Stadium Series

Thanks to a couple of Metropolitan division rivals to spare the Stadium Series that had all but "jumped the shark" in Dodger Stadium the day before.  That was bizarre to see.

 A perfect cold Sunday with a little sun delay (what?!?)... Anyway, a seemingly good start followed by some terrible defense, odd-man rushes, and awful goaltending made for a bittersweet day.  Nonetheless, it was amazing to see the Devils on national TV, skating in Yankee Stadium.  A couple of highlights for me included Jagr's 2 assists that moved him ahead of Lemieux in that category, and a STRONG showing by the Devils faithful.  I find it funny that the Rangers fans' running joke is that they take over The Rock, but looking at crowd of half red in hallowed Yankee Stadium was pretty satisfying!

Maybe it's just me, but I'll take those Christmas jerseys any day.  I've never fully taken to the red and black.  Everyone and their mother wears red and black, but only a misfit team from Jersey wears red and green...

This Blog IS Alive!!

Wow, let me dust this thing off for minute...poof... (cough, cough).  So, it has been a very long time since I have posted here.  I'm not really sure why I stopped.  No, maybe I do know.  Life is nuts, and I'm sure we all can relate. The end of 2012 and most of 2013 were not good years for me.    Separation, divorce, new place to live, single dad, etc... You get it.  ...but time to turn the page.

Jets had a very mediocre year.  Though some say given the talent on the roster, it was a good year.  Hmmm... Okay sure.  I was not at all impressed with Geno, but not all QBs turn to gold in their first season.  The Devils are also very mediocre, hovering around .500 this season.  A few having solid seasons so far: Jagr, Ryder, Henrique, both goalies to name a few.  I guess January/February is where things really heat up in the NHL, so let's hope for a good playoff push.

Oh and we are married to the 76ers...say WHAT?!?!

...So I wonder if anyone actually reads this thing?

Marty & Zach

So, our two biggest free agents went the way that I thought they would....Marty's back and Zach has flown home.  Funny, if I had to choose, I may have gone the reverse, but it is a great story that Marty will finish his long and proud career in NJ.  You don't see that too often in professional sports anymore.  How many players can you think of that spent almost an entire career with one organization only to spend their last year or so somewhere else?  Though he's far from the prime of his career these days, MB30 clearly showed that he still has it in this year's playoff run.  Perhaps we rest him often again this season and keep him fresh for the playoffs... Anyway, welcome back Marty.  Here's to two more.
The Parise thing is a little less shocking for me.  I knew he was going elsewhere, although Devils faithful were in denial over this.  I'm not big into following players and their personal lives, so I only recently learned of his engagement to his ND fiancee.  It's not difficult to understand why he wants to play in Minnesota.  Family, future, etc.. He was already building a house there as well so maybe he had a really clear crystal ball.  I'm a little in disbelief that the Wild landed him and Suter, but I've always struggled to understand why certain teams have the money while others do not.  He will be missed, but somehow, I do not feel that the loss of our captain is the end of the world.  Minnesota is out of the division and far away.  At least he did not go to Philly, which would have been awful.  I'm looking forward to a decent forward signing before long and moving on...
People can say that free agency is a shame and career loyalty does not exist anymore, but I think it keeps us all on our toes and each season a fresh one.  Life goes on and so will we.  Good luck , Zach....but better luck Marty!!

Congrats LA

Well....I could sit here and be super bitter and play the role of a sore loser, but why?  Although it sucks to have a run like that over the course of two months of emotional ups and downs, it's great to look at all that the Devils have accomplished this season, especially on the heels of a poor performance last season.  Let's face it, the Kings were stellar throughout these playoffs.  Their play on the road was unheard of, their goalie was the true King in these playoffs (not the one named Henry.....), and their penalty kill all but dismembered our power play.  So to the Kings and their true fans, and their now bandwagon full of johnny-come-latelys, I say congratulations.  You don't have an NFL team, so there you go, enjoy it.  Your team certainly earned it and I tipped my hat to your cup raising party.
I cannot stress enough just how proud I am of this team.  Though we can all point to a few dubious performances and wallow in our injuries, the Devils had quite the season.  Wasn't it fun?!  ....and now we can look forward to next season and start looking at who's in and who's out.  Will Zach return as captain, will Marty give it another season, will Salvador stay on the blue line???  A run like this is unlikely next year as the league has so much parity, and maybe that's what hurts the most.  Was this THE chance?!  The league tends to ebb and flow a bit so I'll keep next year's expectations at a reasonable level.  But this is the fun of "sport".  If it worked out often, the taste of victory would never be as sweet. 
I'm sure this will be an offseason full of more financial scenario talk.  Oh yeah, we almost forgot about that.  Certainly, this playoff run was one game short of a perfect season for the team's finances and for Newark.  Though the cash flow from these playoffs is probably a small percentage of what can make a difference, every little bit helps. Certainly, there is a healthy buzz around this state.....well, almost all parts of this state..about this team.  I watched the facebook following explode, more media articles show themselves, and heard rumors of an expanded season ticket base for next year.
One thing is for sure.  We can all have our lives back and enjoy the summer.  Thankfully, I'm not much of a baseball fan anymore.  After a spring like this, I need a few months off before football returns and hockey starts it all over again.
For now, thank you Devils!!  It was a real party.  Let's do it again next year.

See you in Rocktober!

Back to Newark!

So what we are down 3-1?! We spoiled the sweep and broke that Kings mystique that has been forming over all of our heads throughout these playoffs. A bounce finally went our way as evident on the Elias goal, and Quick finally was not quick enough on the Henrique goal. See...? Was it so hard to go HIGH? Now the Kings magic has a blemish. Perhaps we take a little extra confidence into Saturday and believe that this hole is not too deep and that even if this is the Kings year, it doesn't have to be so damn easy for them. One step at a time. Now we spoil their road streak... For tonight, I am glowing red. So so happy that we live to fight another day....and even happier that there is another night of hockey in June! ...and by the way, pardon my French, but can the media suck the Kings off any more?! Really?? Let's Go Devils!!

0-2!

0-2 hurts, especially when the first two were at home.  I don't think I'm alone in saying that I'd almost rather lose convincingly than drop two in OT.  Overtime is random....let's face it.  The best team does not always win, nor does the best team in OT win the game.  One goal and you are done and here we sit now 0-2 and heading out west.  The mystique of this Kings team with their road dominance continues.  I hate to say it, but I almost get the sense that Quick is in the Devils' heads at this point.  Why we are not going high on him more often, I do not know, but he has been pretty solid.  Marty has been great too and bailed us out of good scoring chances.  Still, the Kings are getting the goal when it matters.  No one will remember or care who outplayed who in this final.  The final score tells the story and it's not a story I'm liking so far. 
I'm not saying it's over and it's FAR from over, but having the cup in our arms will be that much harder now.  We MUST rebound in game 3.  Zach and Kovy need to step up and make something happen and that power play needs to set up and re-open that passing clinic that was on display against our division rivals. ...and hit that open net like your life depended on it....*cough cough Fayne!  It's tough to bounce back from two heartbreaking OT losses, but this is where the resolve of the team will be most apparent.  Credit the Kings in two well-played games, but let's hope the hockey gods really do not want it to be their year! 
Monday can't come soon enough.  Let's GO Devils!

We WANT the CUP!

So it is.....Stanley Cup Finals!!!  Man it was sweet to knock the Rangers out and silence their arrogant fans.  It was a pretty competitive series, certainly more than the Flyers series, and will admit to being quite nervous in OT game 6.  Boy, if I had to listen to one more reference to 1994 I was going to vomit....about ten times.  So what, I understand that it was the ECF and all, but really, I did not get all of the comparisons.  How funny though, after listening to Sam Rosen's "Matteau Matteau" for years and years, what a twist of fate for them to now hear "Henrique Henrique".  Ha!
I loved how the Rangers sent their "goons" out late in game 4 with that turncoat Rupp sucker-punching Marty in the throat.  I seriously wanted to climb through my TV and get a piece of him!  I thought it was a little embarrassing that there was no real revenge and a very timid response to all of that crap, but whatever.  I'd rather have the series win than be the toughest team on the block.
So after listening to the media call for the Devils to lose to the Panthers, get mauled by the Flyers, and lose in Game 7 again to the Rangers, we now have to hear about how tough the ....*cough cough, eight-seeded Kings will be.  Certainly, they rolled over their Western opponents in convincing fashion and they are hot, but maybe their short layoff will cool their jets. 
Unless I was high this weekend, I totally missed out on any ticket opportunities.  When the hell was that limited window to buy?!?  I checked Saturday morning and saw nothing, then returned home from a BBQ to hear "SOLD OUT".  Damn!!  ... Oh well, I will equally enjoy a cup from the comfort of my living room.
....and S T I L L .....not a Devils fan to be seen in South Jersey....
Let's go Devils!!