Sean was the 24th overall pick in the 1985 NHL Draft, and he was the first goalie picked that year, ahead of both Mike Richter (28) and Bill Rangers (52). Imagine the Devils wound up with Mike Richter and not the Rangers?? I would rather not think about that.
Sean was a good goalie but one of the things that drew me to him as a fan was his demeanor. He was a tough goalie to ply against, and he didn’t mind dropping his gloves either.
Check him out in action, starting around 3:07
Sean played only 4 seasons with the Devils, and as it sometimes happens, it didn’t end well. He sat out the 1991-92 season and played for the Canadian National Team. As I recall, he was upset both over his salary and his reduction in playing time after Chris Terreri arrived.
Sean was ultimately traded with Eric Weinrich to the Hartford Whalers in exchange for Bobby Holik and a draft pick that would later be used to select Jay Pandolfo. Hard to imagine the Devils not having those two guys, especially Pandolfo who would play for the team from 1996 through 2010.
Between the bad breakup and his short time as a Devil, I would’ve thought a signed Devils puck would be hard to find, but I got this one on eBay with relative ease. One of a select few of my pucks where you can actually read the signature. Happy to have it as part of the collection.
NJ Devils Goalie Puck Project 