The New Jersey Devils are set to retire future hall of fame defenseman Scott Stevens jersey tonight in a ceremony prior to the Devils game against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Meadowlands.
The number four worn by Stevens during his 13-seasons with the Devils will not be worn by any other New Jersey player. This is the first jersey retired by the Devils franchise which began in 1974 as the Kansas City Scouts before moving to Denver two seasons later. The franchise moved to New Jersey prior to the 1982-83 season.
Stevens played 13 seasons with the Devils and helped the team win three Stanley Cups between 1995 and 2003. He was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2000 as the playoff MVP. Stevens was the Devils captain and their unquestioned leader both on and off the ice. He was best known for his hard body checks and some experts consider Stevens the hardest hitter in the history of the NHL.
Overall, Stevens played in 1,635 regular season NHL games with the Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues and New Jersey. He scored 196 goals and totaled 908 points and 2,785 penalty minutes.
'Every year, I always felt that I had to make the team,' Stevens once told reporters when asked about his attitude towards the game. 'I felt every training camp I had to prove myself. I never took anything for granted.'
Stevens views his first Stanley Cup win in 1995 as one of the most memorable moments of his career.
'The first one in 1995, I had already been in the league about 14 years, so when it takes that long you start to wonder if it's ever going to happen,' Stevens said.
Stevens was named to the all-star team 13 times during his 22-year NHL career. He also holds the NHL record for most career playoff games by a defenseman with 233.
'All you had to do was watch him in practice day in and day out and watch him compete, and that was what you wanted to be the foundation for the other players to follow by example,' said Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello.
While New Jersey fans will always remember their captain and leader fondly, the biggest impression Stevens made in his career was from the crunching checks he dealt out to opposing forwards. His next stop is the Hockey Hall of Fame.
