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1995 Stanley Cup Final

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1995 Stanley Cup Final
IndustryIce hockey championship series
Founded1995
ProductsStanley Cup championship

1995 Stanley Cup Final

The 1995 Stanley Cup Final marked the conclusion of the 1994–95 NHL season and its postseason, pitting the Eastern Conference champions, the New Jersey Devils, against the Western Conference champions, the Detroit Red Wings. This series represented New Jersey's debut in the Finals and Detroit's first appearance since 1966. The Devils swept the Red Wings, securing their first-ever Stanley Cup title. As a franchise that joined the NHL during the 1967 expansion, New Jersey became only the sixth team from this era to capture the championship. This Final initiated a sequence of nine consecutive championship series contested exclusively by American franchises and began a run of four straight Finals decided by sweeps.

In an unusual parallel, both the NHL and NBA Finals in 1995 featured top-seeded teams being swept; notably, the Devils were the first NHL squad since the 1980 playoff expansion to claim the Cup without enjoying home-ice advantage in any round. The Houston Rockets accomplished a similar feat in that year’s NBA Finals.

Although the regular season was shortened due to the 1994–95 lockout, this Stanley Cup was awarded at its latest calendar date in history—a record later equaled in 2013 and surpassed during the pandemic-affected 2019–20 season. The Devils, seeded fifth, held the distinction as the lowest-seeded team to win until overtaken by the Los Angeles Kings in 2012. Furthermore, their regular-season winning percentage was the lowest for a champion since the league’s 1967 expansion.

This Final was also notable as the first since 1980 to be played entirely within a single time zone.

New Jersey Devils

Entering as the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed, New Jersey overcame several opponents en route to their first Stanley Cup Final. They dispatched the fourth-seeded Boston Bruins in five games, followed by a five-game series victory over third-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins. In the Eastern Conference Final, they upset their rivals and top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers in six games to secure their place in the championship round.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings, who earned both the Presidents' Trophy and overall top seed, began by defeating eighth-seeded Dallas Stars in five games. They then swept seventh-seeded San Jose Sharks—avenging their prior year’s upset loss—and advanced to their first Western Conference Final since 1988. Detroit clinched their spot in the Stanley Cup Final by overcoming rivals Chicago Blackhawks in five games.

Game 1

The series commenced on June 17 at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena, where Detroit boasted an undefeated playoff home record (8–0), having outscored opponents 30–11 and netted 18 power-play goals through three rounds. Fans greeted New Jersey with boos and responded with chants of "Who cares?" following each Devils introduction.

After a scoreless opening period, underdog New Jersey struck first on a power-play slap shot by Stephane Richer at 9:41 into the second period. Detroit equalized with a power-play goal from Dino Ciccarelli at 13:08. New Jersey regained control early in the third period when Claude Lemieux scored on a slap shot at 3:17 and maintained their lead to win 2–1. The Devils’ disciplined defense restricted Detroit to only 17 shots on goal, securing their ninth road victory of these playoffs.

Game 2

In the second game, Detroit struck first with a power-play goal from Vyacheslav Kozlov at 7:17 during the second period. However, New Jersey's John MacLean quickly leveled the score at 1–1. A significant turning point occurred when Devils captain Scott Stevens delivered a forceful body check on Kozlov, igniting momentum for New Jersey. Although Detroit reclaimed the lead early in the third period with a goal by Sergei Fedorov, the Devils fought back. Scott Niedermayer netted a crucial equalizer midway through the third, followed by Jim Dowd capitalizing on a rebound from a Shawn Chambers shot to take the lead. The victory was sealed when Stéphane Richer scored into an empty net, securing a 4–2 triumph for New Jersey on Detroit’s home ice.

Game 3

Game three took place at New Jersey’s arena, where the Devils asserted dominance by scoring five straight goals. Key players such as Bruce Driver, Claude Lemieux, Neal Broten, Randy McKay, and Bobby Holik contributed to building a commanding 5–0 advantage with less than twelve minutes remaining. Although Detroit responded with two late power-play goals by Sergei Fedorov and Steve Yzerman, New Jersey maintained control and secured a decisive 5–2 win, extending their series lead to 3–0.

Game 4

The Devils jumped out to an early lead when Neal Broten scored just 68 seconds into the game. Detroit quickly countered with Sergei Fedorov tying it up, followed by Paul Coffey’s shorthanded goal that put the Red Wings ahead 2–1. Before the first period concluded, New Jersey equalized thanks to a slap shot from Shawn Chambers. In the second period, Scott Niedermayer assisted Broten’s second goal of the game, giving the Devils a 3–2 lead. The third period featured goals from Sergei Brylin and Chambers (his second of the night), culminating in a 5–2 victory and completing a series sweep for New Jersey. This triumph marked the Devils’ inaugural Stanley Cup championship. Goaltender Martin Brodeur conceded only seven goals throughout the series, while forward Claude Lemieux earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP by leading all players with 13 postseason goals. Lemieux would go on to claim another Stanley Cup title the following year with the Colorado Avalanche.

Broadcasting

The 1995 Stanley Cup Final was notable for being the first U.S. national broadcast split between Fox and ESPN. Fox televised games one and four with Mike Emrick and John Davidson as commentators, while ESPN covered games two and three featuring Gary Thorne and Bill Clement. This Final also marked the debut of exclusive national broadcast rights in the U.S., ending local telecasts previously handled by regional broadcasters. Due to New Jersey’s sweep, Fox’s coverage of game four included Emrick calling the clinching moment. That broadcast achieved a national rating of 4.7 with a 10 share—the highest since 1980—and strong local viewership: a 10.6/21 rating in New York City and 14.1/26 in Detroit.

In Canada, CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada presented coverage with Bob Cole and Harry Neale.

Across North America, radio broadcasts were provided by NHL Radio featuring Kenny Albert and Gary Green. Locally, Devils games aired on WABC–AM 770 with Mike Miller and Sherry Ross announcing, while Red Wings broadcasts were carried on WJR–AM 760 with Bruce Martyn and Paul Woods behind the microphone.

Detroit Red Wings

# 16 # {{flagicon RUS}} # Vladimir Konstantinov # D # R # 1989 NHL Entry Draft # Murmansk, Soviet Union # first # 13 # {{flagicon RUS}} # Vyacheslav Kozlov # LW # L # 1990 NHL Entry Draft # Voskresensk, Soviet Union # first # 18 # {{flagicon CAN}} # Mike Krushelnyski # LW # L # {{NHL Year 1994}} # Montreal, Quebec # fourth (1985, 1987, 1988) # 20 # {{flagicon CAN}} # Martin Lapointe # RW # R # 1991 NHL Entry Draft # Ville St. Pierre, Quebec # first # 5 # {{flagicon SWE}} # Nicklas Lidstrom # D # L # 1989 NHL Entry Draft # Krylbo, Sweden # first # 25 # {{flagicon CAN}} # Darren McCarty # RW # R # 1992 NHL Entry Draft # Burnaby, British Columbia # first # 30 # {{flagicon CAN}} # Chris Osgood # G # L # 1991 NHL Entry Draft # Peace River, Alberta # first # 55 # {{flagicon CAN}} # Keith Primeau # C # L # 1990 NHL Entry Draft # Toronto, Ontario # first # 15 # Template:Flagicon USA # Mike Ramsey (ice hockey) # D # L # Template:NHL Year 1994 # Minneapolis, Minnesota # first # 3 # Template:Flagicon CAN # Bob Rouse # D # R # Template:NHL Year 1994 # Surrey, British Columbia # first # 26 # Template:Flagicon CAN # Ray Sheppard # RW # R # Template:NHL Year 1991 # Pembroke, Ontario # first # 37 # Template:Flagicon CAN # Tim Taylor (ice hockey) # C # L # Template:NHL Year 1993 # Stratford, Ontario # first # 29 # Template:Flagicon CAN # Mike Vernon (ice hockey) # G # L # Template:NHL Year 1994 # Calgary, Alberta # third (1986, 1989)   # 19      # Template:Flagicon CAN      # Steve Yzerman – C      # C      # R      # 1983 NHL Entry Draft      # Cranbrook, British Columbia      # first  
# Nat Player Position Hand Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
17 United States Template:Sortname RW R Template:NHL Year Southborough, Massachusetts first
11 Canada Template:Sortname LW L 1984 Sarnia, Ontario first
22 Canada Template:Sortname RW R Template:NHL Year Sarnia, Ontario second (1981)
77 Canada Template:Sortname – A D L Template:NHL Year Weston, Toronto, Ontario sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1991)
33 Canada Template:Sortname C L Template:NHL Year Toronto, Ontario first
21 Canada Template:Sortname LW L Template:NHL Year Montreal, Quebec third (1991, 1992)
91 Template:Country data RUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Template:Sortname – A C L 1989 NHL Entry Draft Pskov, Soviet Union first
44 Template:Country data RUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Template:Sortname D L Template:NHL Year Moscow, Soviet Union first
4 United States Template:Sortname D L Template:NHL Year Detroit, Michigan third (1985, 1987)
23 Canada {{sortname #Greg Johnson (ice hockey)}} 
	# C 
	# L 
	# {{NHL Year	1993}} 
	# Thunder Bay, Ontario 
	# first (did not play)


New Jersey Devils

 12  Template:Flagicon USA  16  Template:Flagicon CZE  22  Template:Flagicon CAN15Template:Flagicon CAN7Template:Flagicon USA21Template:Flagicon CAN27Template:Flagicon CAN8Template:Flagicon USA44Template:Flagicon CAN14Template:Flagicon USA4Template:Flagicon CAN31Template:Flagicon USA25Template:Flagicon RUS
# Nat Player Position Handedness Acquisition Year Birthplace Stanley Cup Finals Appearance
6 Template:Country data SWETemplate:Namespace detect showall Template:Sortname Defenseman Left Template:NHL Year Stockholm, Sweden first
30 Canada Template:Sortname Goalie Left 1990 NHL Entry Draft Montreal, Quebec first
9 United States Template:Sortname Center Left Template:NHL Year Roseau, Minnesota third (1981, 1991)
18 Template:Country data RUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Template:Sortname Left Wing/Center Left 1992 NHL Entry Draft Moscow, Soviet Union first
19 United States Template:Sortname Center Left Template:NHL Year Beverly, Massachusetts first
29 United States Template:Sortname Defenseman Left Template:NHL Year Royal Oak, Michigan second (1991)
17 United States Template:Sortname Left Wing Right Template:NHL Year Minneapolis first
20 United States Template:Sortname Right Wing Right Template:NHL Year Pontiac, Michigan first (did not play)
3 Canada Template:Sortname Defenseman Left 1982 NHL Entry Draft Windsor, Ontario first
28 United States Template:Sortname Defenseman Left 1987 NHL Entry Draft Madison, Wisconsin first (did not play)
11 United States Template:Sortname Center Right 1987 NHL Entry Draft style="text-align:left;" >Brick, New Jersey first
23 
 Template:Flagicon CAN
scope=“row” style=“text-align:left;”>Template:Sortname Bruce Driver – Captain (ice hockey)#Alternate captains A 
 Defenseman  
 Left  
 1981 NHL Entry Draft  
 style=“text-align:left;”>Etobicoke, Ontario  
 first
scope=“row” style=“text-align:left;”>Template:Sortname Bill Guerin 
 Right Wing  
 Right  
 1989 NHL Entry Draft  
 style=“text-align:left;”>Worcester, Massachusetts  
 first
scope=“row” style=“text-align:left;”>Template:Sortname Bobby Holik 
 Center  
 Right  
 Template:NHL Year 1992  
 style=“text-align:left;”>Jihlava, Czechoslovakia  
 first
scope=“row” style=“text-align:left;”>Template:Sortname Claude Lemieux 
 Right Wing  
 Right  
 Template:NHL Year 1990  
 style=“text-align:left;”>Buckingham, Quebec  
 third (1986, 1989)
scope=“row” style=“text-align:left;”>Template:Sortname John MacLean – Captain (ice hockey)#Alternate captains A 
Right Wing   
Right   
1983 NHL Entry Draft   
style=“text-align:left;”>Oshawa, Ontario   
first
scope=“row” style=“text-align:left;”>Template:Sortname Chris McAlpine 
Defenseman   
Right   
1990 NHL Entry Draft   
style=“text-align:left;”>Roseville, Minnesota   
first (did not play)
scope=“row” style=“text-align:left;”>Template:Sortname Randy McKay 
Right Wing   
Right   
Template:NHL Year 1991   
style=“text-align:left;”>Montreal, Quebec   
first
scope=“row” style=“text-align:left;”>Template:Sortname Scott Niedermayer 
Defenseman    
Left    
1991 NHL Entry Draft    
style=“text-align:left;”>Edmonton, Alberta    
first
scope=“row” style=“text-align:left;”>Template:Sortname Mike Peluso 
Left Wing    
Left    
Template:NHL Year 1993    
style=“text-align:left;”>Pengilly, Minnesota    
second (1992)
scope=“row” style=“text-align:left;”>Template:Sortname Stephane Richer 
Right Wing    
Right    
Template:NHL Year 1991    
style=“text-align:left;”>Ripon, Quebec    
third (1986, 1989)
scope=“row” style=“text-align:left;”>Template:Sortname Brian Rolston 
Center    
Left    
1991 NHL Entry Draft    
style=“text-align:left;”>Flint, Michigan    
first
scope=“row” style=“text-align:left;”>Template:Sortname Scott Stevens – Captain (ice hockey) C 
Defenseman     
Left     
Template:NHL Year 1991     
style=“text-align:left;”>Kitchener, Ontario     
first
scope=“row” style=“text-align:left;”>Template:Sortname Chris Terreri 
Goalie     
Left     
1983 NHL Entry Draft     
style=“text-align:left;”>Providence, Rhode Island     
first
scope=“row” style=“text-align:left;”>Template:Sortname Valeri Zelepukin 
Left Wing     
Left     
1990 NHL Entry Draft     
style=“text-align:left;”>Voskresensk, Moscow Oblast, Soviet Union     
first


Stanley Cup inscription

Following the Devils' 5–2 triumph over the Red Wings in the fourth game, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman handed the 1995 Stanley Cup to Devils captain Scott Stevens.

The names of the subsequent Devils players and personnel were inscribed on the Stanley Cup:

1994–95 New Jersey Devils


Inscription details

  • #7 Chris McAlpine participated in 24 regular season contests but did not appear in playoff games. Given the abbreviated 1994-95 NHL schedule, this met the criteria for having his name engraved.
  • #28 Kevin Dean and #20 Danton Cole did not automatically qualify for engraving but were added following New Jersey's formal exemption requests.
  • Stephane Richer’s name was engraved as Stephane J. J. Richer to differentiate him from another NHL player sharing a similar name.
  • From the 1994-95 season onward, names of non-playing staff have typically been omitted from Stanley Cup engravings, with the exception of one instance (2007 Stanley Cup Final).

See also

Further reading

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