Let’s revisit NHL goaltenders that accomplished a rare feat of dressing for the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders.
All three NHL clubs from the New York City area have been spoiled with fantastic goaltenders over the past four decades and counting.
Notable greats such as Martin Brodeur, Mike Richter, Henrik Lundqvist, and Billy Smith all earned success, and none ever dressed for more than one of the city’s local squads.
This led ESNY to answer an interesting question: What goaltenders have played for the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders?
Masked men and Stanley Cup winners like Glenn “Chico” Resch and Chris Terreri might initially come to mind, but the two strapped on the pads for the Devils and Islanders while leaving the Broadway Blueshirts off their hockey resumes.
Most recently, former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Martin Biron dressed for both the Rangers and Isles, but fell short of the trifecta and never wound up running with the Devils.
Martin Biron was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round (16th overall) of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, he spent the first half of his 16-year NHL career with the Sabres, later having stints with the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders and New York Rangers. pic.twitter.com/teqwKBUe2t
— tattooed goalie dad #31???? (@sandropacheco71) February 17, 2020
Let’s not forget that Al Montoya was drafted by the Rangers with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, but only managed to appear in regular-season games with the Islanders years later.
Here are three goaltenders that played for all three of the NYC area squads.
Mike Dunham
Ah, yes, remember him?
Mike Dunham was drafted by New Jersey in 1990 and later spent his first two NHL seasons as Brodeur’s backup from 1996 until the end of the 1998 campaign. After the Nashville Predators acquired Dunham in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft, the University of Maine product spent parts of two seasons with the Rangers during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 campaigns.
Dunham earned 19 wins during his first campaign on Broadway while posting 16 the following season.
The Garden Faithful likely recall that Dunham was acquired during a dark era for the Rangers — when Richter went down with an injury, which also forced his retirement.
Dunham’s most forgetful tenure was after the dreadful 2005 NHL lockout when he posted a 4-10-3 record with the Islanders in the 2006-07 campaign.
John Vanbiesbrouck
Former NHL goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck isn’t just remembered most for his decorative masks, but that he spent time with four out of the five teams from the Atlantic Division.
John Vanbiesbrouck
New York Islanders (2000-01)
Brown Excel setup#tbtendy pic.twitter.com/a4e3OMo0v8— Tendy Gear (@Tendy_Gear) May 10, 2018
The “Beezer” kicked off his NHL career with the Rangers during the 1981-82 campaign and took home the Vezina Trophy by the 1985-86 season. Vanbiesbrouck and Richter later shared the net together at Madison Square Garden while teaming up as one of the greatest goaltending tandems of all-time.
The Detroit native was later acquired by the Florida Panthers for their inaugural season in 1993-94 and dressed for the Philadelphia Flyers from 1998-2000.
No. 34 surprisingly returned to New York when he signed with the Islanders for the 2000-01 campaign. Luckily, for his sake, the Beezer was then acquired by the Devils in exchange for Terreri at the trade deadline.
John Vanbiesbrouck
New Jersey Devils (2000-01)
Brown Excel setup#tbtendy pic.twitter.com/2f45uyTk2K— Tendy Gear (@Tendy_Gear) September 14, 2017
The then 37-year-old served as the veteran backup to Brodeur, who was clearly in his prime seasons while the Devils were legitimate Cup contenders. Sadly, the Beezer didn’t hoist Lord Stanley with New Jersey. The Devils lost to the Colorado Avalanche in seven games during the 2001 Stanley Cup Final.
Most won’t recall, but Vanbiesbrouck signed during the latter half of the 2001-02 campaign after coming out of retirement, but the Devils were ousted in six games by the Carolina Hurricanes during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Kevin Weekes
Similar to Vanbiesbrouck, former NHL goaltender Kevin Weekes not only portrayed notable style with his cool mask designs but also finished out his final years in the NHL with local teams.
The 1993 draft pick’s New York tenure began with a brief stint on the Island when the orange and blue acquired Weekes during the 1999-00 campaign.
No. 80 only spent part of a single season with the Islanders but later returned to the Big Apple and stood tall between the pipes with the Rangers from 2005-07.
Considering Lundqvist stole the show on Broadway when Weekes’ arrived, the veteran left the Blueshirts but was still a member of the Hudson River Rivalry.
New Jersey inked Weekes to a two-year deal during the 2007 offseason, and most fans recall that specific stint.
The 6-foot-2 netminder teamed up with Scott Clemmensen during the 2008-09 season to replace an injured Brodeur. Weekes is remembered for cutting down the net for Martin when No. 30 broke the NHL’s all-time wins record in March 2009.
Regardless of the league’s pause, it doesn’t seem any current NHL goaltenders will dress for all three teams, but there’s a chance that netminders such as Cory Schneider, Keith Kinkaid, Robin Lehner, or Thomas Greiss could respectively sign with one of the two other organizations before their careers end.
