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!