1995 Stanley Cup Championship

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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. The Red Wings were the Presidents' Trophy winner and the overall #1 seed. In the first round, they handled the eighth-seeded Dallas Stars in five games. In the second round, the Red Wings swept the seventh-seeded San Jose Sharks. In the West Final, the Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in five games to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1966.

In Their Own Story

The series opened on June 17 at Joe Louis Arena. After a scoreless first period, Stephane Richer blasted a power-play goal for a 1-0 Devils lead. Detroit tied it on a power-play goal by Dino Ciccarelli, but Claude Lemieux scored in the third period to give New Jersey a 2-1 win. In game two, Detroit took a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal by Vyacheslav Kozlov. John MacLean tied it, then Sergei Fedorov gave Detroit a 2-1 lead. Scott Niedermayer tied the game, and Jim Dowd scored the go-ahead goal. Stephane Richer added an empty-net goal as New Jersey won 4-2. In game three, the Devils scored five consecutive goals from Bruce Driver, Claude Lemieux, Neal Broten, Randy McKay and Bobby Holik to take a 5-0 lead. Detroit scored twice on power-play goals by Sergei Fedorov and Steve Yzerman, but the Devils won 5-2. In game four, Neal Broten scored 68 seconds in, but Sergei Fedorov tied it 55 seconds later. Paul Coffey scored shorthanded to give Detroit a 2-1 lead. Shawn Chambers tied it, then Broten scored his second of the game to give the Devils a 3-2 lead. Sergei Brylin and Chambers added goals in the third period for a 5-2 win. The Devils swept the series four games to none. Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur allowed just seven goals in the series. Devils forward Claude Lemieux was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, having led all skaters in playoff goals with 13.

Reader's Guide

This was the first of nine consecutive Final series to feature only American-based franchises. This also marked the first of four consecutive sweeps in the Final series. This was 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. Despite the fact that the regular season was cut short by the owners' lockout, this was the latest date that the Stanley Cup was awarded. 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. This was the first Cup Final since 1980 to be played entirely within one time zone.

Did You Know?

• The Devils became the sixth team to earn a championship after joining the league in 1967 or later.
• This was the first of nine consecutive Final series to feature only American-based franchises.
• 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 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.
• This was the first Cup Final since 1980 to be played entirely within one time zone.