The Devils and Rangers are set to meet in the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, as the Hudson River rivals will face off in the first round of the NHL playoffs beginning Tuesday night in Newark.
The storied rivalry has been in a bit of a lull in recent years, with the teams not being simultaneously competitive since New Jersey sent New York packing in game six of the 2012 Eastern Conference Final.
Still, there have been plenty of thrilling and flat-out entertaining moments that the rivalry has given fans, from big fights to unforgettable goals and bitter personal feuds.
So, before the action begins on Tuesday, here are the best moments in the history of the Hudson River rivalry:
Patrik Elias makes Henrik Lundqvist’s playoff debut one to forget
Before Lundqvist became a superstar and one of the greatest Rangers in franchise history, he was getting picked apart by one of the greatest in Devils franchise history.
Making his playoff debut in the first round of the 2006 playoffs, Lundqvist gave up six goals, and Elias had a hand in every one of them, scoring two goals and chipping in four assists in a 6-1 dismantling by New Jersey in game one.
Elias’ dominant performance set the tone for the series, as the Devils destroyed the Blueshirts in a four-game sweep to secure their first playoff series win over the Rangers.
Adam Graves sends Devils packing
In 2006, the Devils were awaiting playoff payback that was nearly a decade in the making. The previous time the two teams had faced off in the playoffs was back in 1997, when New Jersey came into the playoffs following a dominant 104-point season, but it was the Rangers who looked like the top team in the area.
New Jersey took game one and never won again, with the Rangers sweeping the next four games of the conference semifinals, including a thrilling overtime game winner in game five, where Graves surprised Martin Brodeur with a wraparound shot through the legs to seal the series win.
Martin Brodeur vs. Sean Avery
Simply put, this personal rivalry literally changed the game of hockey. That’s right, by planting himself in front of Brodeur, face to face, and waving his stick around to block Brodeur’s vision, Avery changed the NHL, which promptly altered its rules to forbid such an act.
The 2008 playoffs saw Brodeur and Avery in the spotlight all the way through the end, when Brodeur refused to shake Avery’s hand after the Rangers won the first-round series.
The rivalry began with a shoving match a year before, and continued years later, when Avery called Broduer “fatso” in 2014.
Everyone vs. Everyone
“We have a lot of cameras, and we’re gonna need them.”
An iconic an fitting line from announcer Doc Emrick during the Devils and Rangers’ final regular season game in 2012, when Rangers head coach John Tortorella and Devils head coach Pete DeBoer each sent their scrappers onto the ice for the opening faceoff, which led everyone to assume what would happen next.
As soon as the puck dropped, so did six pairs of gloves, as three fights broke out simultaneously, with Ryan Carter going toe-to-toe with Stu Bickel, Cam Janssen fighting Brandon Prust, and Eric Boulton grabbing sweaters with Michael Rupp.
In the end, there was a crowded penalty box, blood had to be scraped off the ice, and then the actual game finally started.
Scott Niedermayer vs. Valeri Kamensky, and his jersey
Niedermayer, one of the greatest players in Devils history, wasn’t known for his fighting, but he got into an intense fight with New York’s Valeri Kamensky in 1999, leading to Kamensky losing his jersey in the process.
When the fight was over, Niedermayer grabbed Kamensky’s jersey and punted it, then pumped up the crowd as he left the ice.
An out-of-character but incredible act from the Hall of Famer.
“It’s over!”
Fittingly, the Devils and Rangers would meet later in 2012, battling in the Eastern Conference Final and taking the series to a game six at The Rock.
The two teams fought into overtime, and in the opening minute of the extra period, the Devils got the puck on net towards Lundqvist, who couldn’t secure the puck while New Jersey continuously batted at the loose puck until Adam Henrique, behind Lundqvist, quickly pushed the puck into the pack of the net and ignited the greatest celebration so far in the life of the Prudential Center.
The goal sent the Devils to their first Stanley Cup since 2003, and they have been trying to get back ever since.
The Guarantee
The Rangers were facing elimination in game six of the 1994 Eastern Conference Final, but Mark Messier guaranteed a Blueshirts victory, then backed it up by logging a hat trick and sealing a dramatic 4-2 win to send the series to a seventh game.
Often forgotten, Messier’s hat trick was all the more heroic considering the Devils had jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in game six.
That guarantee also helped set up….
“Matteau! Matteau!”
A call that remains in the Howie Rose Hall of Fame, Stephane Matteau’s double overtime goal in game seven of the 1994 Eastern Conference Final remains one of the greatest goals in franchise history.
New Jersey had tied game seven late in regulation, but in the fifth period, Matteau swooped in a shot from behind the net past Brodeur to send New York to its first Stanley Cup berth since 1979.
The Rangers would finish the job to claim their last Stanley Cup victory.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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