Devils Won’t Leave Town

After threats to move and months of negotiations, the Devils have made it official - they are staying in New Jersey for at least 12 more years.

The NHL team signed a lease to remain at the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., ending a contentious stretch during which the Devils won their first Stanley Cup and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority sued to keep them from going to Nashville, Tenn.

The agreement isn’t nearly as lucrative as what Nashville was offering, conceded team owner John McMullen, who credited Devils fans and Gov. Christie Whitman’s special envoy to the talks - husband John Whitman - with convincing him to stay.

The deal requires no taxpayer expense, the governor said, as in the move of the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore.

It allows the Devils to quit the state immediately, however, if New Jersey starts building a “major league facility,” such as a baseball stadium, without a team signed for it.’

Defenseman J.J. Daigneault was acquired by the St. Louis Blues from the Montreal Canadiens for backup goalie Pat Jablonski.

Daigneault, 30, is reunited with Blues GM/coach Mike Keenan, who coached him in Philadelphia from 1986-88.

Dallas Stars defenseman Paul Cavallini is ending his 10-year NHL playing career to become a full-time investment broker.