Welcome to LWOS’ Summer Hockey Series, Best of the Rest. Plenty of sites do a version of a 30 greats in 30 days series, but this year we are doing something a little bit different. We want to look at the best player from each team who is not in the Hockey Hall Of Fame. In order to do this there are some rules. First the player must have been a significant part of this franchise (franchises include their time in a previous city… see Winnipeg/Atlanta) and must be retired for at least 3 years, making them Hall of Fame eligible. To see all the articles in the series, check out the homepage here.
The New Jersey Devils are well represented in the Hockey Hall of Fame, as they have nine members (six players, one coach, one executive, and a broadcaster) enshrined in it. Once Martin Brodeur and Patrick Elias retire, they’ll be able to add two more to that list. However, there is one New Jersey Devils legend who is not enshrined in the Hockey Hall Of Fame who at least warrants deep consideration: John MacLean.
New Jersey Devils – John MacLean
John MacLean was drafted by the New Jersey Devils with the sixth overall pick of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. MacLean was a leader on the New Jersey Devils from the 1983-1984 season until he was traded to the San Jose Sharks in 1997. MacLean also played for the New York Rangers and Dallas Stars. He was an especially important part of the 1994-1995 New Jersey Devils team that won the Stanley Cup, scoring 18 points in 20 playoff games during their Stanley Cup run and serving as an alternate captain.
In 934 games with the Devils, John MacLean had 701 points (347 goals, 357 assists) and 1168 penalty minutes. He was the Devils’ career leader in both points and goals scored until Elias broke both records. He still holds the Devils’ franchise record for most career power play points with 197. John MacLean led the Devils in points twice and was their leading goal scorer five times (four outright, one shared).
His best season as a Devil was undoubtedly 1988-89, when he scored his first of three consecutive 40-goal seasons and put up 87 points en route to his first of two NHL all-star game appearances. At the time, it was the second highest scoring season in Devils history, and it remains tied for 5th behind only Elias, Kirk Muller, Zach Parise, and Brian Gionta. His 45 goals in 1990-91 is third in franchise history, just three shy of Gionta’s record 48 goals in 2005-06.
Maclean would retire at 37-years-old following the 2001-02 season, having played in 1,194 games, scoring 842 points (413 goals and 429 assists), and receiving 1,328 penalty minutes.
Does MacLean deserve to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame? Perhaps he does. He’s one of the last of a dying breed: the player who could not only score on you, but do so while beating the crap out of you. There’s something to be said for that. Also, the New Jersey Devils have an impressive franchise history. The player who broke his franchise scoring record is a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. So shouldn’t the player who held the record for so long deserve strong consideration for the Hockey Hall of Fame?
John MacLean was the New Jersey Devils’ first real superstar. He deserves more credit than he is given, and I think he ought to be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
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