Devils fire Ray Shero as GM

In one of the two news items that were rather large on Sunday for TRS, the New Jersey Devils announced the "mutual parting of the ways" with general manager Ray Shero shortly before their game with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

I watched the game and the Devils notched their second win on consecutive evenings against Eastern Conference powerhouses after a Saturday pasting of Washington on the road, with a 2-1 win over Tampa Bay.

The Devils currently are in last place in the Metropolitan Division and were next to last in both the Eastern Conference and the entire NHL before their pair of victories moved them past Ottawa in the East and Anaheim and Los Angeles overall and after high expectations for the Devils after drafting Jack Hughes, trading for P.K. Subban, importing Nikita Gusev from the KHL and signing Wayne Simmonds as a free agent, the season can be considered nothing but disappointing thus far.
In addition to those disappointments, the Devils suffered through not the slow team start, but a slow start with Taylor Hall on the ice and off the ice as it seemed unlikely that Hall was going to return to the Devils next season by signing an extension and avoiding the free-agent market.

The trade of Taylor Hall to Arizona well before the trade deadline for a return that some wondered about (Not me, as I don't claim to be a hockey prospect expert), but considering by that point that Hall had decided to test the waters and that for all his talent, Hall can be a fragile egg and with one injury, the Devils could have gotten nothing for Hall.
I won't knock Shero for moving Hall so quickly and the returns for rentals in recent times haven't been as bountiful as in the past, but ownership must have wondered with the deadline on its way about Shero's future and decided to have someone else make the decision on deals to accept for rentals Wayne Simmonds, Andy Greene, and Sami Vatanen.

However, the two problems that hurt Ray Shero, in the end, saw one by his own hand and the other was a problem that he could never solve, yet was not one he created.
The decision to hold onto John Hynes as the head coach for longer than he should have allowed sent this season out of control and put it in the no way out position.
I don't think Hynes is a bad coach and he may do a fine job in Nashville, where he has since been hired, but in such a pivotal season for the franchise, Shero could be blamed for not making that decision fast enough to attempt to derail the downward track.
Loyalty can be an admirable thing, but in this case, it was taken too far.

The other problem was in the net, where Shero was hamstrung by the seven-year contract extension that Cory Schneider was signed to by Lou Lamoriello in 2014.
That contract still has two years to go after this season and the Devils have been unable to solve the problem since 2016-17, which is when Schneider's play began to decline and only got worse in each successive season.
It wasn't Shero's fault to inherit the Schneider contract and it wasn't his fault that Schneider's career fell through the ice, but his inability to find anyone to shore the position up and as a result force-feed Mackenzie Blackwood into the lineup is on his plate and was a major reason for the disappointing Shero tenure.

Assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald was named the interim general manager with Martin Brodeur making his first move into the Devils as an advisor on the hockey side.
Fitzgerald moved to the coaching staff earlier this season as the Devils attempted to right the ship under John Hynes and has been mentioned as a potential GM in the league.
As for Brodeur, who knows whether he would be a successful general manager or not, but considering his status as the greatest player in the organization's history, if he wants this job either now, later, or eventually- he will be the people's choice.
Either of the two could have a leg up on the competition for the permanent job if they can do well in their potential returns in those inevitable deadline trades.

When expectations aren't met, changes will be made and the Devils ownership is likely in the middle of missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons, so it makes sense to make the move now and avoid Ray Shero making the decisions for a team that has decided to move on from him.
The question is will the owners make the right choice for the Devils future.
Remember the hire that you make to replace the unsuccessful person is the most important that you can make because if they fail over a five-year term, you have a decade of failure on your hand- That is a mistake that a team in a three-team market simply cannot afford to make.

Memories of Marty

The New Jersey Devils retired the number of the greatest goaltender in the history of the game last night before the Devils 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers.
I missed the third period (and Reid Boucher's game winning goal) due to going to work a little early and the game starting late due to the ceremony,bur I was able to see the important part of the evening and say goodbye to our greatest star.

Martin Brodeur holds just about every record there is to hold in goaltending,but never seemed to get the accolades that he deserved in most of his career.
What isn't often remembered about the "Marty's Better" chant is that it started way back in the Stanley Cup Finals against Dallas when the hockey media continued to push another goalie as the best in Dallas netminder Ed Belfour.
I can see the argument (although I disagree with it) for Patrick Roy as the best,but no one else and certainly not Belfour and the Devils fans used the chant to tweak those that overlooked "our" Marty.

My first memory of Marty came without seeing him play.
My friend Joe Plum was a semi-season ticket holder for the Baltimore Skipjacks,who then played in the AHL and I would ask him about the Devils players for the AHL Devils-then located in Utica.
I asked Joe about this first round goalie and should I make sure I get a bunch of his rookie cards as the sports card bubble was still the rage.
Joe's response was one that I've never let him forget- "Ahh,I watched that guy play against the Skipjacks,he sucks,you guys have nothing to get excited about there".
I only bought a few (Not that they are worth a ton,too many made) and I remind Joe often about his scouting skills!!!

Marty's style was not exactly new wave,in fact-it was more old school than cutting edge.
He eschewed the butterfly for a hybrid and used his Spiderman like anticipation to make uncanny saves that most others would be trapped into guarding corners could not.....
Considering that the butterfly style has taken over not just professional hockey,but the amateurs and juniors as well,Marty's career may never be duplicated,but his brand of goaltending may not either.

There was always another goalie around that that was flashier (Henrik Lundquist) or more spectacular (Patrick Roy) and there were several flavors of the month through the years to get more credit than Marty and the reason that was often given for the lack of accolades through the years was that many thought that he was an above average goalie that was helped by the clamp down "Devils Trap" and tended face fewer shots than other goalies.
The lack of shots may hold a little water,but most of that is a myth-The Devils trap was successful in keeping shot totals down,but when a mistake was made,there was always number 30 waiting in the wings to erase that mistake.

Marty's stickhandling won't be seen for a while either-Think of the players that had a rule changed just because of their skills?
The infamous trapezoid was enacted just to control the puckhandling of Martin Brodeur and try to take away the "third defenseman" that the Devils so often played with.
The trapezoid did take away a little of Marty's "deep game" as he used to literally go into the corners to pass the puck up ice,but even with that eliminated-Brodeur was still the top passing goalie in the game.
Brodeur turned the position into not just a third defenseman,but as an additional part of the offensive unit with his passing skills.
Add to that his three career goals and you had a goaltender that could be considered a bonus part of the offense....

When you consider the players that play in the sport and consider the small number of players that reach the Hall of Fame or get a number retired by a franchise-that's a huge accomplishment.
Take that and look at how few get a statue and that shows the impact that Martin Brodeur had on this franchise.
The greatest goaltender of all time and we had him for his entire career with the exception of a few games at the end of his career (a cameo with the St.Louis Blues).

I often tell Rachel,how fortunate Devils fans were for years-we had the greatest goaltender ever,one of the hardest hitters ever (Scott Stevens),one of the best all around defensemen ever (Scott Niedermayer),a borderline genius for a long run (Lou Lamoriello) and one of the greatest announcers in the booth (Doc Emrick) calling all of our games.
It truly was a Camelot-like era and I'm not sure we can ever have that again.

Now with the official honoring of Marty,combined with the new (er) front office,coach and yes, goaltender.The era of glory is truly over and I hope to see a new generation of winning in the red and black,but last night was one final goodbye to our goalie-The best ever.
Thanks,Marty......

Clemmensen returns,Bernier and Gionta re-sign

The New Jersey Devils continued to prepare for the 2014-15 season with the signing of one player and re-signing of two more.

The return of Scott Clemmensen from Florida almost certainly means that we have seen the last of Martin Brodeur in the Red and Black,at least as a player anyway.
Clemmensen has spent the last five seasons as a backup with the Panthers and will return for an interesting training camp showdown with Keith Kinkaid.
The winner of the duel will be the backup to Cory Schneider with the Devils and the loser will likely be the top backstop in Albany with the AHL Devils.
This also is the unofficial goodbye to Martin Brodeur and despite all that Brodeur has meant to the franchise,this is the right move.
Brodeur is not a number one goalie at this time and the team cannot afford to go through another season with Brodeur and Cory Schneider unhappy over playing time.
The move secures Schneider as the number one goalie going into the final year of his contract before his entry into free agency.


The Devils retained two-thirds of their occasionally explosive line by signing Steve Bernier to a one year contract and Stephen Gionta to a two year pact.

The 29 year old Bernier had the least successful season of his three in New Jersey last season.but his game is well worth the 600,000 for one season,especially when you consider that Bernier took a pay cut to remain with the team.
Bernier will never be what he looked like he could be early in his career at other stops before New Jersey,but he's solid enough to be worth retaining at the price.

The 30 year old Stephen Gionta scribbled his name on a two year contract at 850,000 per year.
I might not have signed Gionta to a two year deal,but all things considered,the energy that Gionta brings to the ice could make this an OK signing.

If the Devils find a way to bring Ryan Carter back at a reasonable price,I'd be in favor of that signing.
It's not that any of these three are going to turn the world on with their smile,but they play extremely well together and if the price is right,why break them up and take a chance over such a small amount of money?

The Devils might have room for one more signing of significance,although they may not sign anyone yet in order to retain some flexibility under the cap.

I still have to get to the big news with the Cavaliers and I'll try to do that next time!

Shootout woes haunt Devils again

The shootout problems continued for the New Jersey Devils as they tossed another goose egg up in the skills competition and had to (again) settle for one point in a 2-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Rock.
The loss wasted a fabulous performance in net by Martin Brodeur,who stopped 29 of 30 shots and was only beaten by Cam Atkinson in the shootout.
Adam Henrique stuffed a Patrik Elias rebound past Curtis McIlhinney to tie the game (7) in the third period for the only Devils goal.
The Devils will not have much time to dwell on the loss as they hit the ice tonight against the Islanders....

Hell Raisers

1) Can you make a shot one on one against a goalie?
Please send your resume and/or video to Lou Lamoriello Newark NJ.
At this point,the team is so bad at this part of the game,they might be interested!

2) I have stated my opposition to the shootout before,so this isn't a Devils are bad at this,so Shawn hates it as I felt the same way when the Kovalchuk/Parise/Elias trip gave the Devils a wheelbarrow full of extra points from the shootout.
However,the Devils have now lost six shootouts and therefore six lost points-that is the equivalent of three regulations wins.
Think this team could use that right now?
I dearly hope the league does something to add to overtime to allow the winners to be determined from the TEAM on the ice,not just two players....

3) Martin Brodeur was brilliant in net.
He stood on his head for the entire game with the exception of the game winning shootout and deserved so much better than for one lousy point.
Which does beat zero points for the math majors out there.

4) Adam Henrique snapped a long scoring drought with his goal that (GASP) came from crashing the net!
Why the Devils do not do more of this has always befuddled and yet they never seem to do enough of it.
When you are offensively challenged,you need to try things and what better to try than things that can be done through hustle and are not affected by the level of talent...

5) Peter DeBoer said he did not use Reid Boucher in the shootout because he "hadn't played well and was cold".
Boucher is still the only Devil to score in the shootout and other than maybe Patrik Elias is the only Devil that looks even semi-comfortable in the format.
I'm not saying Boucher played well,he didn't and struggled defensively,but winning comes first-this is PRO hockey after all.
Nice to see proving a point is more important than winning a game-this isn't little league,Pete.

6) Another lack of shots on net evening as the Devils squirt gun attack produced just 17 shots in 65 minutes of play.
The offense on this team (there are exceptions) is ridiculous-lots of standing around and hoping someone else does something.To me that reflects badly on Peter DeBoer.

7) An example of Brodeur brilliance came on the only goal by Columbus in regulation.
Marty made two great saves and only when he lay belly first on the ice,did Columbus lift the puck over the prone netminder.
And that was even helped by Mark Fayne and Mattias Tedenby standing around like they were waiting for the damn bus....

8) Finally,I need to add this point before I go.
Readership here on Devils posts has increased.
Increased to the point that Devils posts have went from being the weak sister here to passing the Browns and Buckeyes in hits.
I give full credit to Rachel and my new friend Dom's Devils Facebook pages,who both put links to here on their pages for finding new readers,but keep this in mind-We tell the way we see it here.
I am a Devils fan,but these gentlemen aren't "my boys" (meaning I'm not their father) and when they play poorly,we will say so.
No one wants the New Jersey Devils to succeed more than I do,but wearing the rose colored glasses and parroting the house line gives no one any insight or things to think about.
If you want that,fine,but it won't be available here .
Thanks for reading!

Photo Credit:AP Photo

Magnificent Marty blanks Tampa!

Martin Brodeur stopped all 33 Tampa shots and Dainius Zubrus scored two goals ( 6 and 7) as the New Jersey Devils snapped a losing streak with a 3-0 win at a sparsely populated Rock.
  Damien Brunner scored the game's first goal (7) in the second period with a sharp wrister.
The Devils are off until Wednesday when they host Ottawa.

Hell Raisers

1) Martin Brodeur was very sharp in net as he collected his third shutout of the season.
I thought this was the best outing all season for the veteran as he was agile and mobile in swatting away Tampa attempts.

2) The best save came with the glove as Marty flat out snatched away a point blank bullet from the stick of Martin St.Louis.
Vintage work from the greatest goalie ever...

3) Damien Brunner was too fancy in a breakaway attempt against the Penguins Friday,but he must have remembered that as he was aggressive in a similar situation last night.
Nice moves and credit to Eric Gelinas for a nice pass...

4) Dainius Zubrus and Jaromir Jagr were busting their humps in the third period to pick up the offensive pace and it paid off with two goals for the line.
Zubrus has always been a player that teases more than produces,but I think something about Jaromir Jagr pushes Zubrus in a way that he hasn't been before..

5) Points to the penalty killers,who were strong all night,but especially at the end.
Tampa pulled Anders Lindback with roughly four minutes to go and the Devils stopped every attempt.
Nice work.

Devils pop the Penguins 4-1!

After a disappointing loss to the Los Angeles Kings (I missed it,thanks to a bad tape) that was reported to be a less than strong offensive outing,one could not be expected to think highly of the New Jersey Devils chances against the first place Pittsburgh Penguins.
However,I was surprised with a 4-1 win by the Devils with some excellent play between the pipes by Martin Brodeur.
The Devils were led with Jaromir Jagr scoring the final two goals (6 and 7 empty net),while the defensemen added the remaining two from Andy Greene (2) and Adam Larsson (1).
The Devils now head west for a three game swing through California.
Please remember that I will see none of these games,so either recaps will not be in depth or may be limited to side notes in case of Devils news...

Hell Raisers

1) Martin Brodeur has had shutouts this season,but this might have been his best game,despite allowing a goal to Chris Kunitz.
Brodeur was strong against rebounds and showed agility that belied his age.
Marty is on a roll right now and hopefully that can carry over into California.

2) Super to see Adam Larsson get a goal.Larsson sometimes still seems a bit tenative on the offensive end,but he is blossoming since the callup of Eric Gelinas.
I also loved Larsson showing some physicality as he crunched a Penguin as he came out of the penalty box. 
As hard as it is to believe Larsson just turned 21 and he may be beginning to make his move in maturation..

3) Jaromir Jagr seemed to be all over the ice even before his two third period goals,but the goals against the team that he started with must have been sweet.
The first was a frozen rope that cooked Marc-Andre Fleury (who looked less than sharp) off a Kris Letang flub up that brought to mind his sniper days.
The other was an empty netter that he battled for the puck,fought off the defender and added a spinning backhander that went into the net.
Not bad for an empty netter...

4) The Devils penalty killers did their job in killing off all four penalties,but Martin Brodeur stood tallest as he made 11 saves with the Devils a man down.
The goalie can often be your best penalty killer and Brodeur was in this one...

5) The Devils have ground their way back to just one point out of third and just as it happens,here comes a west coast swing after their first trip to the left side put them in the hole that they were digging out of.
Considering their issues-If you told me I could have three of a possible six points-I'd take it...

Photo Credit:AP Photo

Cam Janssen-Offensive Juggernaut?

The New Jersey Devils defended their home turf on Sunday night with a dominating 5-0 win over the Nashville Predators at the Rock.
Martin Brodeur turned aside just 15 Nashville shots in adding another shutout to his career record in notching the win.
Devils goals scored by Jaromir Jagr (5),Cam Janssen (2),Travis Zajac (2),Marek Zidlicky (2 power play) and Mattias Tedenby (1).
The Devils return to the ice Tuesday at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers.

Hell Raisers

1) Cam Janssen with a stat that is surprising to any hockey fan.
3 games,2 goals 0 fights.
Enjoy that ride while you can!!

2)  Jaromir Jagr went over 1,700 points for his career with his goal and assist on the evening.
Jagr is 7th all time in point scored and would be higher if he had not played a few years in Russia's KHL.

3) What I really liked about this game was the Devils finishing plays at the net and not overpassing.
The Travis Zajac goal was an example-one sharp pass and fire,I am hoping to see that trend continue.
Dainius Zubrus to Jaromir Jagr to Zajac-fire.Sweetest goal of the night.

4) Mattias Tedenby has been a disappointment in his chances with the Devils mainly because he seems to use his speed to get nice opportunities to score and then whiff on them.
Very late in the game,Tedenby grabbed a loose puck,drove to the net and got his first goal of the season.
Tedenby's skills has always intrigued me and perhaps this meaningless goal in a blowout will jump start Tedenby a bit...

5) Dominant Devils defense as none of Nashville's shots against Martin Brodeur were especially difficult ones.A few were cold one on ones,but none were amazing or tough....

6) Easily the best total game played all season by the Devils.
Solid goaltending,nice defense and finishing strong  with the puck makes this an easy call to make!

Photo Credit:AP Photo

5)

Devils send Avalanche down the river 4-2

In perhaps their most effective game of the season, the New Jersey Devils wore down the Colorado Avalanche and walked away with a key two points and a 4-2 win.
The Devils were effective on defense and scored goals in each period and generally seemed in total control of the game.
Dainius Zubrus scored the only goal (11) of the first period, continuing his improved play since being
moved to the line with Mike Rupp and David Clarkson.
Rupp and Clarkson's physical play has been opening up space by the net for Zubrus and lately, he has been taking advantage of just that.
In the second period, the Devils followed a Colorado goal that tied the game with a Jay Pandolfo goal (12) less than two minutes after the Avalanche goal that gave the Devils a lead that they never relinquish.
Jamie Langenbrunner slipped the W into the win column for good when his slap shot flew over the shoulder of Jose Theodore for Langenbrunner's 12th goal of the season and a 3-1 lead.
John Madden's 19th goal finished the Devils scoring, although Colorado would get a final goal that seemed a bit dubious to me as I thought the goal was clearly batted/deflected by Marty Brodeur.
Marty was sensational in the win, which was his 40th of the year, with one of his greatest saves ever as he stopped a certain goal with a stick save behind his back while prone on the ice!
Tremendous game by Marty in finishing the Western road swing on a high note.
Patrik Elias missed the game with a bruised knee and is expected to return Wednesday.
The Devils now need to take care of business in the division as 9 of their final 10 games are against division foes, the first of those comes Wednesday night in MSG vs the Rangers.

Devils Pitchforks
Gold: Marty Brodeur-Can add nothing else
Silver: Brian Gionta-2 assists and all over the ice yesterday
Bronze: Jay Pandolfo-goal and assist

In honor of Marty's great save, which is not on youtube yet, here is a video that someone did of their opinion of Marty's top ten saves.


Bullpen Notes

Manny Pacquiao lifted the WBC Jr. Lightweight belt from Juan Manuel Marquez by a close and disputed split decision win.
Pacquiao scored the bouts only knockdown in the third round.
I will have my scoring and opinion on the battle next week after the fight is replayed on HBO.





Congrats to Kent State for giving me another team to root for in the NCAA's next week with a dominant 74-55 victory in the MAC Championship game over rival Akron.
I pull for most of the Ohio MAC teams in non-conference games, but Bowling Green and Kent State are my MAC favorites.

Tomorrow, I will talk about the matchups for our teams in the NCAA's here.
It looks like Xavier and Kent State are in, Ohio State is a maybe, Maryland has a slim shot and Wake Forest is certainly NIT bound.

If anyone wants to join our NCAA pool on Yahoo, the league ID is 31696 and the password is devils.

Photo Credits
Brodeur-David Zalubowski-AP Photo
Boxing-Chris Cozzone-AFP/Getty images
MAC Hoops-Ed Suba Jr.-Akron Beacon Journal