Artificial intelligence is taking over the world. Just a couple weeks ago, the Devils on MSG Twitter account asked ChatGPT to list the top-ten New Jersey Devils’ players of all time. There were a few of the expected suspects and a few surprises. Here is the list:
As passionate Devils fans ourselves, we have a few critiques and comments on this list. Who deserved to be there and who got snubbed? Why did some computer keep off a few players that should have been there? Let’s try to make sense of this list written by some computer program.
For those who unaware, ChatGP is, “large language model-based chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched on November 30, 2022, notable for enabling users to refine and steer a conversation towards a desired length, format, style, level of detail, and language used.”
The Usual Suspects
Ask literally any hockey fan, even Devils’ haters, and they’ll place Martin Brodeur among the top goaltenders in NHL history. Seeing him at number one was no surprise. The same with Scott Stevens, Patrick Elias, and Scott Niedermayer. With Ken Danyeko also on the list, every player who has their jersey retired by the organization is featured.
Speaking of the Dano
Who does not love Ken Danyeko? There’s a reason he’s beloved as “Mr. Devil” by New Jersey hockey fans. However, having him at fourth on this list seems a little high. Danyeko’s greatest attribute to the team was his longevity, playing his entire career and winning three Stanley Cups in the black and red. His name is synonymous with the Devils brand. That might be the reason ChatGPT ranked him so high.
Cup-less Kirk
One of only two players on the list not to win a Stanley Cup with New Jersey is Kirk Muller. Muller had some of his best years with the Devils from 1984-1991 and was the team’s captain until his departure. A good portion of present-day Devils’ fans were probably born after his Devils’ tenure had ended and he left the team just as the up window was really opening. Luckily for him, Muller did eventually win a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1994.
Unpopular Opinions
If you were to make a list of the top ten forwards in New Jersey Devils’ history, there is no way you could make that list without Taylor Hall and Ilya Kovalchuk. Fans may dislike Kovalchuk, largely due to his abrupt “retirement,” while also having a complicate relationship with Hall, but their skill is undeniable.
Kovalchuk was always a top five forward in the NHL his entire tenure with the Devils and even played with them on their latest cup final to date. Hall’s spectacular 2017-2018 season single-handedly put the team in the playoffs for the first time in six years. He also brought the franchise it’s only Hart Trophy.
Both had less than happy endings with the team that made them not fan favorites, to say the least. Hall’s departure, being traded away in the last year of his contract as a pending unrestricted free agent, was one of those “hate to see you go, but it’s just part of the business” type deals. We don’t have to tell you what happened with Kovalchuk. If you forgot, go Google it and read it for yourself.
New York Islanders’ “Legend” Zach Parise
It was a slighlt surprise to see Parise on this list. Then again, he was an extremely skilled forward for the team for a long period of time. Like previous examples of Kovalchuk and Hall, he also left the team on less than great terms and left without winning the Stanley Cup. Parise left the Devils after captaining them to the Stanley Cup final in 2012, to sign with his hometown Minnesota Wild.
Parise also didn’t win a cup in Minnesota. They were a consistent playoff threat, but only twice made it past the playoffs first round in the “Parise-Ryan Suter” era. Had Parise left and experienced prolonged and immediate success with his new club, the anger from Devils fans might have grown and still lingered.
Don’t forget Parise’s last act with this team was captaining them to the Stanley Cup final. Unlike Hall and Kovalchuk, he was also drafted by the team. Add that, mixed with his talent and improved relations with Devils fans, makes him being included on this list very understandable.
Final Thoughts
As you can tell, it is certainly the quiet time of the offseason. However, it is always a fun practice to look back on the franchise greats. How would your list compare to one that was made by a computer program?