The Glowing Puck

If you were around in the 90's and were a hockey fan, you have to remember the picture to your left.

The "Glowing Puck" or its official name Fox Trax isn't fondly remembered by many, but there can be a case for Fox Trax being not only innovative and ahead of its time, but perhaps the time is right to bring it back to broadcasts?

Fox Trax technology was booed at the time by hockey fans as ridiculous and pandering to casual fans that didn't know the game with its blue glow and the red comet tail when the puck was moving over seventy MPH graphics.
The graphics are dated when you look at them today, but Fox Trax was the first step into developing graphics that sports fans love such as the first down line in football, which was a huge step in producing a better football broadcast.


Now for a surprise for the readers here that know me as a tradition based fan that generally doesn't love many of the changes in sports and/or sports television- I really liked Fox Trax.
I thought it really did make the game that was hardest to follow easier to do so and I thought it was fun to watch the colors as the puck moved around the ice.
I understand why veteran fans didn't like it and I was prepared to dislike it as well, but I found that it did what it was supposed to do-make the puck easier to find and the action smoother to follow.
It made hockey a little more easy to grasp for newer fans for sure, but I didn't find it as distracting as others did at all.

ESPN's Greg Wyshynski writes of why the time might be right to bring this back to the telecasts and I agree with him.
After all, look at the differences between today's broadcast technology and that from 1996 and tell me that there cannot be a way to have it be visible enough to do its job and yet not be annoying enough to take away from the game on the ice.
Imagine that with the look of high definition television and I think that is very easily done.
I would think that using it for special occasions at first to gauge the revamp would be a good idea.
An All-Star game, skills competition etc would be a good way to check the use without people going crazy with a playoff introduction.

Hockey is a sport that can be intimidating to learn to new fans as it is and as controversial as the original puck was, I think it can be helpful in attracting new fans and even in teaching the game a bit.
Anything outside the norm that is effective in teaching the game is a good thing.
After all, you are reading the words of a man that learned the rules of hockey from a fellow named Peter Puck.
Back later with more.
I suddenly feel motivated today!

Cleaning out the inbox-Sports Edition

The usual cleaning out the inbox begins with whatever this is to the right.
I've written before about my go-to site for Buckeye news and analysis being Eleven Warriors (located in the links section) and they did a great look back at the history of our favorite mascot-Brutus Buckeye.
Well,rather how we got to the current lovable Brutus from the beginning in 1965 with what looks like a lump of crap,to a friendly apple to a frowning apple,back to the friendly apple until 1975 when someone thought whatever the hell this hybrid of Popeye the Sailor and the Maryland Terrapin was a good idea.
Thank the lord that this was a one year experiment before the apple returned for a year and was followed by the eventual Brutus that we know and love today with gradual refinements.
Just looking at that thing makes me shake my head!

The New York Times writes about Jim Bouton,who disclosed at a recent SABR convention that he has cerebral amyloid angiopathy,a brain disease that has been connected to people that have dementia.
Bouton did the convention to discuss Ball Four,but the article talks about the book,his post baseball career,what he battles with the disease and much of the article is done through Bouton's wife,Paula.
I bet Jim Bouton has made more appearances in the inbox than any other person or topic...

We've been a booster of the Hall of Fame chances of Dick Allen-particularly with the continuing use of advanced stats that show Allen is a better choice than many already in Cooperstown's claim to fame.
Baseball Prospectus,one of the more progressive statistical groups,writes about their take on the career of Allen and his case for the Hall in an excerpt for the new book by Jay Jaffe-Cooperstown Casebook.
The book looks really interesting and one I might be buying soon!

FanRagSports (which this is my first time reading) gives a lot of facts that I wasn't aware of on why there isn't a hockey presence in Houston (NHL or AHL).
Apparently the Rockets owner,Leslie Alexander,has a massive grudge against the NHL and the article discusses all of these factors that have kept hockey out of Houston.
Since Alexander has placed the Rockets for sale,perhaps the door has been cracked for a return to the largest city in Texas..

The Big 10 network is giving Lisa Byington,a long time sideline reporter on the network,a shot on play by play this season with the Bowling Green-Northwestern game.
Byington will be the first woman to do the play by play on the network and follows in the steps of ESPN,who has used Pam Ward in the past and currently uses Beth Mowins for college games.
I'm fine with giving Byington a chance as I've never minded Mowins,although I thought Pam Ward was really bad when she did her games.

We wrap up with a quick look back at the 20 year anniversary of the Tennessee Titans spending a year in Memphis before their move to Nashville.
It's from the Memphis perspective since it's from a Memphis based newspaper,but I understood why Memphis was so bitter at the time.
It was Memphis that sold out NFL exhibition game and was mentioned as an expansion candidate and it was Memphis,not Nashville that supported both the Southmen (WFL) and Showboats (USFL),when Nashville couldn't even rate getting teams in new leagues.
However,Memphis made a huge mistake in not making the best of the temporary arrangement like Oklahoma City did with the NBA in supporting the New Orleans (then) Hornets in their pit stop in Oklahoma after Hurricane Katrina.
Oklahoma City earned massive league goodwill for the help and proved their market value and the NBA returned the favor when the owners of the Seattle Super Sonics wanted to move there.
Memphis may have done the principled thing,but not the prudent thing and the NFL will never forget that-Memphis was one of the first cities mentioned for the NFL for years and now they are highly unlikely to get a team ever....

Devils claim PA Parenteau

With the deadline later today to make the final cuts for the opening day roster,the New Jersey Devils made a claim and were happy to see another player go unclaimed in order to stay in the organization...

The team claimed PA Parenteau off waivers from the New York Islanders to add to the teams forwards.
The 33 year old right wing was signed by the Islanders in the off season after scoring 20 goals and 21 assists for Toronto last season,but apparently did not impress in training camp,leading to the waiver wire.
Parenteau in one way doesn't seem to be a great fit as his skating is far from a strength,but his 20 goals shows that he has some gas in the tank and he is surprisingly good in the shootout.
When looking up Parenteau's numbers for the link,I was surprised to see that his career numbers are 19 for 42 for a 45 percent success rate,which is nothing to sneeze at.
That alone should help the Devils,who seem to always be looking for shootout help.
I like the claim for free,especially since he is signed to just a one year deal,so if he's bad,it will cost little to let him go and if he is able to repeat his 2015-16 production,the Devils should be able to get a little something for him (think Lee Stempniak last year) at the trade deadline....

The Devils also were able to slide Scott Wedgewood through waivers and then assigned him to Albany.
Wedgewood lost a close battle to Keith Kinkaid for the backup spot to Cory Schneider and will likely be the veteran presence for the A-Devils.
Wedgewood will likely be the top netminder in Albany ahead of Ken Appleby as the Devils await the likely arrival next season of Mackenzie Blackwood,who the team hopes will be the long term goalie of the future,
Wedgewood probably is due to receive an NHL opportunity somewhere as the number two man,so either way (a Devils promotion or chance elsewhere),this is likely the last season for Scott Wedgewood in Albany..

I will be back later with Browns and Baseball talk,but trying to decide on Thursday whether to do a Devils season preview here or a podcast...

Devils cut Coyotes in OT

Adam Larsson scored 43 seconds into overtime to give the New Jersey Devils their second win in a row and their first home victory of the season with a 3-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes at the Rock in Newark.
Travis Zajac scored a goal (1 shorthanded) and assisted on the two other goal to pair with a Mike Cammalleri (2) goal for the Devils goals for the evening.
The Devils will now take on Ottawa Thursday night in their next game...

Hell Raisers

1) First win of the year for me as I missed the overtime win over the Rangers.
I hate when the Devils are scheduled against football as I'm usually going to go football.
Nothing pro or con one way or the other,just 82 games vs 12 (college) or 16 (NFL).

2) I have been critical of Travis Zajac for being overpaid by the Devils.
However,on this night,Zajac played like a player possessed.
Scoring goals,assisting on the other two tallies,winning faceoffs and being strong in the defensive end- Zajac had better watch it or I'll have to revise my opinion..

3) I noted in the last recap that I love the 3 on 3 format for overtime and I really do!
Wide open and free wheeling,the setup tends to give excitement,open ice and most of all scoring opportunities.
This came to the forefront in the game winning goal as the Devils stripped the puck,raced down the ice for a 3 on 1,but after Larsson missed Lee Stempniak with a pass,Travis Zajac wound up with the puck and casually passed back to Larsson for the open net game winner...

4) Have to be pleased with the development of Adam Larsson as an all-around defenseman.
Larsson was rarely used by Peter DeBoer,but since DeBoer was fired last year,Larsson has grown by leaps and bounds.

5) Mike Cammalleri's shot was a good one that eluded Mike Smith.
Cammalleri's game is best when he is used as a sniper and this shot was just that..

6) Arizona tied the game with under a minute to go with the goalie pulled as a Mikkel Boedker shot bounced off David Schlemko and dropped into the net.
These things do happen,so tough to be too upset with Schlemko...

Devils bitten by Shark shootout 2-1

Adam Henrique tipped in (2 Power Play) a Damon Severson shot late in the third period to give the New Jersey Devils their first point of the year by forcing overtime against the San Jose Sharks.
That point would all the Devils would get as the Sharks would score with each of their two shooters in the shootout in a 2-1 San Jose win.
The Devils play on Sunday against the Rangers.but coverage is unlikely as they play at the same time as the Browns against the Broncos.

Hell Raisers

1) One piece of controversy was in the second period as the Devils killed off a penalty.
Stephen Gionta drove the net against Martin Jones and took a light push,Gionta made contact with Jones and Jacob Josefson fired the puck into the net.
The referee quickly waved the goal off.
I thought the call was OK,Gionta made enough contact that the puck would have never made it into the net without the interference...

2) The Adam Henrique goal was a deflection off an absolute missile from the stick of Damon Severson.
The sound of the shot was even different as Cherie turned and said "Did you hear how hard that sounded" ?
It was so fast that it wasn't until the official announcement that anyone even thought about Henrique getting the goal!

3) Cory Schneider finished with 33 saves and stopped Patrick Marleau on a penalty shot.
Schneider wasn't a force in the shootout as Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns each beat him,but I thought he notched a nice game otherwise....

4) Other than that,it was another uninspiring offense night for the Devils,who had few offensive chances and seem disjointed on the offensive end.
This team just doesn't have the weapons to compete and short of a trade,they won't have one anytime soon...

5) Travis Zajac missed the game with a "lower body injury" and for whatever one thinks of Zajac,he is dearly missed on faceoffs.
The Devils might be suited considering their offensive issues to bring in a veteran that can win faceoffs because other than Zajac,the Devils sure aren't winning them now..

6) I love the 3 on 3 overtime!
It flows so much with all the open ice and I had as much fun watching the overtime as I have watching hockey in quite in a while.
I hammer on the NHL for their thinking and fixing things that often aren't broken (the shootout),but this is a great idea and finally they have a winner!

7) Mr Met was in the house and who could turn down the opportunity to use a Mr Met on the Zamboni photo???

Devils lose 3rd in a row.

A tepid start for the 2015-16 season for the New Jersey Devils continued as the Devils lost to the Nashville Predators 3-1 at the Rock in Newark...
Kyle Palmieri scored ( 1 power play) for the only Devils goal.
Keith Kinkaid stopped 17 shots in another start in goal.
The Devils now are off until Friday when they host the San Jose Sharks..

Hell Raisers

1) This was a horrible game to watch.
Next to no action for the game until the last two and a half minutes.
Just awful from both teams...

2) I know the "New Devils" are heavily into analytics and the numbers that come with the game.
I have never claimed to know hockey from top to bottom as much as I do the other three major sports and I realize that numbers indeed can be a help,but pulling your goaltender with roughly three minutes to go and your team already with a man advantage smacked me as being dumb.
I understood the risks of pulling the goalie in Washington with a man down and losing on the scoreboard,but on this night-it made zero sense...

3) I just didn't see a lot of urgency in this game or a ton of hustle.
I realize this is a rebuild and I don't expect to win a lot of games,but I do expect development and I do expect effort.
There was not enough of either on this night.

4) I thought Keith Kinkaid was fine in goal,
The goal he allowed (to Roman Josi) was one that he couldn't be liable for as he had to respect Shea Weber's shot.
All and all,this loss goes far more on the lack of offense than anything Keith Kinkaid did...

5) Cory Schneider missed the game due to the birth of his child.
Yann Danis was brought up to back up Keith Kinkaid and Reid Boucher was sent to Albany in a paper move to accommodate the evenings roster.

6) Finally,this.The Devils are not a good hockey team.
They are going to constantly struggle to score goals and they aren't going to win many games.
It will be interesting to see how John Hynes handles a lot of losing and how he deals with players that will not be part of a long term plan.
As Patrick Swayze once said in Road House "It's going to get worse before it gets better",,,

Devils capped in Washington

The New Jersey Devils played the Washington Capitals even for two periods before being dominated in the third period in a 5-3 loss in Washington.
Devils goals to Adam Henrique (1),Eric Gelinas (1 Powerplay) and Mike Cammalleri (1).
Keith Kinkaid allowed four goals to go with 22 saves.
New Jersey returns home in another attempt for their first win against Nashville...

Hell Raisers

1) What a lousy third period for the Devils,
Washington turned on jets that the Devils lack and it seemed the Devils were awfully flat.
A team lacking talent cannot afford to be anything other than top level,if they want a chance to win..

2) The Alexander Ovechkin goal going around and through John Moore was pretty sharp.
I suppose that's why he's tops in the game in scoring!

3) Moore was hit by a shot off the Ovechkin stick and after the game had a badly bruised and swollen arm.
No word on status for Nashville.

4) The Devils specialty teams has highs and lows.
They allowed a shorthanded goal to Jason Chimera and a power play to Marcus Johannson,but did kill off a 5 on 3 situation,so there is some promise.

5) The Mike Cammalleri goal looked familiar as Jason Chimera of Washington put the puck in his own net.

6) John Hynes pulled Keith Kinkaid with the team shorthanded and with over three minutes to play.
The decision seems a bit odd,but the Devils are reported to be heavily entering the statistical analytical world and those numbers could be more favorable than one thinks.

7) Eric Gelinas scored on the power play after sitting out the opener,but Damon Severson was scratched for the Washington game.
The puzzling part is the activating of David Schlemko for the second night in a row.
Playing a journeyman like Schlemko over the young blueliners are the type of thing that I criticized Peter DeBoer for....

New Jersey Devils Preview

The New Jersey Devils continue to rebuild and rebrand as for the first time since parachute pants were in style,Lou Lamoriello isn't calling the shots.

With a new coach (John Hynes) and a new general manager (Ray Shero) in town running a team still adjusting to relatively new ownership,the New Jersey Devils are a team that is either in transition (best case scenario),rebuilding or in the worse case-a total reconstruction from a team that could,depending upon how the cookie crumbles-be the worst team in the game...

The Devils still have huge scoring questions and because these things are always so fluid,I'm not going to even try to group the forwards by line,so I'll discuss by the returning players and then the newcomers...

Travis Zajac returns with the heftiest paycheck,if not the largest production with just 25 points last season.
I could live with the 11 goals,but the 14 assists from a player that is best known for his passing being his top offensive asset needs to at least double,if the Devils have any hopes of improvement.
Mike Cammalleri scored 27 goals in 68 games,so the oft-injured Cammalleri notched a strong first season with the Devils.
If Cammalleri can stay fairly healthy,30 goals isn't out of the question for a team in desperate need of people to put the puck in the net.
Adam Henrique's goals dropped from 25 to 16,I think Henrique is more of a 20 goal scorer,so if the Devils got that production from the player that will eventually be a captain,I (and they) would be pleased.
After those three,you just cannot count on anything from the remaining returnees.
Patrik Elias will miss the start of the season with an injured knee,is now 39 and appears to be fading badly.
Anything out of Elias should be considered a plus.
Jordin Tootoo scored ten goals and brings a gritty game to the table,but is unlikely to give you ten goals every year.
Stephen Gionta is much like Tootoo and brings fourth line energy,but not much in the way of offense.
Jacob Josefson showed signs last season of perhaps beginning to break away from disappointment,but this could be his last opportunity to break into the lineup as a featured player.
I've always liked Tuomo Ruutu,but at this stage of his career,he is the "Roger Dorn" of the Devils-High priced without the numbers to back it up.
Reid Boucher and Stefan Matteau both come to New Jersey after spending most of last season with the AHL Albany Devils.
Boucher brings some speed to the lineup,Matteau is more of a power forward type,but both have plenty to prove with the parent club.

The Devils have added a few forwards from outside the organization to accent the new attitude that is intent on speeding up the slowest team in the league.
I think they have done that,although the jury is out on how much actual scoring they have added.
Kyle Palmieri was obtained during the draft for a draft pick with the salary cap challenged Ducks.
Palmieri brings some speed and scored 14 goals in each of the last two seasons.
With the increased playing time,Palmieri could approach 20 goals .
Jiri Tlusty was signed as a free agent after he split last season between Carolina and Winnipeg.
Tlusty had a career year in the lockout year (23 goals in 48 games) and has scored 16 and 14 since.
Tlusty could surprise and with a one year deal should be highly motivated.
Well traveled Lee Stempniak (the Devils will be his eighth team) made the team after coming to camp without a contract.
Stempniak has not finished with double digit goals since 2011-12 and I'm not really sure just what he has left at this stage.
24 year old Sergei Kalinin arrives from the KHL,but his all-time goal high in a league not known for defense is only 12,so Kalinin has question marks as well.
Brian O'neill was traded for with the Kings after being the AHL MVP last season.
O'neill is undersized (5'9) and 27 years old,but reported to be a skilled skater and scored over 20 goals in each of the last two seasons in Manchester....
Not the most overwhelming bunch as far as offense,but they should be quicker than last year's group and change doesn't come overnight...

The defense is the part to be excited about.
Andy Greene is the veteran as well as the most well rounded of the corps and Greene could be named as captain.
I would not be surprised to see his name floated as trade deadline bait and could bring a nice return.
Adam Larsson signed a long term contract and played very well once the Devils fired Peter DeBoer last season.
I look for Larsson to put together an excellent season.
Jon Merrill was a DeBoer favorite,who did the opposite of Larsson and regressed after DeBoer got the axe.
Hopefully,Merrill can bounce back.
Damon Severson looked very promising before an injury cost him 30 games and I really look for him to take a leap forward.
Eric Gelinas may have some defensive issues,but with a booming shot,should be a power play specialist at worst...
Former Ranger John Moore was signed as a free agent after finishing last season in Arizona and David Schlemko should fill the seventh defenseman role after playing for three teams last year.
I like this group for the most part and the young defensemen getting consistent time to mature and grow should be the most fun thing to watch this season.

Cory Schneider and Keith Kinkaid return in goal from last season after strong seasons from both.
If the Devils are going to have any chance at all for a playoff spot,both will have to repeat their seasons,if not improve.

John Hynes will be the youngest coach in the league and there will be a learning curve for the former AHL coach of the year.
It'll be fun to see how Hynes handles the new job and who breaks out as a surprise in playing time that we don't expect.

I don't think this is a playoff team unless Cory Schneider stands on his head and carries the Devils there.
Other than that possibility.I just don't see it happening.
The ceiling for this team-Everything goes perfect and the Devils earn the 7th or 8th seed in the Eastern Conference.
The floor will be that they are the worst team in hockey and the Devils have the highest chance of the top overall draft pick before the new draft lottery ( the lottery now determines the 1st 3 picks).
Split the difference and I'll say somewhere in the lowest five teams in the league,likely not the worst as they battle with Carolina to stay out of the basement in the Metropolitan Division....

Cleaning out the inbox

Time to clean the inbox with a few notes from the sports world and from outside of it.

The Hubble Space Telescope has taken a picture that is simply dazzling and thought provoking.
This shot (Moon added for scale purposes) shows the Andromeda Galaxy (our nearest neighbor) and each tiny speck of light is a star.
The picture is an amalgam of 7,398 single exposures and then processed together to create the one picture.
Read the article for more detail on what you can see,but when you look at the size of the galaxy (slightly larger than our Milky Way) and then consider that there are hundreds of BILLIONS of galaxies,I'll never agree that there is not life somewhere in that vast space.
I just don't see that as a viable possibility......

I'm pretty excited about this upcoming year with planned trips (thank you falling gas prices!) and baseball season,but two things that have me excited as a science geek are the chances to see two dwarf planets up close for the first time.
The Dawn mission is getting closer to Ceres by the day and will go into orbit in March,while New Horizons will zip by Pluto in July.
I love stuff like this and really think that I would have loved a career in planetary science.
Try to stifle your laughter,please!!

Jayson Stark at ESPN looks at the pitchers that signed contracts of seven years and how they performed during their deals.
We discussed the Nationals contract with Max Scherzer earlier this week and expressed concerns about the agreement.
After reading the Stark article,I am even more entrenched in the camp of this being a mistake by Washington over the long term.
However,if Washington wins a title as did two of the teams that signed pitchers to this contract length,I'd bet they would look at it as a good deal....

A horribly ugly shark was dredged up by a trawler in Australia and showed why even though it might be seldomly seen because of scarcity,it's so ugly that few would want to see it!
The Frilled Shark has the body similar to an eel and the teeth of a shark-as in 300 teeth over 25 rows!
The shark is usually blind and is rarely caught by fishermen because it usually stays at deeper depths than fishermen fish at with the exception of lower scraping trawlers/
Click the links for more because I'm getting tired of looking at pictures of the thing!!

Grantland writes about the documentary Red Army,which is a film about the powerhouse hockey program of the Soviet Union and talks to the stars of the day.
The film is highly regarded and I cannot wait for it to come out on DVD,so that I can see it.
Three former Devils (Vlacheslav Fetisov,Alexei Kasatonov and Igor Larionov) are in the film and it looks really super........

Forgotten Superstars-Dennis Maruk

I bet that few of you know that Dennis Maruk was the first star of two failing franchises.
I bet fewer know that Dennis Maruk finished his career with 356 goals and was the main and often only reason to watch those two bad teams play,but both statements are true.

Dennis Maruk was the only star in the two year stint of the Cleveland Barons (love those Barons jerseys!) in the NHL and he was the first true goal scoring standout of the Washington Capitals at a time before the Capitals started making playoffs and struggled to attract fans to the Capital Centre.

Maruk would score over 30 goals for three different teams (California,Cleveland and Washington) and would peak with back to back seasons in Washington in the early 80's that saw him score 50 and then 60 goals!

The 5'9 Maruk was always a fan favorite with his small stature and fast skating came to mind a few years back when Martin St.Louis began to post big numbers in Tampa and to me their games have a lot in common.
The flair of Maruk in hockey cities failing at the gate and saddled with poor records often were the only reasons for fans in Cleveland and Washington to attend games at suburban arenas (remember when they were the rage?) and still walk away feeling rewarded at the end of the night.

Maruk only scored fewer than 28 goals once in his first nine years in the NHL in an injury plagued 1979-80 when he scored just ten goals,albeit in 27 games,showing him as a dependable goal scorer that didn't waver from year to year.
Sure,the 50 and 60 goal years were anomalies,but they are for most players,but Maruk was still a consistent 30 plus goal scorer and could be counted on as such.
Maruk dropped after those two seasons to a 31 goal year and Washington must have seen him as a fading player as they shipped him to Minnesota shortly after the season.

The Capitals thoughts were on the right track as Maruk was never the same player as a North Star as in four seasons,Maruk's high water mark in goals was just 21.
Maruk still ranks 9th all time on the Washington goal scoring list,which is not too shabby for just five full seasons of play and to this day is the franchises all time leader in points per game.

I would make the argument for influence on the franchise,Dennis Maruk could certainly make a case for having his number retired in Washington,he certainly is more deserving than Yvon Labre.
Welcome,Dennis Maruk to the Forgotten Superstars universe for a underrated career.

Check tomorrow for the beginning of a new interview!

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

Tomahawked in Chicago

It might have been too much to ask for the New Jersey Devils to stay as high as they were after their comeback win over the Washington Capitals as they entered Chicago and the waiting mighty Stanley Cup Champions.
It was close for the first 25 minutes and the game was knotted at one despite a pitiful amount of shots on goal for the Devils.
Thereafter,it was all Hawks as Chicago cruised to a 5-2 win.
Devils goals to Stephen Gionta (2) in the second and Michael Ryder (11) in the third.
New Jersey is off until Friday when they will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Sorry that this is late,busy going to my parents to celebrate the holidays....

Hell Raisers

1) First off,sitting through this game had only (and only one) benefit-I was able to avoid the Atlanta-San Francisco game on Monday Night Football and it's outcome that decided my fantasy league title.
Other than that-it was a waste of my time...

2) 12 shots on goal.Bleech.Not going to win games against good teams with 12 shots on goal.

3) Michael Ryder did make a nice play with his swipe of the puck away from Brent Seabrook and speedy backhander into the net.
That play was about the only glimmer of created offense all night as the Stephen Gionta goal was off a rebound.

4) Cory Schneider was decidedly mediocre in net.
It was not all his fault,but I'd say three of the five were "should have been" stops.
Not awful,not blameless and Schneider sure is not making a claim to the goalie job....

5) Damien Brunner will be out for 2 to 6 weeks after his knee injury,
This team will need a winger.Mattias Tedenby isn't it because he never finishes plays,Ryane Clowe is unlikely to stay healthy and he isn't back yet anyway.
Could the Devils be in the trade business soon? Perhaps.....

Finally,a Merry Christmas to my readers out there that only read the Devils posts.
Thanks for reading and happy holidays.

You CAN call it a comeback! Devils KO Capitals!

The New Jersey Devils twice rallied from two goal deficits in the third period and used a bounce off of Andy Greene (6) to knock out the Washington Capitals 5-4 in overtime in front of a stunned Washington crowd.
Devils goals (besides Greene) to Jaromir Jagr (13 power play),Dainius Zubrus (8) and Marek Zidlicky (4 power play and 5).
The Devils travel to Chicago Monday night and another powerhouse team in the Blackhawks...

Hell Raisers

1) I didn't think this team had it in them.
There. I said it.
Entering the third period after a horrible second on the road-the Devils seemed licked.
If the Devils manage to do anything out of this season and to me that would be simply making the playoffs,you might want to look back at this night as the start....

2) Jaromir Jagr was tremendous with a power play goal and two assists and even hit someone!
Jagr's sharp angle goal with the score 3-1 was delivered with stoic execution and Jagr clearly was the player of the game.

3) Not take any credit away from the usually frowned upon Marek Zidlicky,who came through with two goals.
Zidlicky's power play goal showed just enough to tease Devils fans with what he is capable of when he is performing at his highest level.

4) The Capitals might have been lucky to even get to overtime,if not for a mental clunker by Patrik Elias.
With Washington leading 3-2,Elias tried to make a pass down the chute in his own end,which was stolen and passed to Alex Ovechkin,who gunned the puck by Marty Brodeur.
Just goes to show,mental errors aren't exclusively the realm of the young.

5) Martin Brodeur was not good in this one.
The Mihkail Grabovski goal was excusable,but one goal was handed on a fat rebound,another he thought he had and didn't and the Ovechkin went through the five hole.
You know,Marty has bailed a bad offense out enough through the years,I suppose he deserved one like this...

6) Andy Greene is either A) having a career year or B) is turning into a defenseman that is starting to reach all-star caliber.
Either way,Greene's play was tremendous on this night and Greene deserves a bow...

7) It wasn't all Jaromir Jagr dominating,it was his linemates too as Dainius Zubrus and Travis Zajac each came up huge with Zubrus chipping a rebound off a Jagr shot in and Zajac assisting on both goals scored by the line.
This line was the dominant line of the night....

8) This one feels good,I must admit,but it is just one game.
Monday night will be very interesting..... 

Miffed in Montreal

The New Jersey Devils held the lead early,but it was not enough to earn victory in Montreal as the Canadiens held serve in this home and home in a 3-2 win.
Steve Bernier (3) scored in the first period and Michael Ryder found the net (6) in the third to account for the Devils scoring.
The rematch is in Newark on Wednesday.

Hell Raisers

1) The key player in this game was a player that didn't score a goal or get credit for a save.
P.K. Subban made two plays on likely goals to bail out Carey Price and save the game for Montreal...

2) Nice to see Michael Ryder escape from a funk with his first goal in quite a while.
Ryder's third period slapper briefly tied the game at two.
Ryder improving his play would be key for a Devils playoff run...

3) Martin Brodeur faced just 17 shots,but still allowed three goals.
Sometimes lack of work affects a goalie,but I still find that hard to say.
Brodeur was not at his peak in his first game in Montreal since the passing of his father...

4) Adam Henrique looked to have injured his leg and is considered day to day,
Other than Rachel being gloomier than when Will Pinwica-Worms was called up to Potomac,Henrique's loss adds to a team filled with injured forwards.
When your AHL team is not exactly filled with scorers,these types of injuries loom even larger...

5) Another goal for Steve Bernier when he redirected Anton Volchenkov's shot in the first period.
Bernier has now surpassed his previous season goal total in not just two games,but two periods -the final period against Buffalo and the first in Montreal.

This Devils rally gets the W!

The New Jersey Devils rallied again in the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes,but there was a difference from the past game versus Carolina-this one went into the win column as four third period goals gave the Devils a 5-2 victory in Raleigh.
Mark Fayne gave the Devils the lead after one period with his first goal of the season,which was overcame with two Carolina goals in the second.
New Jersey exploded with four third periods tallies against Cam Ward led by (in order) Andrei Loktionov (2),Adam Henrique (6 power play),Dainius Zubrus (4) and Jaromir Jagr (11).
Cory Schneider finished with 16 saves in his return to the lineup.
The Devils will return home to Newark Saturday for a night game against the Buffalo Sabres...

Hell Raisers

1) Of all the goals,the prettiest one was the one handed putback by Adam Henrique,who took a rebound off a Eric Gelinas bullet and chipped it into the net.
Very nice goal from Henrique and what a shot from Gelinas,who sent a Hurricane off the ice on the shot.

2) Jon Merrill looked to have scored his first NHL goal,but Dainius Zubrus would stake his claim to the goal as he deflected the puck by Cam Ward.
Merrill looks to be a good one as part of the Devils kiddie corps of defensemen.

3) Jaromir Jagr shot the puck off Cam Ward's pads and then quickly slid the puck by Ward almost in one motion.
Jagr also finished the evening with two assists to add to his goal.
I still wonder how Jagr's legs are going to hold up over the course of the year,but of late,Jagr has clearly been the top offensive threat.

4) Anton Volchenkov returned to the lineup in this one.
New Jersey is going to have some tough calls when Bryce Salvador and Adam Larsson come back and put the blueliners at full strength...

5) I've never been the biggest Mark Fayne fan,but I was happy to see him score his first goal.
Fayne (and Adam Larsson) seem to get the short end of the stick in the Peter DeBoer system as they get scratched at the slightest perceived misdeed,so it's nice to see them do well...

6) Cory Schneider didn't have to do much (16 saves) to get the win,but he was solid enough.
It'll be interesting to see if Schneider plays against Buffalo tonight.

Photo Credit:AP Photo

Devils rally falls shy in 4-3 loss

The New Jersey Devils fell behind early to the Carolina Hurricanes by allowing two goals and only a Travis Zajac goal (4) sandwiched in between two more goals put the Devils on the board in what loomed to be a blowout.
However,the Devils then put together one of their better offensive periods of the season besides just two goals as their offensive aggressiveness almost tied the game before a terrific Cam Ward save on Adam Henrique on what looked to be an open net in a 4-3 loss to the Hurricanes.
Andy Greene (3) scored halfway through the third period before Jaromir Jagr (10) scored with under two minutes to cut the lead just one goal.
The same two teams hit the ice in Raleigh on Friday night...





Hell Raisers

1) First off,the Devils came so close to tying this with six skaters on the ice as Adam Henrique was just robbed by a prone on the ice Cam Ward.
Nothing that Henrique could have really done other than try to put the puck in a corner and then he took the risk of hitting a pipe.
What a save by Ward!

2) The elephant in the room with the Devils right now has to be the comments of Cory Schneider about his lack of playing time after Martin Brodeur started his third game in a row.
I can understand Schneider's frustration with not playing,especially for the third game in a row,but Brodeur has been playing well.
The larger issue is this-Schneider is only signed through next season and after giving up a first rounder for Schneider,can the team afford to let him walk?
This situation will be very interesting to follow as the season progresses.

3) As for the aforementioned Brodeur,he was decent on a night that very good would have earned two points.
I hold Marty blameless on the middle two,but the first and last were softer.
Stop those and a loss becomes a win...

4) I really did like the aggressive play on offense in the final period and I was encouraged by the attack,but that does not make the Devils desultory play in the first two periods any easier to swallow.
Other than maybe Travis Zajac,which was easy because he scored the goal,none of the Devils forwards really stood out until the final period...

5) Jaromir Jagr's goal was number 691 and passed Mario Lemieux for ninth all time on the goal scoring list.
Imagine how much higher Jagr could have been had not spent time in the KHL.

Photo Credit:AP Photo

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

The Cleveland Devils??

I don't have a ton of information on this because I only have one source, but it is interesting to see how it could have changed hockey history and even could have resulted in the hockey team that I love-playing in the state I love.

Gene Kiczek wrote two books (I own both) on Cleveland hockey-the first on the AHL Barons and the second on the NHL Barons, WHA Crusaders, and other teams to play in Cleveland.
The WHA was the second league in the 1970s and was losing money hand over fist despite signing top-notch talent.

The Cleveland Crusaders played in a beautiful new building, the Richfield Coliseum, made the playoffs for all four years of their existence and had terrific uniforms and logo, but were still a WHA team.
The Kansas City Scouts were just two years old, but drowning in red ink with an awful expansion team and had owners looking to bail out.
Quietly the owners of the Scouts and Crusaders owner Nick Mileti began to work out a deal that would see the Scouts and Crusaders merge their rosters, play in Cleveland as the Crusaders and play in the NHL!
The deal was near completion when the now-defunct Cleveland Press found out about the rumor, the Crusaders players revolted (Some of them at least would lose their jobs to incoming Scouts) and the Crusaders fans protested.
The deal fell through, the Crusaders moved to Minnesota for a merger with the Fighting Saints and were soon dead.
The Scouts still left Kansas City at the end of the 1975-76 season and moved to Denver for a few seasons before becoming the New Jersey Devils!

So, would I be a fan of the Cleveland Crusaders had it bounced that way?
You know it, but there might not be three Stanley Cup banners hanging in Cleveland.
Lou Lamoriello doesn't strike me as a guy that would want to leave the east coast and likely would not have been the man to build the franchise in Cleveland that he did in New Jersey, so I have my doubts there.
But had Cleveland kept pro hockey, the New Jersey Devils would have never existed.
Looking at a third team in the NYC market, it might have been tough for anyone but John Macmullen to pull a move off to New Jersey with his local background
History spinning on a newspaper report!
Interesting to think about, isn't it?
Hope you enjoyed it...

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)

Shootout proves bedeviling in Toronto

The New Jersey Devils seemingly put together a template for a winning night in Toronto-strong defense,great goaltending and a little luck.
However,the one thing that has bitten the Devils all season struck again-the shootout.
Travis Zajac beat Jonathan Bernier,but his shot struck the post and James Van Riemsdyk scored the only goal of the shootout to give Toronto the extra point and a 2-1 win.
Michael Ryder's third period grounder that trickled through Jonathan Bernier (5 power play) was the only score for the Devils.
New Jersey will play Nashville Sunday in their next game...


Hell Raisers

1) Shootout woes continue as the Devils not only lose another one,but again fail to score a goal.
The team is now 0 for 14 on the season.

2) Cory Schneider was great in the net.I heard the overtime in the car on the way to work,but the Toronto radio crew were raving about a 3 on 1 save that according to them should have ended the game.
Cannot blame this one on the netminding.

3) Phil Kessel's regulation goal that he carried from the Leafs zone through until his goal was pretty to watch,but the power play that he scored on was set up by a bad hooking call on Andy Greene.
Greene didn't hook on the play,but that didn't keep the call from being made.

4) More on the Kessel play.Marek Zidlicky was beaten on the play and was called for hooking yet again.
Zidlicky did hook Kessel,but not enough to keep him from shooting.
If you are beaten so badly that you feel you must take a penalty to keep the opponent from scoring-Eliminate the Play! Zidlicky committed the penalty and didn't ruin the play....

5) Eric Gelinas played,put five shots on goal and assisted on Michael Ryder's goal.
Nice game from a guy who was on crutches the previous day.

6) The Ryder goal was one that reminded me of a baseball error as Jonathan Bernier didn't keep his stick down flat (baseball glove),the puck slid up and over his shoulder into the net.
Lucky,but I'll take it.

7) Strong effort on the road against a decent team with a hot goalie.
If someone can get on an offensive roll,this team could make up some of these points they are handing away...

Photo Credit:AP Photo