Jim Devellano

Lore & Background

Devellano grew up in the Toronto area, dropping out of high school in 1959 after failing grade 9 algebra. He worked in the garment district for 80 cents an hour, later becoming a claims adjuster for the Canadian government. He began his NHL career with the St. Louis Blues as an amateur scout on spec, meeting Scotty Bowman there. In 1972 he was hired by the expansion New York Islanders as an Eastern Canada scout, later becoming director of scouting and assistant general manager, earning three Stanley Cup rings. He was hired as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings by Mike Ilitch in 1982, serving as GM from 1982–1990 and again from 1994–1997. He drafted Sergei Fedorov, Vladimir Konstantinov, and Vyacheslav Kozlov while they were still in Russia and helped them defect to the United States. He later acquired Slava Fetisov in a trade and Igor Larionov via trade, forming the Russian Five that helped the Red Wings win consecutive Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998.

Reader's Guide

Devellano's significance lies in his executive work with the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings, where he helped build championship teams. With the Islanders, he scouted Denis Potvin and nominated Al Arbour as head coach, contributing to three Stanley Cup wins. With the Red Wings, he drafted future Hall of Famers Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom, and orchestrated the assembly of the Russian Five—a group of five Russian players who revolutionized the team's style and led to four Stanley Cups (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008). He also served as senior vice president of the Detroit Tigers, who won American League championships in 2006 and 2012. Devellano was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010 and received the Lester Patrick Award in 2009. His autobiography, co-authored with Roger Lajoie, is titled 'The Road to Hockeytown: Jimmy Devellano's Forty Years in the NHL.'

Did You Know?

• Devellano dropped out of high school after failing grade 9 algebra and worked in the Toronto garment district for 80 cents an hour.
• He invested his $25,000 playoff bonus from the Islanders' 1982 Stanley Cup win into Maple Leaf Gardens Limited.
• Devellano was fined $250,000 by the NHL in 2012 for making public comments about the lockout during negotiations.
• He called Islanders forward Mike Bossy 'the best pure goal scorer' he had ever seen.