Editing New Jersey Devils (section)

====1993–2000: A Championship franchise====
Under Lemaire, the team played during the [[1993–94 NHL season|1993–94 regular season]] as members of the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division (with the NHL renaming its divisions to better reflect geography that season) with a lineup that included defensemen [[Scott Stevens]], [[Scott Niedermayer]] and [[Ken Daneyko]]; forwards [[Stéphane Richer (ice hockey forward)|Stephane Richer]], John MacLean, [[Bobby Holík|Bobby Holik]] and [[Claude Lemieux]]; and goaltenders [[Chris Terreri]] and [[Martin Brodeur]], the latter goaltender was honored as the NHL's top rookie with the [[Calder Memorial Trophy]].<ref name="oral"/><ref>{{cite web|title=1993–94 New Jersey Devils roster and statistics|publisher=The Internet Hockey Database|url=http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0000511994.html|access-date=January 27, 2015}}</ref> The Devils scored 330 times in the regular season and set a franchise record with 106 points, second behind the New York Rangers in the Atlantic Division. The Devils and Rangers met in a conference finals match-up, which went seven games. Going into Game 6 in New Jersey, the Devils led the series three games to two. Before the game, Rangers captain [[Mark Messier]] guaranteed that the Rangers would win Game 6. Messier led his team back, netting a [[Hat-trick#Variations|natural hat-trick]] to help the Rangers overcome an early 2–0 Devils lead and force a decisive contest. In Game 7, the Devils' [[Valeri Zelepukin]] tied the score at 1–1 with 7.7 seconds remaining, but the Devils were defeated in double overtime on a goal by [[Stephane Matteau]].<ref name="oral"/>

[[File:The N.J. Devils win the 1995 Stanley Cup.jpeg|thumb|The Devils celebrate moments after defeating the [[Detroit Red Wings]] in the [[1995 Stanley Cup Finals]]. The victory brought the club its first [[Stanley Cup]].|alt=Teammates mob Martin Brodeur moments after the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals]]
Despite the setback, the team returned to the conference finals during the [[1994–95 NHL lockout|lockout]]-shortened [[1994–95 NHL season|1994–95 season]] and defeated the Philadelphia Flyers four games to two.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pickens|first=Pat|title=1994–95 champion Devils: An oral history, Pt. 3|publisher=SportsNet|date=September 17, 2014|url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/1994-95-champion-devils-an-oral-history-pt-3/|access-date=January 29, 2015}}</ref> They swept the heavily favored [[Detroit Red Wings]] to win the team's first-ever Stanley Cup, as they brought the Cup across the Hudson River from New York, after the Rangers had won it the year before. The 1994–95 Devils team became the first to give the players a day with the Stanley Cup, a tradition that lives on with each Cup winner.<ref>{{cite web|title=Stanley Cup for a Day|url=http://www.realclearsports.com/lists/celebratory_traditions/stanley_cup_for_a_day.html?state=stop}}</ref> Claude Lemieux was awarded the [[Conn Smythe Trophy]] as playoffs MVP.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pickens|first=Pat|title=1994–95 champion Devils: An oral history, Pt. 5|publisher=SportsNet|date=September 19, 2014|url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/1994-95-champion-devils-an-oral-history-pt-5/|access-date=January 29, 2015}}</ref> The success came amid constant rumors that the team would move for the third time in its history to [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Pickens|first=Pat|title=1994–95 champion Devils: An oral history, Pt. 4|publisher=SportsNet|date=September 18, 2014|url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/1994-95-champion-devils-an-oral-history-pt-4/|access-date=January 29, 2015}}</ref>
Staring at the prospect of losing the team, the state agreed to fund a renovation of the Devils' arena.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sandomir|first=Richard|title=Hockey – Devils and New Jersey Call Truce and Strike Deal|work=The New York Times|date=July 14, 1995|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/14/sports/hockey-devils-and-new-jersey-call-truce-and-strike-deal.html|access-date=January 29, 2015}}</ref> Nashville eventually received an NHL franchise three years later, when the [[Nashville Predators]] joined the league as an expansion team.

The Devils missed the playoffs by two points the following season, with a 37–33–12 record and finishing twelfth overall in the league. While they finished with more points than all but three teams in the Western Conference, they were beaten by the [[Tampa Bay Lightning]] for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East after a 5–2 loss to the [[Ottawa Senators]] on the last day of the regular season.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rosen|first=Dan|title=1995–96: Continuing to Battle|publisher=New Jersey Devils|url=http://devils.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=41721|access-date=January 31, 2015}}</ref> It marked the first time in 26 years that a defending Cup champion failed to reach the playoffs.<ref>{{cite news|last=Canavan|first=Tom|title=Laying Devils' Egg: Defending Champions Miss Out on Playoffs: Ottawa 5, New Jersey 2|work=Los Angeles Daily News|agency=Associated Press|date=April 14, 1996|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/LAYING+DEVILS%27+EGG%3A+DEFENDING+CHAMPIONS+MISS+OUT+ON+PLAYOFFS+%3A+OTTAWA...-a083946272|access-date=January 31, 2015|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305075357/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/LAYING%20DEVILS%27%20EGG%3A%20DEFENDING%20CHAMPIONS%20MISS%20OUT%20ON%20PLAYOFFS%20%3A%20OTTAWA...-a083946272|url-status=dead}}</ref> For the remainder of the decade the Devils won the Atlantic Division and finished as the first overall team in the Eastern Conference all three seasons, but were unable to make a deep playoff run. Despite posting 104 points in the [[1996–97 NHL season|1996–97 season]] and 107 in [[1997–98 NHL season|1997–98]],<ref name="statistics"/> they were ousted by the Rangers 4–1 in the conference semifinals of the [[1997 Stanley Cup playoffs|1997 playoffs]] and in the conference quarterfinals by the Senators four games to two in [[1998 Stanley Cup playoffs|1998 playoffs]].<ref name="playoff">{{cite news|title=New Jersey Devils playoff history|work=Yahoo! Sports|date=April 28, 2009|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=newjerseypost|access-date=January 31, 2015|archive-date=October 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007152752/https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=newjerseypost|url-status=dead}}</ref> Lemaire resigned after that season and was replaced by assistant coach [[Robbie Ftorek]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Vacchiano|first=Ralph|title=Ftorek Takes Reins: Devs Tab Robbie as Jacques Successor|work=Daily News|location=New York|date=May 22, 1998|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/ftorek-takes-reins-devs-tab-robbie-jacques-successor-article-1.800942|access-date=January 31, 2015}}</ref> However, the [[1998–99 NHL season|next season]] ended as the previous one, with a conference quarterfinals' loss, this time to the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games.<ref name="playoff"/>

[[File:StanleyCupDevs1999-00Engraved.jpg|left|thumb|The [[1999–2000 New Jersey Devils season|1999–2000 Devils]] engraved on the Stanley Cup. The club won its second Stanley Cup that season.|alt=A section of the Stanley Cup engravings headlined "New Jersey Devils 1999–2000".]]
Late in the [[1999–2000 NHL season|1999–2000 season]], Lamoriello made the decision to fire Ftorek and replace him with assistant coach [[Larry Robinson]], which the ''[[New York Post]]'''s Mark Everson described as "pure panic" at the prospect of another early-round playoff elimination.<ref name="panicky">{{cite news|last=Everson|first=Mark|title=Panicky Devils Fire Ftorek; Robinson Steps Up as Coach|work=New York Post|date=March 24, 2000|url=https://nypost.com/2000/03/24/panicky-devils-fire-ftorek-robinson-steps-up-as-coach/|access-date=January 31, 2015}}</ref> The Devils were in position to reach the playoffs, but Lamoriello reacted to a stretch of 17 games in which the team went 5–10–2.<ref name="panicky"/> New Jersey followed the move by defeating the [[Florida Panthers]], the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] and the Philadelphia Flyers during the postseason to make the finals.<ref name="playoff"/> In the finals, the Devils reached the top again, defeating the defending champion [[Dallas Stars]] in six games to win the Stanley Cup for the second time.<ref name="back">{{cite web|last=Marin|first=Eric|title=Looking back at the 2000 Stanley Cup|publisher=New Jersey Devils|date=January 5, 2010|url=http://devils.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=512447|access-date=February 1, 2015}}</ref> Veterans such as Stevens, Holik, Niedermayer, Daneyko, and Brodeur were joined by new players acquired in the intervening five years, including [[Patrik Eliáš|Patrik Elias]], [[Petr Sýkora|Petr Sykora]], [[Jason Arnott]], [[Alexander Mogilny]] and Calder Trophy recipient [[Scott Gomez]].<ref>{{cite web|title=1999–00 New Jersey Devils Roster and Statistics|publisher=Hockey-Reference|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/NJD/2000.html|access-date=February 1, 2015}}</ref> The Devils' second championship run included a come-from-behind victory in the conference finals. They trailed the Flyers three games to one, but rebounded to win three-straight games and the series. This was the first time in conference finals history that a 3–1 series deficit was erased.<ref name="2000ConfFinal">{{cite web|url=http://articles.philly.com/2000-05-27/sports/25616118_1_flyers-coach-craig-ramsay-new-jersey-devils-captain-eric-lindros|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220104427/http://articles.philly.com/2000-05-27/sports/25616118_1_flyers-coach-craig-ramsay-new-jersey-devils-captain-eric-lindros|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 20, 2014| title = God Bless 'Em Anyway| access-date =November 30, 2006| work = [[Philadelphia Daily News]]| last=Bowen|first=Les| date=May 27, 2000}}</ref> This series featured a hit that captain Scott Stevens laid on Flyers center [[Eric Lindros]] in the seventh game, which effectively ended Lindros' career in Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Randy|title=Watch: Eric Lindros' Flyers career ended on headshot by Devils great Scott Stevens|work=The Star-Ledger|date=November 20, 2014|url=http://www.nj.com/flyers/index.ssf/2014/11/watch_eric_lindros_flyers_career_ended_on_headshot_by_devils_great_scott_stevens.html|access-date=February 1, 2015}}</ref> Stevens was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy,<ref name="ConnSmythe">{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/trophies/smythe.html |title=NHL Conn Smythe Trophy Winners |access-date=November 25, 2006 |publisher=National Hockey League |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106190353/http://www.nhl.com/trophies/smythe.html |archive-date=January 6, 2010}}</ref> as the Devils clinched the Stanley Cup on Arnott's goal in double-overtime of Game 6 in Dallas.<ref name="back"/>

In 2000, McMullen sold the team to Puck Holdings, an affiliate of [[Yankee Global Enterprises|YankeeNets]] (now Yankee Global Enterprises) for $176&nbsp;million. The owners wanted to program Devils games on what eventually became the [[YES Network]] and move the team to a new arena in [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]]. Neither of these proposals became reality under Puck Holdings' ownership.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2004/1129/124_3.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041114131633/http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2004/1129/124_3.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 14, 2004|title=Ice Capades|last=Ozanian|first=Michael K/|date=November 29, 2004|work=[[Forbes]]|access-date=February 1, 2015}}</ref> For the start of the next season, Lamoriello was appointed CEO of both the Devils and the [[New Jersey Nets]] of the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA). He remained at the helm of the basketball team until it was sold with the intention of moving it to [[Brooklyn]] in 2004, a move that did not come to pass at that time.<ref>{{cite news|author=Everson, Darren|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/lou-leave-nets-stay-top-devil-article-1.625114|title=Lou will leave Nets, stay on as top Devil|date=January 23, 2004|work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|access-date=February 1, 2015}}</ref>