6. Bruce Driver
Defenseman Bruce Driver is one of those original Devils. The Toronto, Ontario native was drafted by the franchise in 1981 back when New Jersey was out west and the Colorado Rockies. Driver first took to the ice at the NHL level and with the Devils back in 1983-84 and went on to play his next 11 of 14 seasons with New Jersey.
Driver was one of the few notable Devils that played with New Jersey during the red and green jersey era (1982-1992) in addition to donning the current red, black and white color scheme. The former sixth-round draft pick totaled 399 career points in 702 career games with the Devils while netting 83 goals and collecting 316 assists.
Driver’s 316 career assists are seventh all-time in Devils history and his career year with New Jersey came during the 1987-88 campaign, which saw the defenseman post 55 points while finding the back of the net 15 times and tallying 40 assists.
No. 23 played in seven postseasons with New Jersey and was a key member of the 1995 Stanley Cup team. Though, Driver decided to leave the Devils for the NHL’s unrestricted free agency after that Cup year and for the team’s biggest rival in the New York Rangers. The blueliner played three seasons across the Hudson River with the Broadway Blueshirts before retiring after 1997-98 season.
The six-foot skater recorded 13 goals and had 74 assists for 87 total points in his three seasons at Madison Square Garden. Though, the Rangers only made the playoffs in his first two seasons with the Devils biggest rival.
Like other skaters on this list, Driver was near the end of his career and was so close to just playing his entire career with New Jersey. Still, he’s one of the team’s top skaters that should have retired as a Devil.
