One Man's Favorite Devils | SUNDAYS WITH STAN

Since I began covering the Devils at the birth of the franchise almost four decades ago, it goes without saying that I've come away with lots of "Favorites."
Players, in particular.
But, like good ice cream, my choices come in many flavors; and over many seasons, both good, bad and most unusual.
To make my "Favorites" list as accurate as possible, I've decided that the best way to do it would be chronologically.
That is, I'll start with the first, developing seasons - 1982-85 - and then move forward from there. See what you think:

INAUGURAL SEASON, 1982-83
1. GLENN RESCH: A holdover from the Colorado Rockies, the man called "Chico" already had been a Stanley Cup-winner on Long Island. His artistry in goal was matched by Glenn's affability with both fans and media. He instantly became the face of New Jersey's first major league team, but also a constant source of optimism; although sometimes misplaced. While he couldn't lift the Garden City skaters into a playoff berth, he sure lifted a ton of spirits while trying.
2. BOB LORIMER: Like Resch, Lorimer already had his Stanley Cup ring via the Islanders and brought the defensive lessons he learned from Al Arbour in Nassau. Dedicated, hard-working and easy to talk to, Lorimer could legitimately be called the Devils "Defenseman's Defenseman." On and off the ice, Battlin' Bob was one of those guys who was so easy to like - because he was so tough to play against once the going got rough.
3. PAT VERBEEK: Although he was New Jersey's third choice overall in the club's original draft - behind Rocky Trottier and Ken Daneyko - this graduate of the Sudbury junior system adapted best and fastest to NHL action. Built like a U.S. Army light tank, Verbeek brought an inherent toughness to the ice, game in and game out. No rookie ever topped Patrick in the Work Ethic Department. As coach Bob MacMillan had predicted, Patty was "The biggest surprise of all."
4. DON LEVER: Being captain of a first-year, ragtag team would try any player's patience, but Don was above any of that moping or whining or anything remotely negative. He faced the music and danced; never turning away from what could be stiff media flak. What's more, Lever opened the 1982-83 season as a good captain should, by scoring the franchise's first goal.
5. JOEL QUENNEVILLE: Solid, unspectacular but efficient behind the blue line, Q was the kind of defenseman goaltenders appreciate. "He did his job the right way," said Chico Resch, "and that's all a goalie could ask for." Joel was the cerebral type and his savvy later would be evident when he coached the Chicago Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup. "We Devils played teams hard," Q explained. "Didn't mean that we'd make the playoffs but any team that played us knew it was in a game."
6. THE KID LINE: No need to single out any of the trio because the unit was best appreciated as a line. Paul Gagne, Aaron Broten and Jeff Larmer provided the kind of pizzazz that any new franchise needed. Call 'em "crowd favorites," call 'em what you will; the point is that they delivered in both an energetic and productive manner. Hey, any unit worthy of a nickname must be doing something right - and they did.
SECOND SEASON, 1983-84.
1. RON LOW: Hired as back-up for Glenn Resch, Ron emerged as more than No. 2 on the totem pole. He had earned his National Hockey League spurs with Wayne Gretzky, spending four seasons in Edmonton with the Oilers before being traded to New Jersey in 1983. While unspectacular, Low was a favorite with just about everyone, even in a visiting uniform. "Ron was one guy you could talk to no matter what uniform he was wearing," said Edmonton defenseman Kevin Lowe. Although the Oilers beat him one awful night that season, 13-4, Low shook it off and gave New Jersey Class A puck-stopping under all circumstances.
2. JAN LUDVIG: In an era when there still were relatively few Europeans on NHL rosters, the Devils were delighted with this native of Czechoslovakia, who defected to play in North America. A hard-shooter and strong skater, Jan scored a career-high 22 goals in 1983-84 as part of his four-year stint with New Jersey.
3. JOE CIRELLA: A refugee from the Colorado Rockies, Cirella would earn the nickname "Honest Blocker" because that's precisely what he brought to every game; an honest effort and a tough checking style that made him a frustration to the best of attackers. In time, Joltin' Joe also would demonstrate that he could do good things at the point, both as shooter and passer.
4. KEN DANEYKO: Although he was picked high in the original team draft, the Edmonton native needed a second season before he could hone his defensive game to sharpness. Granted that Kenny was far from perfect in Year 2, but his exuberance and overall teamsmanship were so abundant that coach Tom McVie could only say, "That's the kind of guy any team would want and I'm just tickled pink that we got him."
5. TIM HIGGINS: The general staff was ready, willing and able to make trades whenever possible. One of the best of the earlier ones was completed in January 1984 when right wing Tim Higgins was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks. Tim's 18 goals since arriving from the Windy City spearheaded the offense for new coach Doug Carpenter.
6. KIRK MULLER: You wouldn't have wanted to be in his shoes. Like any other team, the Devils would have loved to land Mario Lemieux in the 1984 Draft, but Pittsburgh ensured playing bad enough to land Mario. Muller was a solid second choice but nowhere near the Hall of Famer that Lemieux was destined to be. The result was a constant spotlight - alias pressure - on Muller. Kirk proved to be a workmanlike center whose tenacity was appreciated by teammates and the coaching staff while his general lunch pail good guy nature appealed to the fans.
THIRD SEASON, 1984-85
1. JOHN MACLEAN: He was the franchise's top draft choice in 1983 and lived up to that selection. Johnny Mac impressed coach Carpenter in his first training camp and enjoyed a slow but steady ascent up the ladder of NHL experience. "At times," said Carpy, "Mac has been our best player on the ice." Johnny's smiling face lit up the dressing room, while his blazing shot lit red lights.
2. DOUG SULLIMAN One of the better little men in club history, Dougie had a low center of gravity that enabled him to withstand checks that would topple others. Teammates respected his two-way play. "Doug does all 200 feet of the ice," lauded GM Max McNab. "You have to respect a player like that." (I also found Sully a fun guy to talk with and not only about hockey.)
3. DAVE PICHETTE: There's a name that's pretty much forgotten but not by me. I remember when the Devils got him from St. Louis in the Waiver Draft. This was an offensive defenseman in the best sense of the word. Teamed with Bruce Driver, Pichette gave more oomphto the offense. "I like to control the puck," Dave told me. "When I get a chance, I also like to move into the slot."
4. MEL BRIDGMAN: The moustached one earned the captain's "C" and, over a three-season span tallied 68 goals. At the time, coach Carpenter could look on Mel as a reliable power forward and a responsible leader.
To a TV reporter like me - covering the Devils for SportsChannel - what mattered at this point in time was that the club showed flickers of being a playoff team. Unfortunately, through that 1984-85 season, the flickers never fully flamed into a postseason finish.
That, however, didn't stop The Maven from having his favorites. Win or lose, I loved those guys - on and off the ice.
But If I had to pick one from that early franchise bunch as the best of them all, it would be Chico.
It had to be Resch because we wound up doing two books together!