1995 Stanley Cup Final
Devils swept heavily-favored Red Wings for first Cup.
The 1995 Stanley Cup Final decided the NHL champion for the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season. The Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils faced the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings. This marked the Devils' first trip to the Final, while the Red Wings hadn't been there since 1964. New Jersey, a heavy underdog, swept Detroit to claim the franchise's first Stanley Cup in its 21st season. The Devils became the sixth team to win the Cup after joining the league in 1967 or later. This Final kicked off a streak of nine straight championship series featuring only American teams, and it was the first of four consecutive sweeps in the Final.
That same year, both the NHL and NBA finals saw the top seed swept—a first for both leagues. New Jersey also became the first NHL team to win the Cup without home-ice advantage in any of the four playoff rounds since the 16-team format began in 1980. The Houston Rockets pulled off the same feat in the NBA that year. Because of the owners' lockout, the regular season was shortened, and the Stanley Cup was awarded on the latest date in history—a record later tied in 2013 and broken during the COVID-19-affected 2019–20 season. As a fifth seed, the Devils held the record for the lowest seed to win the Cup until the Los Angeles Kings surpassed it in 2012. Their regular-season winning percentage was the lowest for a Cup winner since the 1966–67 Toronto Maple Leafs. This was also the first Final since 1980 played entirely within one time zone.
**Paths to the Final**
The Devils entered the playoffs as the Eastern Conference's fifth seed. They beat the fourth-seeded Boston Bruins in five games in the first round, then took down the third-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins in five games in the second round. In the Eastern Conference Final, they upset their rival, the top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers, in six games to reach their first Stanley Cup Final.
The Red Wings won the Presidents' Trophy as the overall number-one seed. In the first round, they handled the eighth-seeded Dallas Stars in five games. In the second round, they swept the seventh-seeded San Jose Sharks, avenging a first-round upset from the previous year. That sent them to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 1988, where they beat their rival Chicago Blackhawks in five games to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1964.
- Series winner
- New Jersey Devils
- Series loser
- Detroit Red Wings
- Games played
- 4
- Conn smythe trophy winner
- Claude Lemieux
- First cup final since 1980 played entire
- True
- First of nine consecutive finals featuri
- True
Lore & Background
The Devils entered the playoffs as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first round, they defeated the fourth-seeded Boston Bruins in five games. In the second round, they defeated the third-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins, also in five games. In the East Final, the Devils upset their rival in the top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers in six games to reach their first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history. The Red Wings were the Presidents' Trophy winner and therefore the overall #1 seed in the playoffs. In the first round, the Red Wings handled the eighth-seeded Dallas Stars in five games. In the second round, the Red Wings got revenge on the seventh-seeded San Jose Sharks in a sweep after being upset by them in the first round of last year's playoffs, to return to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 1988. They then beat the Chicago Blackhawks in five games to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1964.
Reader's Guide
The 1995 Stanley Cup Final is significant as the first of nine consecutive Final series to feature only American-based franchises, and the first of four consecutive sweeps in the Final series. The Devils became the sixth team to earn a championship after joining the league in 1967 or later. This was also the first time in both the NHL and NBA history where both finals involved the first-seeded team being swept. The Devils became the first team in NHL history to win the title without having home ice advantage in any of the four playoff rounds since the playoffs was expanded to a 16-team format in 1980. The fifth seeded Devils held the record as the lowest seeded team to win the Stanley Cup until the Los Angeles Kings broke the record in 2012. Their regular season winning percentage was also the lowest for a Cup winner since the 1966–67 Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite the fact that the regular season was cut short by the owners' lockout, both the season and the Final were saved at the eleventh hour – this was the latest date that the Stanley Cup was awarded. This was the first Cup Final since 1980 to be played entirely within one time zone.
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