# 1983–84 New Jersey Devils season

The 1983–84 New Jersey Devils season was the 10th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974, and second season since the franchise relocated from Colorado prior to the 1982–83 NHL season. The Devils finished again in fifth place and did not qualify for the playoffs.

## Regular season
### All Star Game

The 36th National Hockey League All-Star Game was played at Brendan Byrne Arena on January 31, 1984. The Wales Conference defeated the Campbell Conference 7–6. Chico Resch, Joe Cirella, and trainers Keith Parker and Craig Smith participated in the All Star Game as representatives of the Wales Conference.

### Final standings

Patrick Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| New York Islanders | 80 | 50 | 26 | 4 | 357 | 269 | 104 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 48 | 27 | 5 | 308 | 226 | 101 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 44 | 26 | 10 | 350 | 290 | 98 |
| New York Rangers | 80 | 42 | 29 | 9 | 314 | 304 | 93 |
| New Jersey Devils | 80 | 17 | 56 | 7 | 231 | 350 | 41 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 16 | 58 | 6 | 254 | 390 | 38 |
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.

### Record vs. opponents

Patrick Division record vs. opponents :
Vs. Wales Conference
Vs. Patrick Division
1983–84 NHL records
Team
NJD
NYI
NYR
PHI
PIT
WSH
Total
New Jersey
—0−71−5−10−73−40−5−24−28−3
N.Y. Islanders
7−0—3−44−36−14−324−11−0
N.Y. Rangers
5−1−14−3—4−35−23−3−121−12−2
Philadelphia
7−03−43−4—7−03−423−12−0
Pittsburgh
4−31−62−50–7—1−68−27−0
Washington
5−0−23−43−3−14–36–1—21−11−3
Vs. Adams Division
1983–84 NHL records
Team
BOS
BUF
HFD
MTL
QUE
Total
New Jersey
1−20−2−11−1−11−21−24−9−2
N.Y. Islanders
0−2−13−01−23−01−28−6−1
N.Y. Rangers
0−2−11−1−11−21−22−0−15−7−3
Philadelphia
1−1−10−31−22−0−12−0−16−6−3
Pittsburgh
0−30−32−10−2−10−32−12−1
Washington
1−20−2−12−13−01−27−7−1
Vs. Campbell Conference
Vs. Norris Division
1983–84 NHL records
Team
CHI
DET
MIN
STL
TOR
Total
New Jersey
2−12−11−20−30−35−10−0
N.Y. Islanders
3−01−22−0−11−1−12−19−4−2
N.Y. Rangers
2−13−01−1−12−11−29−5−1
Philadelphia
1−0−21−0−20−1−21−23−06−3−6
Pittsburgh
1−1−10−31−20−2−11−1−13−9−3
Washington
1−1−11−23−02−13−010−4−1
Vs. Smythe Division
1983–84 NHL records
Team
CGY
EDM
LAK
VAN
WIN
Total
New Jersey
0−2−10−2−12−11−21−24−9−2
N.Y. Islanders
0−33−02−0−13−01−29−5−1
N.Y. Rangers
2−11−21−0−21−1−12−17−5−3
Philadelphia
2−12−0−12−11−22−19−5−1
Pittsburgh
0−1−20−31−21−21−23−10−2
Washington
2−11−23−02−12−110−5−0 :

## Schedule and results

| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | L | October 5, 1983 | 2–6 | @ New York Rangers (1983–84) | 0–1–0 | 17,403 |
| 2 | L | October 7, 1983 | 1–3 | New York Rangers (1983–84) | 0–2–0 | 19,023 |
| 3 | W | October 8, 1983 | 6–3 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1983–84) | 1–2–0 | 18,956 |
| 4 | L | October 14, 1983 | 4–6 | Quebec Nordiques (1983–84) | 1–3–0 | 9,961 |
| 5 | L | October 16, 1983 | 1–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1983–84) | 1–4–0 | 7,712 |
| 6 | L | October 19, 1983 | 3–6 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1983–84) | 1–5–0 | 14,683 |
| 7 | L | October 21, 1983 | 4–5 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1983–84) | 1–6–0 | 12,000 |
| 8 | L | October 22, 1983 | 3–8 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1983–84) | 1–7–0 | 9,643 |
| 9 | L | October 26, 1983 | 0–2 | Washington Capitals (1983–84) | 1–8–0 | 9,387 |
| 10 | L | October 29, 1983 | 3–5 | @ New York Islanders (1983–84) | 1–9–0 | 15,318 |
| 11 | L | October 30, 1983 | 3–5 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1983–84) | 1–10–0 | 7,516 |
| 12 | L | November 2, 1983 | 4–5 | @ Hartford Whalers (1983–84) | 1–11–0 | 6,435 |
| 13 | L | November 4, 1983 | 1–6 | New York Islanders (1983–84) | 1–12–0 | 14,981 |
| 14 | W | November 6, 1983 | 6–3 | Chicago Black Hawks (1983–84) | 2–12–0 | 8,856 |
| 15 | L | November 8, 1983 | 1–5 | New York Rangers (1983–84) | 2–13–0 | 19,023 |
| 16 | L | November 9, 1983 | 1–2 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1983–84) | 2–14–0 | 16,225 |
| 17 | L | November 12, 1983 | 3–4 OT | Calgary Flames (1983–84) | 2–15–0 | 8,807 |
| 18 | L | November 15, 1983 | 0–6 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1983–84) | 2–16–0 | 11,552 |
| 19 | L | November 17, 1983 | 4–5 | @ Calgary Flames (1983–84) | 2–17–0 | 16,764 |
| 20 | L | November 19, 1983 | 4–13 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1983–84) | 2–18–0 | 17,498 |
| 21 | L | November 23, 1983 | 1–4 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1983–84) | 2–19–0 | 8,718 |
| 22 | L | November 26, 1983 | 2–6 | @ Boston Bruins (1983–84) | 2–20–0 | 13,585 |
| 23 | W | November 29, 1983 | 3–2 | Chicago Black Hawks (1983–84) | 3–20–0 | 10,322 |
| 24 | L | December 1, 1983 | 4–8 | @ Washington Capitals (1983–84) | 3–21–0 | 7,461 |
| 25 | T | December 2, 1983 | 2–2 OT | Washington Capitals (1983–84) | 3–21–1 | 9,678 |
| 26 | W | December 4, 1983 | 6–0 | Detroit Red Wings (1983–84) | 4–21–1 | 8,582 |
| 27 | W | December 7, 1983 | 6–3 | Winnipeg Jets (1983–84) | 5–21–1 | 8,221 |
| 28 | L | December 10, 1983 | 2–8 | Philadelphia Flyers (1983–84) | 5–22–1 | 15,140 |
| 29 | W | December 12, 1983 | 7–3 | @ New York Rangers (1983–84) | 6–22–1 | 17,282 |
| 30 | T | December 14, 1983 | 3–3 OT | @ Buffalo Sabres (1983–84) | 6–22–2 | 11,246 |
| 31 | L | December 16, 1983 | 1–4 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1983–84) | 6–23–2 | 9,845 |
| 32 | W | December 17, 1983 | 2–0 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1983–84) | 7–23–2 | 14,009 |
| 33 | L | December 20, 1983 | 0–6 | Montreal Canadiens (1983–84) | 7–24–2 | 11,418 |
| 34 | L | December 22, 1983 | 0–5 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1983–84) | 7–25–2 | 15,948 |
| 35 | L | December 23, 1983 | 5–6 OT | Pittsburgh Penguins (1983–84) | 7–26–2 | 7,720 |
| 36 | L | December 27, 1983 | 4–5 OT | St. Louis Blues (1983–84) | 7–27–2 | 10,543 |
| 37 | L | December 29, 1983 | 1–6 | Detroit Red Wings (1983–84) | 7–28–2 | 11,954 |
| 38 | L | December 31, 1983 | 2–3 | Washington Capitals (1983–84) | 7–29–2 | 7,134 |
| 39 | L | January 4, 1984 | 3–4 OT | @ New York Rangers (1983–84) | 7–30–2 | 17,416 |
| 40 | W | January 6, 1984 | 3–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1983–84) | 8–30–2 | 10,193 |
| 41 | W | January 7, 1984 | 7–4 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1983–84) | 9–30–2 | 7,237 |
| 42 | L | January 10, 1984 | 2–4 | @ New York Islanders (1983–84) | 9–31–2 | 15,335 |
| 43 | L | January 12, 1984 | 1–4 | Quebec Nordiques (1983–84) | 9–32–2 | 9,050 |
| 44 | W | January 14, 1984 | 3–1 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1983–84) | 10–32–2 | 15,992 |
| 45 | L | January 15, 1984 | 4–5 | Edmonton Oilers (1983–84) | 10–33–2 | 19,023 |
| 46 | T | January 17, 1984 | 3–3 OT | @ Hartford Whalers (1983–84) | 10–33–3 | 8,994 |
| 47 | L | January 19, 1984 | 0–2 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1983–84) | 10–34–3 | 16,602 |
| 48 | L | January 20, 1984 | 3–4 OT | St. Louis Blues (1983–84) | 10–35–3 | 10,134 |
| 49 | T | January 25, 1984 | 2–2 OT | @ Calgary Flames (1983–84) | 10–35–4 | 16,764 |
| 50 | T | January 27, 1984 | 3–3 OT | @ Edmonton Oilers (1983–84) | 10–35–5 | 17,498 |
| 51 | L | January 29, 1984 | 2–3 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1983–84) | 10–36–5 | 13,184 |
| 52 | L | February 2, 1984 | 0–2 | Washington Capitals (1983–84) | 10–37–5 | 8,800 |
| 53 | W | February 4, 1984 | 5–3 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1983–84) | 11–37–5 | N/A |
| 54 | L | February 5, 1984 | 1–3 | Minnesota North Stars (1983–84) | 11–38–5 | 9,841 |
| 55 | L | February 7, 1984 | 2–5 | Montreal Canadiens (1983–84) | 11–39–5 | 9,796 |
| 56 | L | February 9, 1984 | 5–8 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1983–84) | 11–40–5 | 11,426 |
| 57 | L | February 11, 1984 | 2–3 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1983–84) | 11–41–5 | 5,837 |
| 58 | W | February 14, 1984 | 6–4 | Los Angeles Kings (1983–84) | 12–41–5 | 7,776 |
| 59 | W | February 16, 1984 | 6–5 OT | Hartford Whalers (1983–84) | 13–41–5 | 8,597 |
| 60 | L | February 18, 1984 | 3–4 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1983–84) | 13–42–5 | 16,971 |
| 61 | L | February 19, 1984 | 4–5 OT | New York Islanders (1983–84) | 13–43–5 | 16,556 |
| 62 | L | February 22, 1984 | 5–8 | Winnipeg Jets (1983–84) | 13–44–5 | 8,889 |
| 63 | L | February 25, 1984 | 1–7 | @ New York Islanders (1983–84) | 13–45–5 | 15,850 |
| 64 | T | February 28, 1984 | 3–3 OT | New York Rangers (1983–84) | 13–45–6 | 19,023 |
| 65 | W | March 2, 1984 | 4–2 | Vancouver Canucks (1983–84) | 14–45–6 | 10,864 |
| 66 | W | March 4, 1984 | 5–3 | Los Angeles Kings (1983–84) | 15–45–6 | 10,286 |
| 67 | W | March 6, 1984 | 6–5 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1983–84) | 16–45–6 | 9,231 |
| 68 | L | March 7, 1984 | 4–8 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1983–84) | 16–46–6 | 16,207 |
| 69 | L | March 10, 1984 | 5–6 OT | @ St. Louis Blues (1983–84) | 16–47–6 | 14,187 |
| 70 | L | March 13, 1984 | 1–5 | New York Islanders (1983–84) | 16–48–6 | 12,271 |
| 71 | T | March 14, 1984 | 3–3 OT | @ Washington Capitals (1983–84) | 16–48–7 | 10,365 |
| 72 | W | March 17, 1984 | 5–3 | @ Boston Bruins (1983–84) | 17–48–7 | 13,830 |
| 73 | L | March 19, 1984 | 3–4 | Philadelphia Flyers (1983–84) | 17–49–7 | 11,167 |
| 74 | L | March 20, 1984 | 2–5 | @ New York Islanders (1983–84) | 17–50–7 | 15,668 |
| 75 | L | March 22, 1984 | 3–5 | New York Rangers (1983–84) | 17–51–7 | 19,023 |
| 76 | L | March 24, 1984 | 0–6 | Buffalo Sabres (1983–84) | 17–52–7 | 13,073 |
| 77 | L | March 25, 1984 | 1–4 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1983–84) | 17–53–7 | 17,191 |
| 78 | L | March 28, 1984 | 2–6 | @ Washington Capitals (1983–84) | 17–54–7 | 15,807 |
| 79 | L | March 30, 1984 | 2–6 | Philadelphia Flyers (1983–84) | 17–55–7 | 13,756 |
| 80 | L | April 1, 1984 | 1–3 | Boston Bruins (1983–84) | 17–56–7 | 14,640 |

## Player statistics
### Regular season
#### Scoring

| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Mel Bridgman | C | 79 | 23 | 38 | 61 | 121 | -27 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Jan Ludvig | RW | 74 | 22 | 32 | 54 | 70 | -18 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| Pat Verbeek | RW | 79 | 20 | 27 | 47 | 158 | -19 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| Joe Cirella | D | 79 | 11 | 33 | 44 | 137 | -43 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob MacMillan | RW | 71 | 17 | 23 | 40 | 23 | -21 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Aaron Broten | LW/C | 80 | 13 | 23 | 36 | 36 | -28 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Don Lever | LW | 70 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 44 | -21 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Paul Gagne | LW | 66 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 33 | -22 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Phil Russell | D | 76 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 96 | -27 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Higgins | RW | 37 | 18 | 10 | 28 | 27 | -4 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Rick Meagher | C | 52 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 16 | -9 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Dave Cameron | C | 67 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 85 | -11 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Murray Brumwell | D | 42 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 14 | -5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Larmer | LW | 40 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 8 | -17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Hoffmeyer | D | 58 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 61 | -20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary McAdam | LW | 38 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 15 | -4 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Bob Lorimer | D | 72 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 62 | -28 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Antonovich | C | 38 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 16 | -15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yvon Vautour | RW | 42 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 78 | -18 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dave Lewis | D | 66 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 63 | -19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Daneyko | D | 11 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 17 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Kitchen | D | 43 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 24 | -15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robert Palmer | D | 38 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | -10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hector Marini | RW | 32 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 47 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Floyd | C | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rich Chernomaz | RW | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grant Mulvey | RW | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 19 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Maxwell | C | 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rocky Trottier | RW | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bruce Driver | D | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Glenn Resch | G | 51 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John MacLean | RW | 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | -7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Glenn Merkosky | C | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alan Hepple | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Garry Howatt | LW | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Johannson | C | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Low | G | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Goaltending

| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
| Glenn Resch | 2641 | 51 | 9 | 31 | 3 | 184 | 4.18 | 1 |
| Ron Low | 2218 | 44 | 8 | 25 | 4 | 161 | 4.36 | 0 |
| Team: | 4859 | 80 | 17 | 56 | 7 | 345 | 4.26 | 1 |
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG=Power-play goals; SHG=Short-handed goals; GWG=Game-winning goals  MIN=Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SO = Shutouts;

## Draft picks

New Jersey's draft picks at the 1983 NHL Entry Draft held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 6 | John MacLean | Canada | Oshawa Generals (OHL) |
| 2 | 24 | Shawn Evans | Canada | Peterborough Petes (OHL) |
| 5 | 85 | Chris Terreri | United States | Providence College (ECAC) |
| 6 | 105 | Gord Mark | Canada | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) |
| 7 | 125 | Greg Evtushevski | Canada | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) |
| 8 | 145 | Viacheslav Fetisov | Soviet Union | Moscow CSKA (USSR) |
| 9 | 165 | Jay Octeau | United States | Mount St. Charles Academy (USHS-RI) |
| 10 | 185 | Alexander Chernykh | Soviet Union | Voskresensk (USSR) |
| 11 | 205 | Allan Stewart | Canada | Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) |
| 12 | 225 | Alexei Kasatonov | Soviet Union | Moscow CSKA (USSR) |