Former owner John McMullen first inductee to Devils' Ring of Honor

NEWARK, N.J. -- Former New Jersey Devils owner John McMullen is the first member of the team's Ring of Honor.

The man who brought the NHL to New Jersey in 1982 was posthumously inducted during a ceremony before the Devils' 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night at the Prudential Center.

Former Devils president and general manager Lou Lamoriello, now the Maple Leafs' GM, attended the 15-minute ceremony.

Brendan Shanahan, a former Devils forward and the current Toronto team president, also was on hand along with Ken Daneyko, Claude Lemieux and several more former players.

McMullen purchased the Colorado Rockies in 1982 and moved the franchise to the Meadowlands, renaming the team the New Jersey Devils after a fan vote. He was influential in bringing Soviet talent to the NHL. The Devils relocated to Newark for the 2007-08 season.

McMullen died in 2005 at the age of 87.