Looking At New Jersey Devils’ Unsung Heroes: Valeri Zelepukin

Every NHL team has its marque players or players that make up the “core.” Some franchises rely on their core more than others, but what separates the good teams from the great teams are the other guys, the role player, the grinders, the unsung heroes. Throughout its existence, the New Jersey Devils have had their fair share of unsung heroes. This is the first post in a series dedicated to those guys. The non-flashy guys that didn’t make all the headlines, but made a difference when it counted most.

Today, we look at Valeri Zelepukin, a Russian-born winger drafted by the Devils in the 11th round, 221st overall in the 1990 NHL draft. Zelepukin was part of the new wave of European players…