The New Jersey Devils have had notable stretches of dominant goaltending in their history. From 2003 to 2008, only one other netminder besides Martin Brodeur won the Vezina Trophy. More recently, the team has struggled between the pipes. In the 2021-22 season, the team set a franchise record for using seven different goaltenders.
Where starting goalies used to play 75-80 games in the regular season — shouldering most of the team’s starts — in today’s NHL, most netminders play close to 50 games with teams placing a greater emphasis on having a dependable backup. This new goalie tandem model has moved from depending on one elite workhorse to building a strong, complementary goaltending duo, many of whom are included in this list.
Here are my candidates for the top 10 goaltenders in Devils franchise history.
#10 – Vitek Vanecek
Although his time with the Devils was relatively short, Vitek Vanecek had a major impact on the team. Acquired on the second day of the 2022 NHL Draft, he brought much-needed stability to a position that had plagued the team for years. His 33-win campaign in 2022–23 helped New Jersey to its best regular-season finish in franchise history with a 52-22-8 record (112 points), ending a four-year playoff drought.
#9 – Johan Hedberg
Belovedly dubbed “Moose” by fans, Johan Hedberg finished his career in Jersey. He joined the Devils on an initial one-year contract after his time spent with the Atlanta Thrashers, eventually staying with the team from 2010 to 2013. With the Devils, Hedberg was Brodeur’s reliable backup, boasting a .918 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.22 goals-against average (GAA) in 2011-12. He finished his three seasons with eight shutouts, making him the only second-string netminder ranked in the top five in franchise history.
#8 – Scott Clemmensen
The Devils drafted Scott Clemmensen in the eighth round, 215th overall, in the 1997 NHL Draft. He spent the next few years as a Boston College Eagle, where he won the NCAA National Championship in his senior year and still holds the NCAA record for most career wins in the Frozen Four tournament.
Though never a full-time starter, Clemmensen was one of the league’s most dependable backups. His most notable stretch came in 2008-09, when Brodeur missed significant time due to an elbow injury. Clemmensen stepped in and went 25-13-1, helping keep the Devils in the playoff hunt – a performance that saved the team’s season and got them into the postseason.
#7 – Keith Kinkaid
In 2017-18, Keith Kinkaid was critical in getting the Devils back to the playoffs for the first time in six seasons, taking over the starter’s role late in the campaign and posting a 26-10-3 record, including a .913 SV% and a 2.77 GAA. In the last month of the season, Kinkaid stole the show, recording seven straight wins to enter the postseason on a hot streak. On April 5, 2018, Kinkaid made 32 saves against the Toronto Maple Leafs to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2012. His clutch performances and iconic post-game tweets made him a fan-favorite in New Jersey.
#6 – Sean Burke
Drafted in the second round of the 1985 Draft, Sean Burke had an unconventional start, earning recognition for his skill on the international stage after leading Canada’s junior team to a silver medal at the 1986 World Junior Championships and a fourth-place finish at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, where he transitioned immediately into the NHL.
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Burke joined the Devils as a rookie in 1987, starting 11 games, including a 4-3 overtime victory against the Chicago Blackhawks that sent the Devils to their first Stanley Cup playoff appearance in franchise history, helping a young organization establish itself in the league. His size and competitiveness gave a young Devils team an edge and drew new fans to the sport.
#5 – Mackenzie Blackwood
Mackenzie Blackwood began his professional career with the Devils, signing a three-year, entry-level contract after being selected in the second round of the 2015 Draft. At 6-foot-4 with athleticism and quick reflexes, Blackwood made an immediate impact, turning heads with a .918 SV% in his rookie season (2018-19) and finishing sixth in Calder Trophy voting. He earned shutouts in his third and fourth starts, becoming the first Devils rookie with back-to-back shutouts.
In 2019-20, he was among the NHL’s best young goalies, earning praise for holding a struggling team together during the rebuilding years and at the peak of their defensive struggles. Despite an injury that ultimately led to being traded, Blackwood gave fans a glimpse of hope during arguably the worst period in team history.
#4 – Glenn “Chico” Resch
Glenn “Chico” Resch, now known lovingly as a color commentator on radio broadcasts, used to spend his time between the pipes for the Colorado Rockies before they relocated to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982. The Rockies acquired Resch from the New York Islanders, where he began his career. In the Devils’ inaugural season, he finished sixth in Vezina Trophy voting.
Resch was the team’s foundation despite playing in front of a scrappy, makeshift defense. He was a constant bright spot in those formative years, bringing experience, leadership and personality to a new organization. In his second season, he made the All-Star team and finished seventh in the Vezina race. Resch wasn’t just a goalie; he was a culture-setter, a fan favorite, and brought stability during those early chaotic years. His place in Devils history is cemented as both a pioneer and an ambassador.
#3 – Cory Schneider
From 2014 to 2017, the Devils had one of the best goaltenders in the NHL: Cory Schneider. During those tempestuous years, Schneider was the one positive on the struggling team. In his time in New Jersey, he became the third-winningest goaltender in franchise history, behind Brodeur and Chris Terreri. He ranked second in shutouts with 17, and consistently ranked among the top five in most goaltending metrics. He was also selected to represent the Devils at the 2016 All-Star Game.
The Devils acquired the Massachusetts native from the Vancouver Canucks at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for the first-round pick (which they used to select Bo Horvat, now an alternate captain for the Islanders). Despite having the odds stacked against him, Schneider often carried that bottom-tier group, keeping the Devils competitive despite little support in front of him.
#2 – Chris Terreri
Although not the flashiest name on this list, few goalies played as crucial a role in Devils history as Terreri. He was drafted in the fifth round, 85th overall, in the 1983 Draft, and officially made his debut with the team in 1986. Terreri was in net for the team’s first deep playoff run in 1994 and started multiple postseasons throughout the early 1990s. He spent twelve seasons (1986-96, 1998-2001) with the Devils and was known as a battler for his quick reflexes and calm presence.
Terreri was steady, reliable, and widely respected by his teammates, winning two Stanley Cups with New Jersey. He helped build the foundation of the Devils’ 1990s identity: tough, smart, and team-first. He was the bridge between eras and played a key role in shaping the winning culture that Brodeur would later thrive in.
#1 – Martin Brodeur
Brodeur is the gold standard. He was not just the best goaltender in franchise history, but is arguably the best goaltender in NHL history. Brodeur’s impact on the Devils, the league, and the position itself is immeasurable. He had an elite combination of athleticism, puck-handling skills, and mental toughness that revolutionized goaltending. In more than 21 seasons in New Jersey, Brodeur turned the Devils into a perennial powerhouse and helped shape their identity as a defensively dominant team.
Entering the Prudential Center, you could often hear fans chanting “Mar-ty’s bet-er!” And he was. The Hall-of-Famer led the Devils to three Stanley Cup wins, and holds the record for most wins (691), saves (28,928), shutouts (125), and games played (1,266) in goaltending history. In the postseason, he had 113 victories and 24 shutouts, the most in NHL history. He was awarded the Calder Trophy in his rookie season and earned the Vezina Trophy four times (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008). He also won the William M. Jennings Trophy — awarded to the goaltender (or goaltenders) who allowed the fewest goals in the regular season — five times and received nine separate All-Star nods.
He was the youngest goaltender to reach the 300, 400 and 500 win milestones and was the backbone of the team for decades. Devils fans could breathe a sigh of relief when Brodeur flashed his leather – defying the odds and stopping the puck in unbelievable ways. He was a brick wall behind the team’s famous neutral zone trap in the 1990s, but he also proved he could dominate in any era, with any system.
His puck-handling ability was unmatched, and he essentially served as a third defenseman, recording 45-career assists and two goals. From his first game to his emotional send-off in 2014, Brodeur defined the franchise, elevated its expectations, and brought banners to the rafters. The Devils’ crease will always belong to Marty.
From the days when Brodeur dominated the crease and redefined goaltending excellence to the current era of tandems and shared workloads, the Devils’ goaltending story is one of both evolution and legacy. While today’s NHL demands flexibility, depth, and balance between starter and backup, the core traits of a great Devils goaltender—resilience, reliability, and leadership—remain unchanged.
