keenan was a player for the St...

to get the Rangers to win the Presidents' Trophy. He replied: "I want to play Game 7 of the Stanley Cup in Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

."

However, all ideas of a quick New York series were soon ended after Game 1, a 4-3 double overtime victory that was sealed by the Devils' Stephane Richer

Stephane Richer

Stéphane Jean-Jacques Richer is a retired professional ice hockey left winger.-Playing career:Richer was drafted 29th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. He played in 1,054 career NHL games, scoring 421 goals and 398 assists for 819 points. Richer won the Calder Cup in...

. The Rangers routed the Devils 4-0 in Game 2, and used a double overtime goal by Stephane Matteau

Stephane Matteau

Stéphane Matteau is a former National Hockey League player.As a member of the New York Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup Championship team, Matteau is most remembered for scoring two overtime goals in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New Jersey Devils...

to take a 2-1 lead after Game 3. After dropping Games 4 and 5, the Rangers faced elimination going to New Jersey for Game 6. Prior to the game, Rangers captain Mark Messier

Mark Messier

Mark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...

guaranteed a victory in Game 6 at the Meadowlands; with the Rangers down 2-0 to the Devils, Messier scored a hat trick to tie the series at 3-3 and send it back to New York for Game 7. In Game 7, the Devils' Valeri Zelepukin

Valeri Zelepukin

Valeri Mikhailovich Zelepukin is a retired Russian ice hockey player who has played in the National Hockey League for the New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks between 1991 and 2001. He is 6'1"", weighs 200 lbs and shoots left-handed...

tied the game with 7.7 seconds left in regulation, but thanks to another Matteau

Stephane Matteau

goal in double overtime the Rangers won the series and went on to win the Stanley Cup

1994 Stanley Cup Finals

The 1994 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series contested between the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers and Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League...

over the Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...

, also in seven games. Interestingly, the first six games were won by the team that lost that respective game in 1992. That trend was reversed when the Rangers won Game 7 in '94. The Devils recovered from that crushing defeat in 1994 and won the Stanley Cup the following year

1995 Stanley Cup Finals

The 1995 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the New Jersey Devils and the Detroit Red Wings. This was the first of nine consecutive finals with American franchises exclusively. New Jersey was making the franchise's first-ever appearance in the Final, while Detroit returned...

, though they had to go through another of their own rival

Devils–Flyers rivalry

The rivalry between the New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League is a rivalry between two teams in the Atlantic Division...

s (also a great rival

Flyers–Rangers rivalry

The Philadelphia Flyers–New York Rangers rivalry is one of the most storied and well known rivalries in the National Hockey League...

of the Rangers) in that year's Eastern Conference Finals

1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The 1995 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League was played between May 6 and June 24, 1995. In the Final, the New Jersey Devils swept the favored Detroit Red Wings in four games to win their first championship. The Quebec Nordiques played their last ever playoff series...

, the Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

, making showdowns between the two teams during the season showdowns between the Stanley Cup champions of the previous two seasons.

1997 Playoffs

The third Devils-Rangers playoff series happened only three years later. The Rangers, led by Messier, eliminated the Devils in the 1997 Eastern Conference Semifinals

1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League , began in April, 1997, following the 1996–97 NHL season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-seven series for conference quarter-finals, semi-finals and championships, and then...

. New Jersey was limited to five goals in the five-game series, including two shutout

Shutout

In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....

losses.

1998 to 2006

From the start of 1998, however, the pendulum

Pendulum

A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced from its resting equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position...

began to swing the other way. New Jersey dominated New York during the regular season in the late 1990s and early 2000s. At one point, the Devils had an unbeaten streak against the Rangers throughout 23 regular season games going 15-0-8; starting on February 17, 1997, and ending March 31, 2001 — an undefeated streak spanning four years.

At the end of the , the Devils had won 11 games straight — the second such streak of the season — and capped off the run by winning the Atlantic Division

Atlantic Division (NHL)

The NHL's Atlantic Division was formed in 1993 as part of the Eastern Conference in a league realignment, the predecessor of which was the Patrick Division. It is the only division in the NHL where all of its current members have won the Stanley Cup at least twice, though only three teams have won...

in comeback fashion against the Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

, a division win made all the more exciting by the fact that the Devils had been 22 points out of the lead just 3 months prior, with many thinking the team wouldn't make the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Rangers had the division lead for most of the latter part of the season, but fell victim to a losing skid as the season came to a close. The Devils took the Division title away from the Rangers by ending the season with 1 more point than New York. As fate would have it, the white-hot Devils met the Rangers in their 4th playoff meeting in the 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The result was a four-game sweep by New Jersey over their cross-river rivals for the first time ever in franchise history.

Since 2006

Two years later, the teams would meet yet again in the playoffs for the 5th time, in the 2008 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. After long time Devil Scott Gomez

Scott Gomez

Scott Carlos Gomez is an American ice hockey center of both Mexican and Colombian descent, currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

signed with the Rangers before the 2007–08 season, he has been severely booed by Devils fans at the Prudential Center every time he touched the puck. Gomez scored 3 assists in Game 1 and 2 goals in Game 4 against his former team en route to a Rangers series win. In Game 3, Ranger Sean Avery

Sean Avery

Sean Christopher Avery is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He formerly played for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars and New York Rangers. Prior to the NHL, Avery played for the Owen Sound Platers and the...

used a tactic to screen opposing goaltender Martin Brodeur

Martin Brodeur

Martin Pierre Brodeur is a French-Canadian ice hockey goaltender who has played his entire National Hockey League career with the New Jersey Devils. In his 19-year tenure with the Devils, he has won three Stanley Cup championships and has been in the playoffs every year but two...

. While essentially ignoring the play on the ice when his team had a two-man advantage, Avery faced Brodeur and waved his hands and stick in front of him in an attempt to distract him and block his view. Although not illegal, many NHL commentators and players described Avery's actions as inappropriate. The following day, the NHL issued an interpretation of the league's unsportsmanlike conduct rule

Sean Avery

to cover actions such as the one employed by Avery. Following the Rangers victory in Game 5 of the series during the hand-shake line, Brodeur shook the hand of every Ranger except Avery. When asked what happened after the game, Avery said "I guess I like men."

During the season, there was a moment of peace in the rivalry with both captains, Rangers' Chris Drury

Chris Drury

Christopher Drury is an American retired professional ice hockey player. Drury is a Hobey Baker Award-winner with Boston University, a Calder Trophy winner with the Colorado Avalanche, a Stanley Cup champion with the Avalanche, a two-time Olympic silver medalist with the United States, and a...

and Devils' Jamie Langenbrunner

Jamie Langenbrunner

James Craig Langenbrunner is an American professional ice hockey player. He's an alternate captain of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League . He was the captain of the 2010 United States Olympic Team...

winning silver medals as members the U.S. men's ice hockey team

Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics

Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at Canada Hockey Place, home of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks, and at UBC Winter Sports Centre, home of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport's UBC Thunderbirds. Twelve teams competed in the men's event and eight teams competed in the...

during the Vancouver Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

. However, the rivalry was revived because both coaches, Rangers John Tortorella

John Tortorella

Jonathan "John" Tortorella is an American professional ice hockey coach and is now the head coach of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He is perhaps best known for his tenure as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning when he led the team to the 2004 Stanley Cup championship...

and Devils Jacques Lemaire

Jacques Lemaire

Jacques Gerard Lemaire is a former ice hockey forward for the Montreal Canadiens and a long-time coach, most notably with the New Jersey Devils and the Minnesota Wild.-Playing career:...

were on different team's benches. Tortorella was an assistant coach for the U.S. team, Lemaire with the Canadian team, which won the gold medal.

The Rangers won 4 of 6 meetings between the two teams in the season, and won the last meeting of the season to make the playoffs. Hours after the Rangers beat the Devils 5–2 in their last game of the season on April 9, the Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...

beat the Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...

6–2 to help the Rangers reach the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs

2011 Stanley Cup playoffs

The 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 13, 2011, after the conclusion of the 2010–11 NHL regular season. Game 1 of the Finals was held on June 1, while Game 7 was held on June 15...

. Both teams were in opposite directions during the season. The Rangers finished 44–33–5, while the Devils finished the season under .500 for the first time since the season, with a record of 38–39–5.

The Devils–Rangers series will debut at it's latest date since the Devils moved to New Jersey in 1986 during the 2011-12 season. For the previous six seasons the teams had meet at least once in October.

Reaction

Fans on both sides have agreed the rivalry has become even stronger as of late, due in large part to the fact that both teams have shown much more parity towards each other. Many hockey analysts within the media have referred to them as "mirror teams" given their many similarities. Since the NHL Lockout, the two teams have met a total of 43 times (as of March 25, 2010) including postseason games. The Devils have won 21 of these contests, the Rangers have won 24.

Many Rangers fans have been seen burning Devils memorabilia after Ranger victories over the Devils, and lighting their cigarette

Cigarette

A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...

s with it, while exiting Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

. Devils fans, meanwhile, enjoy making confetti

Confetti

Confetti is a multitude of pieces of paper, mylar or metallic material which is usually thrown at parades and celebrations, especially weddings . Confetti is made in a variety of colors, and commercially available confetti is available in imaginative shapes...

which reads "Rangers Suck" and handing them out during games at the Continental Airlines Arena and currently at the Prudential Center. The Jersey fans also have a cheer that is yelled and whistled at every game. In response to the "Let's Go Band"/"Potvin Sucks

Denis Potvin

Denis Charles Potvin is a former defenseman and team captain for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey League and cornerstone for the Islanders' four Stanley Cup championship teams in the early 1980s. His brother, Jean Potvin, was also an NHL defenseman and the brothers were teammates for...

" chant of Rangers fans against the Islanders, the Devils fans at the Prudential Center cheer "Rangers Suck." This chant, just like the Potvin chant being heard whether the Rangers are playing the Islanders or not, is heard at every Devils home game. The Rangers and Devils rivalry is popular among fans, due to the geographic proximity, which is seen as a battle between the neighboring states of New York and New Jersey. While Devils fans will occasionally attend games at Madison Square Garden in large numbers (especially during the final two games of the 2006 series sweep), Rangers fans have historically showed up at both the Meadowlands and now the Prudential Center in extremely large numbers. Fans of both teams have also shown considerable hostility towards each other's goalies. Rangers fans have often battered Devils goalie Martin Brodeur with chants of "Marty! Marty! Marty!" after goals scored on him during games between the two teams. Conversely, Devils fans will chant "Henrik! Henrik! Henrik!" at Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist after the Devils score on him.

Recently, there have been parting shots taken by players and media at each organization through written words. In Beyond the Crease, an autobiography written by Martin Brodeur, he writes; "I hate the Rangers, and Lou

Lou Lamoriello

Louis "Lou" Lamoriello is the CEO, president, and general manager of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League...

hates them to death." During their last playoff meet, actor/director Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith

Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...

was asked to have a blog commenting on the series, which could be read on the NHL's official website. After Game 3 he wrote; "No Devils fan can truly pinpoint why we hate our cross-river rivals as much as we do. Even so, Devils fans live to hate the Rangers. Sometimes, it feels like a large cross-section of those folks in the stands at the Rock (and formerly at the Meadowlands) aren't there so much to love on the Devils as they are to hate on New York. Even when the boys in blue aren't anywhere near the building, we're still seething about their very existence. You'd think we'd hold a special place in our hearts for the Rangers, as they gave us our first ever win back in 1982. Granted, they don't roll over for us as much as Philly does (except, y'know - in that last game this season), but the Rangers've been hoisted up high on the Devils' pitchfork enough times (the '06 four-zip playoffs come to mind) to warrant at least a degree of affection right?"

In popular culture

This rivalry was satirized in pop-culture with the Seinfeld

Seinfeld

Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...

episode "The Face Painter

The Face Painter

"The Face Painter" is the 109th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 23rd episode for the 6th season. It aired on May 11, 1995. The table reading for "The Face Painter" was held on March 26,1995.-Plot:...

" in which David Puddy, a hard-core Devils fan, paints his face red at a playoff game against the Rangers in the Garden, to the embarrassment of Jerry

Jerry Seinfeld (character)

Jerome "Jerry" Seinfeld is the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld . The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, based on, and played by Seinfeld himself.The series revolves around...

, Kramer

Cosmo Kramer

Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...

, and Elaine

Elaine Benes

Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld; she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer...

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