Dynasty?
Maybe we spoke too soon.
By Robert Flaxman

   After the New Jersey Devils defeated the Colorado Avalanche in Denver in Game Five of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals, taking a 3-2 series lead, television announcers began to say, "If the Devils win the Stanley Cup, I think we have to call this a dynasty."
    What do you think now, boys?  Yes, the Devils have won as many Stanley Cups since 1990 (two) as any other team in hockey (tied with Colorado, Detroit, and Pittsburgh).  In fact, since 1980, only Edmonton (five) and the New York Islanders (four) have won more.  But is this really a dynasty?  Sure, if a team can be a dynasty in a bad way too.
    The Devils, despite their two cups, have been a dynasty of choking if nothing else.  Let's take a quick look at their seasons since 1994, the season which began their recent string of successes.

    1994: The #3-seeded Devils beat Buffalo in seven games in the opening round.  Then they beat Boston in six.   This puts them up against the cross-river rivals, the Rangers, winners of the President's Cup that year.  The Devils win Games Four and Five to take a 3-2 series lead.  Mark Messier guarantees a Game Six win in New Jersey.  The Rangers win that game 4-2, and then take Game Seven 2-1 in overtime on the infamous Stephane Matteau wraparound.

    1995: The Devils win the Cup from the #5 seed, losing only four games (one to Boston in the first round, one to Pittsburgh in the second, and two to Philadelphia in the conference finals) and sweeping the Red Wings.

    1996: Coming off a Stanley Cup championship, the Devils fail to even make the playoffs, the first time that has happened to a defending champion since the Montreal Canadiens in 1970.

    1997: The Devils finish with the #1 seed in the East.  After handily disposing of Montreal in five, the Devils defeat the Rangers 2-0 in the first game of the conference semifinals.  They drop the next four, scoring only three goals and getting shut out twice.

    1998: The Devils finish with the #1 seed in the East.  They lose in six games to the upstart Ottawa Senators in the opening round, dropping Games One and Three by identical 2-1 scores in overtime.   They go 2-1 on their home ice but lose all three games in Ottawa.

    1999: For the third consecutive year, the Devils finish with the #1 seed in the East.  They lose to the #8-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round.  The Devils hold a 3-2 series lead but drop Game Six in overtime and Game Seven, 4-2, on home ice.

    2000: Devils fans breathe a sigh of relief as the Devils finish with the #5 seed in the East.  They sweep the Florida Panthers in the opening round, beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in six, and then come back from a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 deficit to beat the #1-seeded Philadelphia Flyers in the conference finals.  The Devils go 1-2 in New Jersey but win Games One, Five, and Seven on the Flyers' home ice.  They then proceed to go 1-2 in New Jersey in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Stars, but win all three games in Dallas to take the Stanley Cup for the second time in six seasons.

    2001: The Devils once again take the #1 seed in the East, making everyone nervous.  After winning the first three games against the Carolina Hurricanes by dominating 5-1, 2-0, and 4-0 scores, the Devils drop Games Four and Five by identical 3-2 scores before winning Game Six 5-1.
    They then face the #7-seeded Maple Leafs, and go down 3-2 in the series, losing Games One and Five on home ice.  However, they rebound to win the last two games 4-2 and 5-1.
    The Devils then defeat #6-seeded Pittsburgh in five games, losing Game Two on home ice but shutting the Penguins out in both games in Pittsburgh.
    After being embarrassed, 5-0, in the opening game of the Finals by the President's Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche, the Devils rebound to take Game Two in Denver.   They lose Game Three on home ice but win Game Four, and then win Game Five on the road to take a 3-2 series lead.  But they are pounded 4-0 in Game Six at home, and lose Game Seven to watch their chances of a repeat Stanley Cup vanish.

    So there you have it.  Yes, the Devils have won the Stanley Cup twice, but four times they've been the best team in their conference and only one of those times were they able to make the Finals.  Is all this success indicative of a dynasty?  Or does the inability to follow through mark the Devils as one of the most underachieving teams of all time?  One thing is certain - the Devils have the talent, and the youth, to be very good for years to come.  Whether they can parlay that into continued success remains to be seen.