New Jersey Devils are a professional hockey team that plays in the National Hockey League (NHL) . The team competes in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. The Devils play in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
New Jersey entered the NHL for the 1982-1983 season. However, the franchise originated as the Kansas City Scouts in 1974. The team played for two seasons in Kansas City and then was transferred to Denver in 1976 as the Colorado Rockies. The team moved to New Jersey for the 1982-1983 season.
The Devils were among the weakest teams in the NHL during their first five seasons in New Jersey. New Jersey did not make the playoffs until the 1987-1988 season, but it became one of the leading teams in the conference during the 1990’s and early 2000’s. The team won the Stanley Cup in 1995, 2000, and 2003 and made the playoffs in every year except one from 1990 to 2010. The Devils reached the Stanley Cup finals in 2012, losing to the Los Angeles Kings . Stars of the Devils have included goalie Martin Brodeur , left wingers Patrik Elias and Ilya Kovalchuk, right winger Claude Lemieux, center John Madden, and defensemen Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer.