1995 Stanley Cup Finals

1995 Stanley Cup Finals
1 2 3 4 Total New Jersey Devils 2 4 5 5 4 Detroit Red Wings 1 2 2 2 0
Location(s)	East Rutherford: Brendan Byrne Arena (3, 4) Detroit: Joe Louis Arena (1, 2)
Coaches	New Jersey: Jacques Lemaire Detroit: Scotty Bowman
Captains	New Jersey: Scott Stevens Detroit: Steve Yzerman
National anthems	New Jersey: Unknown Detroit: Karen Newman
Referees	Bill McCreary (1, 4) Terry Gregson (2) Kerry Fraser (3)
Dates	June 17–24, 1995
MVP	Claude Lemieux (Devils)
Series-winning goal	Neal Broten (7:56, second, G4)
Hall of Famers	Devils: Martin Brodeur (2018) Scott Niedermayer (2013) Scott Stevens (2007) Red Wings: Dino Ciccarelli (2010) Paul Coffey (2004) Sergei Fedorov (2015) Viacheslav Fetisov (2001) Mark Howe (2011) Nicklas Lidstrom (2015) Mike Vernon (2023) Steve Yzerman (2009) Coaches: Scotty Bowman (1991) Jacques Lemaire (1984, player)
Networks	Canada: (English): CBC (French): SRC United States: (English): Fox (1, 4), ESPN (2–3)
Announcers	(CBC) Bob Cole and Harry Neale (SRC) Claude Quenneville and Gilles Tremblay (Fox) Mike Emrick and John Davidson (ESPN) Gary Thorne and Bill Clement
Stanley Cup Finals

The 1995 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1994–95 season, and the culmination of the 1995 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils and the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings. It was the Devils franchise's first appearance in the Finals, while the Red Wings returned to the Finals for the first time since 1966. The Devils upset the heavily-favored Red Wings in a sweep to win their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history in their 21st season. 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 Finals to feature only American-based franchises. This also marked the first of four consecutive sweeps in the finals.

This was also the first time in both the NHL and NBA history where both finals involved the first-seeded team being swept. In addition, 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. Coincidentally, this feat would also be achieved in the NBA by the Houston Rockets that same year, when they won the NBA Championship over the Orlando Magic.

Despite the fact that the regular season was cut short by the owners' lockout, both the season and the Finals were saved at the eleventh hour – this was the latest date that the Stanley Cup was awarded. This record was later matched in 2013 and then broken by the COVID-19 pandemic affected 2019–20 NHL season. 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 Finals since 1980 to be played entirely within one time zone.

Paths to the Finals

Further information: 1995 Stanley Cup playoffs, 1994–95 Detroit Red Wings season, and 1994–95 New Jersey Devils season

New Jersey Devils

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 Finals in franchise history.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings were the Presidents' Trophy winner and therefore was 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. In the West Final, the Red Wings faced their fellow rival in the Chicago Blackhawks and defeated them in five games to return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1966.

Game summaries

Game 1

June 17

New Jersey Devils

2–1

Detroit Red Wings

Joe Louis Arena

Game reference
	Martin Brodeur 16 saves / 18 shots	Goalies	Mike Vernon 19 saves / 23 shots	Referee: McCreary

The series opened on Saturday, June 17 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Few gave New Jersey much of a chance against the NHL's best team. Going into the game, Detroit was a perfect 8–0 at home in the playoffs, and had outscored their opponents 30–11 in their eight home games. In the first three rounds alone the Red Wings had scored 18 power-play goals. Detroit fans, first greeting their opponents with a chorus of boos, then chanted after every Devils name was read during introductions, "Who cares?"

After a scoreless first period, the underdog Devils got on the board first, when Stephane Richer blasted a slap shot from the top of the right circle that just squeezed through Detroit goaltender Mike Vernon. The power-play goal came at 9:41 of the second period and gave New Jersey a 1–0 lead. The Red Wings responded less than four minutes later and tied the game on a power-play goal by Dino Ciccarelli at 13:08. The Devils would regain the lead on a goal by Claude Lemieux, a slapper from the slot at 3:17 of the third period. New Jersey would go on to win the game 2–1 and take a one-game-to-none series lead. They played a solid defensive game, frustrating the Red Wings and holding them to just 17 shots. The win was their ninth road win of the playoffs.

Game 2

June 20

New Jersey Devils

4–2

Detroit Red Wings

Joe Louis Arena

Game reference
	Martin Brodeur 16 saves / 18 shots	Goalies	Mike Vernon 19 saves / 23 shots	Referee: Gregson

In game two, Detroit played with a sense of urgency. Vyacheslav Kozlov scored on the power play at 7:17 of the second period to make the score 1–0 in favor of the Red Wings. Devils forward John MacLean would tie the game at 1–1 less than two and a half minutes later with a goal at 9:40. Then, on a Detroit breakaway, New Jersey defenceman and captain Scott Stevens laid a thundering body check on Kozlov as he made a move to the inside past the New Jersey blue line. Although the Red Wings regained the lead on Sergei Fedorov's goal at 1:36 of the third period, the Stevens hit seemed to inspire the Devils. With the midway point of the third period approaching, New Jersey defenceman Scott Niedermayer picked up the puck in his own zone and skated up the ice. Once over the Detroit blue line, he got a step on Detroit defenceman Paul Coffey and fired a shot towards the Detroit net. Although the puck missed the net, it bounced off the end boards and came right back to Niedermayer, who shot it past Mike Vernon to tie the game at 2–2. The game remained tied until late in the third period. Devils defenceman Shawn Chambers fired a shot from the point and the rebound came right to Jim Dowd who backhanded the puck into the net to give the Devils a 3–2 lead. Stéphane Richer would add an empty-net goal as New Jersey won, 4–2.

Game 3

June 22

Detroit Red Wings

2–5

New Jersey Devils

Brendan Byrne Arena

Game reference
	Mike Vernon Chris Osgood 26 saves / 31 shots	Goalies	Martin Brodeur 22 saves / 24 shots	Referee: Fraser

Game three, the first NHL game ever played after the official summer solstice, shifted the series back to the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. During game one, the Detroit crowd taunted the Devils by collectively jeering "Who cares?" after each player was introduced. The Devils fans countered by raining boos down on the visiting Red Wings and delivering chants of "Red Wings suck." The Devils did their talking on the ice, dominating the Red Wings, scoring five consecutive goals. Bruce Driver, Claude Lemieux, Neal Broten, Randy McKay and Bobby Holik all scored to give the Devils a 5–0 lead with 11:46 remaining in the game. Detroit scored twice on power-play goals by Sergei Fedorov and Steve Yzerman at 16:57 and 18:27 of the third period, but it was insufficient to keep New Jersey from winning a 5–2 game. They now had a commanding three-games-to-none lead in the series.

Game 4

June 24

Detroit Red Wings

2–5

New Jersey Devils

Brendan Byrne Arena

Game reference
	Mike Vernon 21 saves / 26 shots	Goalies	Martin Brodeur 14 saves / 16 shots	Referee: McCreary

The Devils jumped out to a 1–0 lead on Neal Broten's goal just 68 seconds into the game. However, the Red Wings were fighting to stay alive and tied the game on Sergei Fedorov's goal just 55 seconds later. Coffey scored a shorthanded goal at 13:01 to give Detroit a 2–1 lead. New Jersey responded less than five minutes later, at 17:45 on a slap-shot goal by Shawn Chambers that beat Mike Vernon glove-side. Then, in the second period, Scott Niedermayer passed to Broten, who chipped the puck over Vernon's glove from just in front of the net. The goal, Broten's second of the game, gave the Devils a 3–2 lead. New Jersey would increase its lead with goals by Sergei Brylin and Chambers (his second of the game) at 7:46 and 12:32 of the third period. The Devils won the game 5–2 and the series four games to none. It was New Jersey's first Stanley Cup Championship in team history. Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur allowed just seven goals against the Red Wings in the series and Devils forward Claude Lemieux was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, having led all skaters in playoff goals with 13. He would win the Stanley Cup again the very next season with the Colorado Avalanche.

Broadcasting

This was the first year that coverage of the Cup Finals in the United States was split between Fox and ESPN. Fox broadcast games one and four with Mike Emrick and John Davidson, while ESPN broadcast games two and three with Gary Thorne and Bill Clement. This was also the first Cup Finals in which the U.S. national networks had exclusive rights, and no longer could any of the regional rights holders of the participating U.S. teams produce local telecasts of their respective games. However, because the Devils swept the Red Wings and game four of the series was on Fox, their television play-by-play announcer, Emrick, called the win, as he also was part of Fox's lead broadcast team. That game, the first Stanley Cup-clinching game to air on network television in the United States since game six in 1980, drew a 4.7 rating and a 10 share. In the New York City area, the game drew a 10.6 rating and 21 share and in Detroit, 14.1 and 26.

In Canada, Bob Cole and Harry Neale were in the broadcast booth for CBC.

On the radio side, the series was broadcast continentally on NHL Radio with Kenny Albert and Gary Green announcing. Devils team broadcasters Mike Miller and Sherry Ross called the series on local radio on WABC–AM 770 in New York City and Red Wings team broadcasters Bruce Martyn and Paul Woods called the series on local radio on WJR–AM 760 in Detroit.

Team rosters

Detroit Red Wings

#	Nat	Player	Position	Hand	Acquired	Place of birth	Finals appearance
17		Doug Brown	RW	R	1994–95	Southborough, Massachusetts	first
11		Shawn Burr	LW	L	1984	Sarnia, Ontario	first
22		Dino Ciccarelli	RW	R	1992–93	Sarnia, Ontario	second (1981)
77		Paul Coffey – A	D	L	1992–93	Weston, Ontario	sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1991)
33		Kris Draper	C	L	1993–94	Toronto, Ontario	first
21		Bob Errey	LW	L	1994–95	Montreal, Quebec	third (1991, 1992)
91		Sergei Fedorov – A	C	L	1989	Pskov, Soviet Union	first
44		Viacheslav Fetisov	D	L	1994–95	Moscow, Soviet Union	first
4		Mark Howe	D	L	1992–93	Detroit, Michigan	third (1985, 1987)
23		Greg Johnson	C	L	1993–94	Thunder Bay, Ontario	first (did not play)
16		Vladimir Konstantinov	D	R	1989	Murmansk, Soviet Union	first
13		Vyacheslav Kozlov	LW	L	1990	Voskresensk, Soviet Union	first
18		Mike Krushelnyski	LW	L	1994–95	Montreal, Quebec	fourth (1985, 1987, 1988)
20		Martin Lapointe	RW	R	1991	Ville St. Pierre, Quebec	first
5		Nicklas Lidstrom	D	L	1989	Krylbo, Sweden	first
25		Darren McCarty	RW	R	1992	Burnaby, British Columbia	first
30		Chris Osgood	G	L	1991	Peace River, Alberta	first
55		Keith Primeau	C	L	1990	Toronto, Ontario	first
15		Mike Ramsey	D	L	1994–95	Minneapolis, Minnesota	first
3		Bob Rouse	D	R	1994–95	Surrey, British Columbia	first
26		Ray Sheppard	RW	R	1991–92	Pembroke, Ontario	first
37		Tim Taylor	C	L	1993–94	Stratford, Ontario	first
29		Mike Vernon	G	L	1994–95	Calgary, Alberta	third (1986, 1989)
19		Steve Yzerman – C	C	R	1983	Cranbrook, British Columbia	first

New Jersey Devils

#	Nat	Player	Position	Hand	Acquired	Place of birth	Finals appearance
6		Tommy Albelin	D	L	1988–89	Stockholm, Sweden	first
30		Martin Brodeur	G	L	1990	Montreal, Quebec	first
9		Neal Broten	C	L	1994–95	Roseau, Minnesota	third (1981, 1991)
18		Sergei Brylin	C	L	1992	Moscow, Soviet Union	first
19		Bobby Carpenter	C	L	1993–94	Beverly, Massachusetts	first
29		Shawn Chambers	D	L	1994–95	Royal Oak, Michigan	second (1991)
17		Tom Chorske	LW	R	1991–92	Minneapolis, Minnesota	first
20		Danton Cole	RW	R	1994–95	Pontiac, Michigan	first (did not play)
3		Ken Daneyko	D	L	1982	Windsor, Ontario	first
28		Kevin Dean	D	L	1987	Madison, Wisconsin	first (did not play)
11		Jim Dowd	C	R	1987	Brick, New Jersey	first
23		Bruce Driver – A	D	L	1981	Etobicoke, Ontario	first
12		Bill Guerin	RW	R	1989	Worcester, Massachusetts	first
16		Bobby Holik	C	R	1992–93	Jihlava, Czechoslovakia	first
22		Claude Lemieux	RW	R	1990–91	Buckingham, Quebec	third (1986, 1989)
15		John MacLean – A	RW	R	1983	Oshawa, Ontario	first
7		Chris McAlpine	D	R	1990	Roseville, Minnesota	first (did not play)
21		Randy McKay	RW	R	1991–92	Montreal, Quebec	first
27		Scott Niedermayer	D	L	1991	Edmonton, Alberta	first
8		Mike Peluso	LW	L	1993–94	Pengilly, Minnesota	second (1992)
44		Stephane Richer	RW	R	1991–92	Ripon, Quebec	third (1986, 1989)
14		Brian Rolston	C	L	1991	Flint, Michigan	first
4		Scott Stevens – C	D	L	1991–92	Kitchener, Ontario	first
31		Chris Terreri	G	L	1983	Providence, Rhode Island	first (did not play)
25		Valeri Zelepukin	LW	L	1990	Voskresensk, Soviet Union	first

Stanley Cup engraving

The 1995 Stanley Cup was presented to Devils captain Scott Stevens by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman following the Devils 5–2 win over the Red Wings in game four

The following Devils players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup

1994–95 New Jersey Devils

Players

  Centres

• 9 Neal Broten
• 11 Jim Dowd
• 14 Brian Rolston
• 16 Bobby Holik
• 18 Sergei Brylin
• 19 Bob Carpenter
• 21 Randy McKay (also played wing)

  Wingers

• 8 Mike Peluso
• 12 Bill Guerin
• 15 John MacLean (A)
• 17 Tom Chorske
• 20 Danton Cole
• 22 Claude Lemieux
• 25 Valeri Zelepukin
• 44 Stephane Richer

  Defencemen

• 4 Scott Stevens (Captain)
• 3 Ken Daneyko
• 6 Tommy Albelin
• 7 Chris McAlpine
• 23 Bruce Driver (A)
• 27 Scott Niedermayer
• 28 Kevin Dean
• 29 Shawn Chambers

  Goaltenders

• 30 Martin Brodeur
• 31 Chris Terreri

Coaching and administrative staff

• John J. McMullen (Owner/Chairman/Governor), Peter McMullen (Vice President)
• Lou Lamoriello (President/General Manager), Jacques Lemaire (Head Coach), Jacques Caron (Goaltender Coach)
• Dennis Gendron (Asst. Coach), Larry Robinson (Asst. Coach), Robbie Ftorek (AHL Coach)
• Alex Abasto (Asst. Equipment Manager), Bob Huddleston (Massage Therapist), Dave Nichols (Equipment Manager)
• Ted Schuch (Medical Trainer), Mike Vasalani (Strength-Conditioning Coach), David Conte (Director of Scouting), Milt Fisher (Scout)
• Claude Carrie (Scout), Dan Labraaten (Scout), Marcel Pronovost (Scout)
• 8 members were engraved with an install and two full names. Stephane Richer was engraved as Stephane J. J. Richer, because there was another Stephane J. G. Richer, who was playing in the NHL. Stephane J. G. Richer played 27 NHL games over four years from 1992–93 to 1994–95.
• Starting in 1994-95 every team that has won the Stanley Cup has left off non-playing positions expect for 1 year (see 2007 Stanley Cup Finals)

Aftermath

The following season, the Devils missed the playoffs, becoming the first defending Stanley Cup champion to miss the playoffs after the Montreal Canadiens in 1970. However, the Devils would eventually rebound and win the Stanley Cup again in 2000 over the Dallas Stars in six games. They would also win a third Stanley Cup in 2003 over the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games.

The Red Wings, on the other hand, won a then-league record 62 games, but lost in the conference finals in six games to the Colorado Avalanche. They would eventually end their Stanley Cup drought in 1997 by sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers. The Red Wings would also win the Cup in 1998, 2002, and 2008.

Devils' aborted move to Nashville

Main article: Nashville Predators § Bringing the NHL to Nashville

During the 1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs, rumors began to swirl on the Devils' impending relocation to Nashville, Tennessee and that city's sports arena that was still under construction at that time; Nashville had offered a $20 million relocation bonus to any team that would relocate. Although the Devils intensified those rumors by attempting to terminate its lease with the NJSEA while the Eastern Conference Finals was still going on, they would soon strike a fresh new deal with the sports authority following the Stanley Cup Finals, allowing them to stay in New Jersey.

The Nashville Predators, as a result of that failed attempt of bringing the Devils to Nashville, began play three years later in 1998, using Bridgestone Arena as their home.

See also

• 1994–95 NHL season
• 1994–95 Detroit Red Wings season
• 1994–95 New Jersey Devils season
• 1995 Stanley Cup playoffs
• List of Stanley Cup champions

References

• Diamond, Dan (2000). Total Stanley Cup. NHL.
• Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7.