Jersey Devils
The Jersey Devils was the name of a professional ice hockey team from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. They were not affiliated with the NHL New Jersey Devils.
The Devils had several notable players (below) and also won the highest scoring game in EHL history—16-15 over the Syracuse Blazers on February 24, 1968 at the Cherry Hill Arena before 4,583 fans, according to the local newspaper, the Courier-Post.
The Devils were formed when the Philadelphia Ramblers, a member of the Eastern Hockey League, relocated to Cherry Hill at the end of the 1963-64 season. The Devils played in the Cherry Hill Arena until 1973, when the team folded along with the Eastern Hockey League (EHL).
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The EHL split into two fairly short-lived leagues. The Northern teams became the North American Hockey League while the Southern teams became the Southern Hockey League, however the Devils (who had been the southernmost franchise in the Northern Division of the EHL) did not join either.[1]
In its final years, the team was owned by Jerome S. Burg and Bernard S. Levy Esq.; the vice president and general manager was Ross Turnbull. Jim Hay (a.k.a. Red-Eye) served as the head coach (player/coach) from 1971-1973. Steve Heilbrun served as the trainer. A few months after the Devils folded, the Cherry Hill Arena became the home base for the New Jersey Knights of the WHA.
Notable players and coaches included:
- Bobby Taylor, who was later a backup goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers under Bernie Parent. He later became a color commentator on radio and television hockey broadcasts for the Flyers (1976-1992) and then the Tampa Bay Lightning (beginning in 1993); he has announced that he would retire from his position on the Lightning telecasts once the 2014-15 season ends.[2]
- Dick Sarrazin, who later played for the Philadelphia Flyers in the late 1960s and early 1970s.[3]
- Marcel Pelletier, who ended his twenty-year career as a player/coach with the Devils in 1969.[4]
- Rosaire Paiement played the 1966-1967 season, scoring 125 points. He later played for the Philadelphia Flyers and Vancouver Canucks in the NHL.
- Vic Stasiuk, the Philadelphia Flyers second head coach was head coach of the Devils for two seasons, 1966-68.
- Gary Gresdal, who led the EHL in penalties in 1971-72 with 392 minutes.
- Larry Pleau, 1968-9 North Division Rookie of the Year who played several seasons with the Montreal Canadiens.
- Jamie Kennedy, 1970-1 North Division First Team All-Star Center who scored 630 points in 588 professional games and played briefly for the New York Raiders in the World Hockey Association. He is also a member of the Prince Edward Island Hall of Fame.
- John Brophy, all time EHL Career Leader in penalty minutes (3822), who played his final season as a Devil in 1972-3 (when he had 220 penalty minutes in 73 games). he later coached for one season (1978–79) in the WHA and three (1986-9) with the NHL Toronto Maple Leafs.
Notes
- ↑ "A to Z Encyclopedia of Ice Hockey". Retrieved 2009-01-16.
- ↑ "Legends of Hockey". Retrieved 2009-01-16.
- ↑ "Hockey Database". Retrieved 2009-01-16.
- ↑ "Hockey Database". Retrieved 2009-01-16.