Devils Advocates: Joe Cirella

Long time New Jersey Devils defenseman Joe Cirella took a while to find his NHL groove. It did not help that high expectations were heaped upon him back in the 1980s when the Devils were one of the weakest teams in the league.

Cirella was actually drafted 5th overall in 1981 by the Colorado Rockies, and played his rookie season the following season in Denver. In 1982-83 the Rockies packed up and moved to New Jersey, but aside from 2 games Cirella did not. He was returned to junior, where he probably should have played the season before, too. He had only one season of junior behind him, and though he was dominant with the Oshawa Generals (at the end of the millennium he and Bobby Orr were named as the two greatest dmen in Generals history), he was clearly rushed into the National Hockey League and his confidence was shot because of that.

Cirella returned in 1983-84, this time to stay in the NHL for the next 13 years. Much of that time was spent with the Devils, but he also played with the Nordiques, the Rangers, the Panthers and ever so briefly with the Senators.


Read the full Joe Cirella biography