James Devellano was born on January 18,1943 and is a Canadian sports executive.
24 Facts About Jim Devellano
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Jim Devellano is part owner and alternate governor of the Saginaw Spirit.
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Jim Devellano is originally from the Toronto area, growing up in the Cabbagetown and Scarborough areas.
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Jim Devellano spent time coaching and playing hockey, and closely followed the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlboros.
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One of the first players Jim Devellano recommended, Gary Edwards, was drafted in the first round by the Blues in the 1968 NHL Draft.
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In 1972 Jim Devellano was hired by general manager Bill Torrey and head scout Ed Chadwick as an Eastern Canada scout for the expansion New York Islanders.
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Jim Devellano played a role in nominating Al Arbour, a former player in St Louis, to be Islanders head coach.
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In 1974, Jim Devellano was promoted to director of scouting, where he would be overseeing the Islanders drafts.
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Jim Devellano served as general manager for the Islanders minor league affiliate, the Indianapolis Checkers of the Central Hockey League.
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In 1981, Jim Devellano was named assistant general manager of the Islanders after Stanley Cup championships in 1980 and 1981.
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Jim Devellano received three Stanley Cup rings with the Islanders; two as scout and one as assistant general manager and director of scouting.
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Jim Devellano was hired as general manager for the Detroit Red Wings by new owner Mike Ilitch in the summer of 1982.
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Jim Devellano was instrumental in bringing the Russian Five to the Red Wings.
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Jim Devellano drafted Sergei Fedorov, Vladimir Konstantinov, and Vyacheslav Kozlov while all three were still playing in Russia, and later played a role in helping them defect to the United States so that they could play in the NHL.
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On September 22,2012, the Red Wings were fined $250,000 by the NHL after Jim Devellano made public comments about the 2012 NHL lockout during negotiations between the owners and the players' union.
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Jim Devellano named Devellano Senior Vice President, and tasked him with providing advice and expertise to the Tigers' business and marketing operations.
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In 2006, Jim Devellano was named to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
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In 2008, Devellano co-authored his autobiography with sportswriter and radio personality Roger Lajoie titled The Road to Hockeytown: Jimmy Devellano's Forty Years in the NHL.
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In 2009, Jim Devellano earned the Lester Patrick Award for his outstanding service to the sport of hockey in the United States.
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Also in 2009, Jim Devellano was named to the Board of the Directors of the Indianapolis Indians, the Triple A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the International League.
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Jim Devellano was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on June 22,2010.
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In interviews and in his autobiography, Jim Devellano recalled that the one player he tried to acquire on several occasions was Ray Bourque; and that he recommended Scotty Bowman and Al Arbour over Mike Keenan as candidates to be the Wings coach in 1993.
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Jim Devellano said his best trade was probably in 1996, acquiring Brendan Shanahan and Brian Glynn from the Hartford Whalers in exchange for Keith Primeau, Paul Coffey, and a 1997 first-round draft pick.
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Recollecting, Jim Devellano called Islanders forward Mike Bossy "the best pure goal scorer" he had ever seen.