2005 New Jersey Devils

The long-awaited return to the ice in 2005-06 was a happy one for the New Jersey Devils. The Devils wrapped up the regular NHL season with a sizzling 11-game win streak, finishing with 46 wins to only 27 regulation-time losses and 9 overtime losses, for a total of 101 points. That placed them at the top of the Atlantic Division, squeezing past the Philadelphia Flyers (45-26-11) and New York Rangers (44-26-12).

Seeded #3 among the eight Eastern Conference hockey teams in the 2005-06 NHL Playoffs, the New Jersey Devils had plenty of postseason experience. The franchise had previously made it into the tournament 15 times, including every year of play since 1997. The Devils have gone all the way to capture the Stanley Cup three times, most recently in 2002-03. That would not be the outcome this time, however. Even though they swept the New York Rangers aside in the first four games of the tournament, the Devils then managed only one victory against the Carolina Hurricanes.

In 2002-03, the Devils' resurgence to the top of the NHL was remarkable because key elements of their roster were reconsidered after succumbing to the Avalanche in the 2001 Stanley Cup finals. Popular scoring-line players Jason Arnott, Bobby Holik and Petr Sykora were optioned as the team went for a faster forward core.

"I think you enjoy everything immediately," CEO Lou Lamoriello said. "But then you have to put it behind you because you know it's not going to help you in September. Nobody is going to know what you did last year. You kind of allow yourself to get complacent if you sit around thinking about your success too much. But when winning gets old, it's time to get on the beach with a cigar."