Former City defender Sylvain Distin headed Everton's equaliser from Mikel Arteta's free-kick after 65 minutes with goalkeeper Joe Hart at fault - and as Roberto Mancini's men rocked under increasing pressure, Leon Osman rose spectacularly to beat City captain Vincent Kompany and head the winner seven minutes later.
During his tenure with the Devils, Parise rose to become the team's captain and one of the NHL's best all-around forwards, collecting eight goals and 15 points during this year's postseason as New Jersey won its first Eastern Conference championship since 2003.
Montgomerie gambled on the 39-year-old Dubliner as one of his three captain picks, ahead of more conservative options such as world number seven Paul Casey and Justin Rose.