Tonight from the Prudential Center in New Jersey the Devils will retire Scott Niedermayer's #27. He will join Scott Stevens (#4) and Ken Daneyko (#3) as the only men to have their numbers retired by the team. Scott was and still is the 3rd best D-man in team history behind the two other men just listed and is by far the best offensive defenseman to ever play in Jersey. It may also be safe to say he is one of the top five best defenseman to EVER play in the New York Metro area along with Stevens, Denis Potvin, Brian Leetch, and Brad Park (in my opinion).
Niedermayer was one of five players to play on all three of the Devils’ Stanley Cup-winning teams, along with Scott Stevens, KEn Danekyo, Sergei Brylin and Martin Brodeur. Selected third overall by the Devils in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, Niedermayer played the first 12 seasons of his 17-season career in New Jersey and then played five seasons with Anaheim from 2005-06 through 2009-10. Niedermayer served the Devils’ captain from Jan. 9, 2004 through the end of the 2003-04 season and won Norris Trophy that season as the NHL’s top defenseman.
He captained the Ducks to the 2007 Stanley Cup, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs. In his career with the Devils he registered over 500 of his 740 points.
During his playing days in New Jersey Niedermayer won Three Stanley Cups, was on the NHL all rookie team in 93, played in three NHL All Star Games (97-98, 00-01, and 03-04) was named to the 1997–98 NHL — Second All-Star Team (defenceman), and won the 2004 Norris Trophy as NH'sL Top Defenseman. During his playing days, Scott won every major championship in Hockey: Stanley Cup (4 Times), World Junior Championship, Gold Medal, and Memorial Cup Championship, the only player in hockey history to ever accomplish this feet.
For all that Scott has ever done for the Devils organizations and for the sport of hockey, I can safely speakly for most hockey fans when I say this: THANK YOU SCOTT!
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