The Devils needed a change, so they started by axing a pioneer.
The team did not renew the contract of radio broadcaster Sherry Ross after 10 years as the color commentator. Matt Loughlin, the full-time radio play-by-play man since 2006, confirmed to The Post he will remain in his role and will start next season with a new partner, still to be determined.
Ross was the first woman ever to call a Stanley Cup final when she was the analyst alongside Kenny Albert for the Rangers-Canucks series on NHL Radio in 1994, and she was the first woman to do NHL play-by-play when she called a Devils-Senators game on Nov. 25, 2009.
Also let go by the Devils were head equipment manager Rich Matthews, who held the job for 17 seasons, and video coordinator Taran Singleton.
The Devils would not give any specific reasons for the moves, and Ross did not elaborate on the series of messages she posted Tuesday on Twitter.
“I wish nothing but the best for the Devils players and coaches,” Ross wrote in one tweet. “But keep an eye on eBay for lots of NJD merchandise on sale soon!”
She followed Wednesday by posting an eBay link to a signed Taylor Hall bobblehead.
Ross’ ouster elicited an outpouring of support from a bewildered Devils fan base.
Ross was first hired to work in radio by Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello in 1992, and she left after the first of three Stanley Cups for the organization in 1995 to return to being a newspaper reporter and columnist. Ross went back to the radio in 2007, and her run included the past five consecutive seasons when the Devils missed the playoffs, including a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference this past season.
“ESPECIALLY want to thank former Devils GM Lou Lamoriello, for encouraging me to tackle a completely new career and make some history,” Ross wrote. “Professionalism and loyalty are qualities prized by [Lamoriello, who resigned in 2015 to join the Maple Leafs front office].
“Hope I didn’t disappoint. I hope there will be more women broadcasters in the future.”