Devils: Before They Were Champions Quiz

Answer: Steve Tambellini

The day was December 3, 1982, and opponent to the Hartford Whalers. In front of the home crowd, Tambellini put three pucks past goaltender Greg Millen for the first hat trick in Devils history, coming in their 29th regular season game as a team. The Devils won the game 5-4. Bobby MacMillan would go on to score the second and third hat tricks in team history, and neither Lever nor Marini would ever put three pucks in net in one game for the Devils.

Answer: Paul Gagne

This trio of young guns combined for 51 goals, 78 assists, and 129 points while spending a total of only 129 minutes in the penalty box, proving to be a scoring threat whenever they hit the ice.

Answer: Andy Moog

Not only was it the first penalty shot for the Devils and Trottier, but it was also the first penalty shot Moog ever faced. He would allow four penalty shots out of the six he faced in his career.

Answer: Alain Chevrier

Chevrier faced four penalty shots in his career with the Devils, and not once did he let the shooter score, not even the mighty Marcel Dionne of the Los Angeles Kings. "Chico" Resch faced three and let one go by; Terreri allowed three goals on five penalty shots faced; and Low only faced one, and he didn't save it.

Answer: Blues, North Stars, Blackhawks

While the Devils were able to defeat the Blues, North Stars and Blackhawks, they didn't have too much trouble with the other teams either. They were 2-1 against the Oilers, Canadiens, and Leafs, and only the Kings managed an even series against them, going 1-1-1.

Answer: Pat Verbeek

Pat Verbeek, in the 1987-88 season, found the net 46 times for the Devils, setting a team record that has stood the test of time. Hopefully someone, someday will break it, but with New Jersey's dedication to defense, that day may still be far away. John MacLean would have three consecutive 40+ season starting the very next year, but when a knee injury forced him to miss the 1991-92 season and his shot at four in a row, Claude Lemieux was able to net 41 of his own.

Answer: 1984-85

Although 12 of their games in the 1984-85 season were tied after 60 minutes, the Devils were not able to put up a win in the extra session. The game remained tied all but twice; the Minnesota North Stars and New York Rangers handed the Devils their two losses. (Remember, that before the 1983-84 season, there was no overtime.)

Answer: Chicago Blackhawks

The day is branded onto the hearts of Devils fans everywhere, and to this day, it is still cited as one of the greatest moments in New Jersey Devils history. With just over two minutes in the extra session elapsed, defenseman Joe Cirella fired a shot at Blackhawks netminder Darren Pang. Making the save but leaving the rebound, MacLean, rushing towards the net, found the puck on his stick and fired it home, ending the game but starting the celebration for the Devils and their fans.

Answer: New York Islanders

The Devils almost made the most of their first ever postseason appearance. They eliminated the New York Islanders in the Patrick Division Semifinals in game six, and then hung on to end the Washington Capitals' Stanley Cup dreams in game seven of the Patrick Division Finals.

But the Boston Bruins proved too formidable an opponent in the Wales Conference Finals, and on May 14, 1988, the Devils lost game seven, 2-6. The Bruins would then fall to the Edmonton Oilers in four games, as the Oilers became Stanley Cup Champions for the fourth time in five years.

Answer: 5

John MacLean, Bruce Driver, and Ken Daneyko were all with the Devils starting with the 1983-84 season. Chris Terreri would join them in 1986-87, and Tommy Albelin in 1988-89. For MacLean, Driver, and Daneyko, it was a decade's worth of suffering and hard work that had finally paid off.