1987–88 New Jersey Devils season

Offseason

Hoping to light a spark under the team, team owner John McMullen hired Providence College coach and athletic director Lou Lamoriello as team president in April 1987. Lamoriello appointed himself general manager shortly before the 1987–88 season. This move came as a considerable surprise to NHL circles; although Lamoriello had been a college coach for 19 years, he had never played, coached, or managed in the NHL and was almost unknown outside the American college hockey community.

Regular season

On November 25, 1987, Aaron Broten scored just 13 seconds into overtime to give the Devils an 8-7 road win over the Edmonton Oilers. It would prove to be the fastest overtime goal scored during the 1987–88 NHL regular season.

On the last day of the season, Sunday, April 3, 1988, the Devils were scheduled to play the Chicago Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium. Going into the game, the Devils were tied with the New York Rangers with 80 points for the last playoff spot in the Patrick Division. On April 3, the Rangers were scheduled to play the Quebec Nordiques at home. The Rangers shut out the Nordiques, 3-0, to finish their season with 82 points. When the game ended, the Devils-Blackhawks game was still in progress. Both teams skated to a 3-3 tie after 60 minutes. For the Devils to qualify for the playoffs, they would have to score in overtime to get the win and the two points to keep pace with the Rangers. An overtime loss would keep them at 80 points and a 3-3 tie would move them up only to 81 points: neither scenario would result in a playoff berth for the Devils. At 2:21 of the overtime period, John MacLean scored the game-winning goal on a rebound slap-shot past Blackhawks netminder Darren Pang to give the Devils a 4-3 win to move to 82 points to tie the Rangers in the standings. Since the Devils had more wins during the regular season than the Rangers had, they ended up taking the Patrick Division's 4th playoff spot and thereby sealed the first ever playoff berth for the franchise in New Jersey. Here is sportscaster Gary Thorne's call of MacLean's overtime, playoff-berth-clinching goal:

MacLean...off the boards, Sundstrom, he's alone, Sundstrom...Murray on him, shot...that was deflected, went off the skate of Bob Murray the defenseman. Flipped up by Chicago, not out...kept in by MacLean, good job, MacLean centered Sundstrom. Sundstrom back to the point...Joe Cirella...Cirella got in, Cirella takes a shot, save by Pang, rebound...SCORES!!! THEY DID IT!!! THEY DID IT!!! THE DEVILS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THEIR HISTORY! JOHN MACLEAN THE OVERTIME GOAL! AND THEY WIN IT 4-3!

Season standings

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Sean Burke

Sean Burke was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the second round of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He earned national attention from his international play. He backstopped Canada's junior team to a silver medal in the 1986 World Junior Championships and a fourth-place finish for the national men's team at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

Burke went from the Olympics to the Devils. He started 11 games for the Devils in the 1987–88 NHL season, including an overtime victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on the final night of the season that qualified the Devils for their first playoff series.

Dubbed a "rookie sensation", Burke helped the Devils go on a playoff roll, defeating the division-leader New York Islanders in the first round in six games and then the Washington Capitals in seven games. Burke was one game away from the Stanley Cup Finals but lost in Game 7 of the Wales Conference finals to the Boston Bruins.

Playoffs

The team made it all the way to the conference finals, but lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games. In that series, head coach Jim Schoenfeld verbally abused referee Don Koharski, screaming obscenties and hollering, "Have another doughnut, you fat pig!" The incident resulted in a suspension for Schoenfeld, which the franchise appealed to the New Jersey Superior Court. This unprecedented appeal to authority outside the NHL gave the Devils a preliminary stay of the coach's suspension. In protest, referee Dave Newell and the assigned linesmen boycotted the next game. After more than an hour's delay, amateur officials were tracked down in the stands and worked the game wearing yellow practice sweaters. To resolve the incident, the NHL suspended Schoenfeld for the next game. Schoenfeld later admitted he regretted his comments.

Patrick Division semi-finals vs. New York Islanders

New Jersey wins series 4-2

Patrick Division finals vs. Washington Capitals

New Jersey wins series 4-3.

Prince of Wales Conference Finals vs. Boston Bruins

New Jersey loses series 3-4.

Forwards

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes

Defensemen

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes

Goaltending

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average