Entries with the tag: new+jersey+devils

Langenbrunner to be Named Devils Captain

by Alanah on 12/05/07 at 05:31 PM
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From Tom Gulliti at Fire & Ice,

There appears to be a slim chance it will happen before tonight’s game against Boston or it might not be until later this week, but the Devils are about to name Jamie Langenbrunner as their captain.

The usually-talkative Langenbrunner became extremely tight-lipped when asked this morning if he had been given the captaincy.

“Something will happen soon,” he said. “Let’s just leave it at that.”

What would it mean to Langenbrunner if he were named captain?

continued...

Update 6:37pm ET: Langenbrunner is now officially the captain, it appears. Gulliti updates that he was wearing the “C” in warmups. (*thanks to a KK reader for pointing it out...)

Technology Can Screw Up Your Hockey Game

by Alanah on 12/04/07 at 09:04 PM
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Tom Gulitti at Fire & Ice asked Devils’ GM Lou Lamoriello, “What’s Wrong with the Ice?”

Lamoriello said the problem has been with a malfunctioning computer that is supposed to regulate the ice’s temperature, hardness, etc. These things can be affected by numerous factors: the outdoor temperature, humidity, being covered for basketball games, concerts and other events. For Sunday’s game against Atlanta, they turned off the computer and changed the settings manually. The idea, however, is to get the computer working properly.

“We’ve been talking to CIMCO and had people from the NHL here to work on (the ice),” Lamoriello said. “This is the best system in the country. There’s no excuse not to have the best ice. We’re completely comfortable that this is all going to get straightened out.”

more

How About Calling It Fair

by Paul on 12/01/07 at 10:06 AM
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via Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette,

The schedule for teams in the Eastern Conference will get tougher next season when the NHL adopts a new schedule....

“It’s going to be tougher,” admitted Devils coach Brent Sutter, “but there’s nothing I can do about it. When you’re a coach, someone gives you the schedule and you play the games.”

Pandolfo Will Miss At Least A Game

by Paul on 11/29/07 at 02:54 PM
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from Fire & Ice,

Left wing Jay Pandolfo said he will not play in Friday night’s home game against Montreal because of the “pelvis area” injury he sustained in the third period of Wednesday’s 4-2 win over Dallas. “I won’t be able to play tomorrow,” he said. “It’s disappointing. You never want to be hurt, but, hopefully, it’s not that bad. I think it’s day to day.”

Pandolfo’s ironman man streak will end at 307 consecutive regular season games (the third longest in team history). He last missed a regular season game on Jan. 18, 2003 against Carolina because of a mild concussion (that was the last of four consecutive games he sat out).

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Winning Ways Again For Devils

by Paul on 11/26/07 at 09:07 AM
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from Stan Fischler at Game On,

While the print media was oozing doom and gloom after Islanders edged New Jersey, Sutter steadfastly insisted that he saw many positives—and he was right.

Plus, his boss, Lou Lamoriello hardly was in a panic mode either.

It didn’t hurt that Jamie Langenbrunner had returned to the offense and Colin White soon would follow on the back line.

more on the Devils…

White May Attempt Comeback Tonight

by Paul on 11/21/07 at 07:17 AM
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from the NY Post,

It has been two months and Colin White’s blurry vision may not improve much more. He’s considering playing against the Penguins here tonight, but even if he doesn’t, the time is near. He needs to know, and so do the Devils....

If White, making $3 million, isn’t able to resume his career, the Devils will have to replace him or endure a season of struggling. Sources say the Devils have already looked around, just in case.

One glaring possibility would be Phoenix’s Ed Jovanovski, who used his no-trade clause to turn down a trade to the Islanders this summer. Jovanovski is struggling with the struggling Coyotes, although Newark might hold little more appeal than Nassau.

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Catch A Game - Take The Train

by Paul on 11/18/07 at 07:59 AM
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from George Vecsey of the New York Times,

The woman was in the heartland of the opponent, wearing a fancy orange and blue jacket commemorating the four Stanley Cups won by the Islanders, albeit a quarter of a century ago.

“New York?” she shouted. “Is this the train to New York?”

It was, indeed. Parallel steel rails now connect the three hockey franchises in the area.

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Brodeur Reaches 500 Wins

by Paul on 11/17/07 at 10:09 PM
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from the AP via TSN,

Martin Brodeur gave Patrick Roy some company in the 500 victory club.

Brodeur reached one of hockey’s rarest milestones, stopping all but two shots in a modest effort thanks to some of New Jersey’s usual stout defense and earned his 500th NHL win.

Brodeur made 26 saves in the Devils’ 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night and joined Roy as the only goalies in NHL history with that many victories.

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Top 5 Goalies- Wins

1. Patrick Roy, Mon-Col 551

2. x-Martin Brodeur, NJ 500

3. x-Ed Belfour, Chi-SJ-Dal-Tor-Fla 484

4. Terry Sawchuk, Det-Tor-Bos-LA-NYR 447

5. x-Curtis Joseph, StL-Edm-Tor-Det-Pho 446

more at NHL.com

added 10:20pm, from John Kreiser at NHL.com,

“It was a long time coming,” said Brodeur, who finished with 26 saves. “I’m happy it’s done and we can move on now.”

much more

Devils In A Funk

by Paul on 11/17/07 at 01:37 PM
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from Stan Fischler at Game On,

If ever Lou Lamoriello and his rookie coach Brent Sutter had a challenge on their hands, they do now, TODAY, Saturday, as they take on the Flyers this evening in Philadelphia.

Following a pair of home losses to the Rangers and then Islanders, New Jersey has a team that struggles to score goals at even strength and is egregiously futile when they have a man advantage.

On top of it all, they seem to lack overall zip over a 60-minute period, and remarkably, invariably suffer a bad break.

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They Meet Again

by Paul on 11/14/07 at 01:26 PM
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from Game On,

Alive and well. Patrik Elias and Scott Gomez.

By a remarkable scheduling coincidence, they meet on Wednesday night at The Rock for the Rangers’ first trip to Newark’s fabulous Prudential Center.

In a sense, it’s a meeting of The Comeback Kids: both player-wise and team-wise.

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Watching The Rangers

by Paul on 11/08/07 at 08:01 PM
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from Multichannel News,

National Hockey League games on Madison Square Garden Network and Fox Sports New York have skated to a fast start during the 2007-08 season from a ratings perspective.

Through its first 11 New York Rangers telecasts, MSG averaged a 0.85 household rating in the New York DMA, according to Nielsen Media Research data, an 85% jump over the same number of contests last season. Network officials also noted that the Broadway Blueshirts have notched a better than 1.0 mark in four of their last five telecasts.

more and some Devils numbers too…

Elias Trying To Get His Game In Gear

by Paul on 11/08/07 at 07:08 AM
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from the Record,

Patrik Elias still had something he wanted to say to Sutter, though. So, as the rest of the team headed for the locker room, they leaned against the boards in front of one of the benches and talked for more than 10 minutes.

“I initiated the talk,” Elias said. “It was just to make sure we’re on the same page, to know what he’s thinking in certain situations and what’s behind some of the things he did. I just want to make sure that I play the best that I can play for this team. I want to help this team and I’m well aware of what I can bring.

“I just want to play better.”

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Barry Melrose Apologizes to NJ

by Alanah on 11/06/07 at 06:24 PM
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From the AP,

ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose apologized Tuesday for negative remarks about the area around the New Jersey Devils’ new Prudential Center arena.

In a video segment posted on ESPN.com last week, Melrose described the recently opened arena as a “beautiful new building” but added, “Don’t go outside if you have a wallet or anything else, because the area around the arena is just horrible.”

Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker and Municipal Council President Mildred Crump took exception to the remarks and called for Melrose to apologize.

“All of us make mistakes, but it’s a shame when it’s at the expense of 300,000 people,” Booker said, referring to Newark’s population.

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Brodeur Sees Bright Future for Marc-Andre Fleury

by Alanah on 11/06/07 at 01:37 PM
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From Dave Molinari at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

“He’s such a great athlete,” Brodeur said. “What I look at is a guy’s ability to skate, and he’s a really good skater. The foundation is his mobility, how athletic he is, how competitive he is.

“Everything is there. It’s just that sometimes a couple of things are going the wrong way and the next thing you know, everything doesn’t fit.

“But when he finds a way to put everything together, relax and be patient, he has so much skill, so much speed, that he’s going to be all right. I love watching him play, because he’s a spectacular goalie.”

more...

Line Of The Day

by Paul on 11/06/07 at 06:18 AM
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from Fire & Ice, Devils Coach Brent Sutter after a 5-0 loss to the Penguins last night....

“Our effort was brutal outside of our goaltenders. If it wasn’t for the goalies, it probably would have been 8-0 or 9-0. To me, tonight was a total lack of professionalism by our commitment as individuals and as a group, our preparation for how to play. It’s totally unacceptable.

“I will not accept that. That’s not even close. That’s players’ accountability to the front of that jersey.”

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Weekes Hopes To Be A Link To Newark Community

by Paul on 11/05/07 at 06:09 AM
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from the NY Post,

A black Toronto native whose parents immigrated to Canada from Barbados, Weekes envisions the marvelous new arena invigorating the strife-stricken city and its residents. With Newark’s largely black population, not hockey’s usual fan demographic, Weekes hopes he can provide a link to the community.

“I’d like to think I can make a positive contribution, and when you have people who contribute positively, they are ambassadors,” Weekes said. “It’s extremely important for the sport, too, at the end of the day. We want to have as many different people, ages and demographics as possible among our fans.”

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Doubting the Devils

by Alanah on 10/29/07 at 04:20 AM
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From Rich Chere at the Star-Ledger,

Those lucky enough to attend the Devils’ first game in the Prudential Center agreed that the $375 million structure has everything.

They were fairly certain the same cannot be said for the Devils, who seem to be lacking something 10 games into the season. Whether it is a goal-scorer to kick-start the offense or an experienced defenseman to solidify a shaky defense corps (did someone suggest Richard Matvichuk?), the Devils are very much aware that if they do not start winning on this three-game homestand the whispers about a shakeup will become a roar.

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Line Of The Day

by Paul on 10/24/07 at 04:39 PM
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from Rangers Report,

This was Devils coach Brent Sutter speaking to reporters today about facing Scott Gomez tomorrow:

“I had no impact on Gomez whatsoever. I was never here when he was a New Jersey Devil and personally I could care less. It was his choice to decide where he wanted to go play. It was his choice not to want to play in New Jersey anymore and that’s his prerogative. So, to think that we should be easy on him is dead wrong. We’ll treat him like any other player…It’s his choice to across the river and play there. That’s up to him. But our job is go to there and win a hockey game.”

more on the Rangers including Callahan out with knee sprain…

Devils Talks Prudential Center

by Paul on 10/22/07 at 04:07 PM
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from Fire & Ice,

Brent Sutter: “It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s first class and beyond. Obviously, it’s a beautiful facility and Mr. Vanderbeek has done a great job and Lou in doing what they needed to make it the way they wanted it to be.

Jay Pandolfo: “It’s really nice. Just the size of it, the facilities, the concourse, everything. We’re going to be spoiled down there.”

read on

Devils Discover New NHL

by Paul on 10/22/07 at 11:17 AM
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from Mike Brophy of the Hockey News,

Watch the Devils in the opposition’s end. Their players are sticking around to try to make things happen on offense rather than automatically dropping back to defend. Even defensive specialists like John Madden and Jay Pandolfo are free to take the odd chance.

Halleluiah!

Crowds have been dwindling in New Jersey, so this new style of play – along with a brand new building – may help revive interest in the team. I’m not certain the Devils have the personnel at this point to be a Cup contender, but clearly the club is moving in the right direction.

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The Rock Files

by Alanah on 10/20/07 at 02:06 AM
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From Guest Contributor, Steve Lepore

“It’s ‘The Rock’, and it opens in 10 days” chimed Mike Emrick to open the Devils-Penguins broadcast on Wednesday night.  The reason I mention that quote is because, when I heard the esteemed, multiple-Emmy Winning broadcaster say it...it became real to me, for the first time since all this commotion began!  We will be playing in a new building in a mere week!  Bon Jovi will be there for 10 days starting next Thursday! 

OK, the third one’s not so exciting, but it’s amazing to think that the New Jersey Devils will be playing in a new home in the largest city in the state on October 27th against the Eastern Champion (and the Devils exit sign in the playoffs) Ottawa Senators.  Here is some info that will get you primed and ready for “The Rock” on the corner of Mulberry and Edison.

Continue Reading »

Don’t Ask Coach Sutter About The Road

by Paul on 10/19/07 at 08:51 AM
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from Fire & Ice,

“I’m not talking about the road anymore,” Sutter said. “I’m tired of talking to you guys about the road, the road, the road. God, we played in Pittsburgh last night and it was a 30-minute flight here and they’ve been lying around here all day to play today. They’re pros. That’s what you’re supposed to do. You play games on the road. It doesn’t matter where you play hockey games. You’ve got to play.”

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The New, New Jersey Devils

by Paul on 10/18/07 at 09:31 AM
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from Fire & Ice,

Center John Madden, a former Selke Trophy winner and defensive specialist, scored his team-leading fourth goal, but admitted he’s not used to these kind of games.

“I’m not at all,” he said. “We had a lot of chances. So did they. It’s definitely different, a different look. Very entertaining for the fans. I’d like to keep the puck out of our net a little more and continue scoring like we have been. I think that’s doable.”

more on the Devils…

Colin White Trying To Recover From Eye Injury

by Paul on 10/13/07 at 06:57 AM
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from the NY Post,

Colin White’s vision is still blurry, nearly a month after a self-deflected puck hit his right eye. The Devils defenseman told The Post yesterday he’s not even thinking about playing hockey yet. He’s concentrating on getting his vision back, still uncertain whether surgery may be required.

“Every week I’m being checked out. It’s just going to be a slow process. We’re taking our time with it to make sure everything’s right,” White said yesterday from New Jersey.

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Adjustments Needed For Devils

by Paul on 10/13/07 at 06:29 AM
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from Tom Gulitti of the Record,

Sutter has spoken often already about the adjustment period for the players. After having done things a certain way forever, it’s understandable that they need time to adapt.

At the same time, however, Sutter might need to do some adjusting himself. Sutter’s belief in himself and his system is impressive, but good coaches adapt to the talent they have, too.

I’m not saying he should abandon his system after just four games. In fact, it’s refreshing to have a coach who doesn’t relentlessly match lines to the point that his best offensive players don’t get on the ice.

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More to Come from Parise

by Alanah on 10/13/07 at 01:11 AM
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From Rich Chere at the Star-Ledger,

Parise’s story has been well-documented. The son of former NHL player J.P. Parise, he was bypassed by his father’s old team, the Islanders, in the 2003 entry draft. The Devils picked him 17th overall, and both the Islanders and their fans have agonized over the decision ever since.

After leading the Devils with 31 goals last season, his sophomore season in the NHL, Parise is regarded as one of the league’s rising young stars. This past summer the Devils signed him to a four-year, $12.5 million contract and it figures to be a bargain if he does what everyone believes he will do.

“He can be one of the best players in the league,” right winger Brian Gionta said. “He’s a young guy still (23). He broke out last year, but there is still a lot to be seen from Zach. He has a lot of skill, he works hard and he has a nose for the net.”

more...

Devils Struggle

by Paul on 10/12/07 at 08:40 AM
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from the NY Post,

“It’s a long year. We’re only four games in,” Brent Sutter said after the Devils fell to 1-3 on the season, shut out 3-0 by the Panthers here last night. “The guys are competing and playing hard. I don’t have an issue with that at all.”

But the Devils may be taking this egalitarian “all men are created equal” stuff too far. It’s as if they’re trying to prove - by necessity - that systems are more important than skill. The evidence is mounting against them.

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Devils Will Move Matvichuk Soon

by Paul on 10/11/07 at 08:17 AM
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from the NY Post,

Lamoriello indicated he’d pursue a deal rather than seek waivers on Matvichuk, who is slated to earn $1.3 million this season. He is in the last year of a contract he signed as an unrestricted free agent July 12, 2004, before the last lockout and before the advent of the “new” NHL.

Lamoriello, asked if Matvichuk was not suited to Sutter’s more aggressive system, said, “I would have to say that, yes.”

Martin Brodeur said, “He proved last year when he stepped in that he could do the job. He’s still a pretty gritty player, blocking shots and being mean. His speed has a lot to do with it.”

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Coach Sutter Not Happy After Loss To Sens

by Paul on 10/08/07 at 09:22 PM
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from Tom Gulitti at Fire & Ice,

Brent Sutter clearly wasn’t happy after this one and held a closed-doors meeting before the media was allowed in the locker room. In fact, Sutter pulled Arron Asham, who scored his first goal as a Devil in the second period, out of a live interview with the Devils’ radio team so he wouldn’t miss the meeting.

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Madden’s Offensive Side

by Paul on 10/08/07 at 06:58 AM
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from the Staten Island Advance,

With new coach Brent Sutter refusing to play the kind of passive, line-matching style that has made the Devils targets of criticism around the league for years, the harness is off Madden. His two goals were instrumental in the Devils’ 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers Saturday night and suggested that this could be the start of a new Madden.

“I try to score goals as much as anybody,” Madden said. “Have I been put into position to score goals? No, but things have changed.”

read on

Are Devils Playoff Worthy

by Paul on 10/05/07 at 01:27 PM
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from Scott Burnside and Damien Cox at ESPN,

Editor’s note: We are starting a new feature here at ESPN.com called “Friday Faceoff” where ESPN.com NHL writer Scott Burnside (based in Atlanta) and Toronto Star columnist and frequent ESPN.com contributor Damien Cox (based in Toronto) duke it out over any given hockey topic. Let the games begin!

This week’s topic: Will New Jersey make the playoffs again or is this the season we see the demise of the Devils?

Scott Burnside: OK, I know, I’m late. Still, I’m in better shape than the Devils. I know Damien is a sensitive soul, so I’ll go easy on him knowing he believes the Devils to be infallible. So I will provide the one-word answer to the question in question—no. Next?

read on

No Captain For Devils

by Paul on 10/02/07 at 02:53 PM
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from Fire & Ice,

Sutter said he would make a decision on whether to have a captain and who it will be after Jamie Langenbrunner returns from sports hernia surgery (probably near the end of November).

“There won’t be a decision on the captaincy until Langenbrunner is healthy,” Sutter said.

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Devils Have Talked About Markov

by Paul on 09/30/07 at 07:02 AM
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from the NY Post,

Danny Markov was one of the top three unrestricted defensemen July 1, and he’s still looking for a contract with a contender. Markov and Colin White are different sorts of defensemen, but the Devils are likely to be without White (eye) for some time, and even when he returns, any team would be improved by a mobile all-around backliner of Markov’s quality.

The Devils figure to have a cap liability of some $48.7 million toward the limit of $50.3 million when their season opens Thursday in Tampa, Fla., and could use their old savior, the Long-Term Injury exemption, to exceed the limit, with Jamie Langenbrunner’s $2.8 million, White’s $3 million and Cam Janssen’s 600G all likely listable.

read on

Three “A’s” For Devils?

by Paul on 09/28/07 at 06:16 AM
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from the Bergen Record,

“I’m not saying we’ll have someone with the ‘C’ or won’t have someone with the ‘C’. I don’t know,” Sutter said Thursday. “But we’ll probably have someone with ‘A’s’ on their jerseys, that’s for sure.”

Sutter said, “it’s nothing to read into,” but he still is trying to get a read on which players would best fit the leadership roles on his team. Elias eventually might be his captain, too.

“I’m not saying what they had here last year was right or wrong,” Sutter said. “I just wanted time to go through it and the decision, whenever it’s made, is going to be the right decision as far as the makeup of our team and how we want to play and so forth.”

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Devils Take To The Road

by Paul on 09/22/07 at 05:25 PM
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from The Record,

They’ve moved out of Continental Arena and can’t move into Prudential Center until Oct. 27. That’s forcing them to travel for all six of their preseason games and open the regular season with nine consecutive road games.

This might be Brent Sutter’s biggest challenge in his first month as an NHL head coach. A team could dig itself a significant hole while trying to find its identity during those first three weeks of the season.

“It will be a different experience definitely going on the road for the first nine games,” Jay Pandolfo said. “You’ve got to learn to win on the road right away.”

more

Injuries Piling Up For Devils

by Paul on 09/22/07 at 06:39 AM
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from The Record,

Kevin Weekes was supposed to make it easier for the Devils to rest Martin Brodeur this season.

But the Devils backup goaltender’s status is uncertain now after sustaining a probable concussion in a collision caused by Rangers agitator Sean Avery in the first period of Friday night’s 4-3 preseason loss to the Blueshirts at Madison Square Garden.

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello insisted that Weekes would be OK.

“He just hit his head,” Lamoriello said. “He’s fine.

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Martin Brodeur Talks to the Media

by Alanah on 09/19/07 at 06:55 PM
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From the CP via CBC,

There are few with better qualifications than Brodeur to evaluate a coaching performance and the future Hall of Famer says he likes what he’s seen from Brent Sutter during the first week of training camp.
“I think Brent definitely took charge right from Day 1 in the way he wants our team to play,” Brodeur said

Wednesday on a conference call. “I think just how strong he is as far as the way he talks, how confident he is in himself reminds me a lot of Pat Burns or Jacques Lemaire.
“He’s not a guy who’s going to let the players dictate too much what’s going on.”

more...

Surgery A Possibility For Jannsen

by Paul on 09/19/07 at 06:47 AM
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from The Record,

Add Cam Janssen’s name to the list of Devils who might need surgery.

The 23-year-old enforcer dislocated his right shoulder for the second time in less than a year during Monday’s 3-2 preseason loss to Philadelphia in Trenton. Janssen said Tuesday that his shoulder popped out of the socket while he was throwing punches during both of his first-period fights with Philadelphia’s Jesse Boulerice....

Janssen underwent an MRI on Tuesday and said he will find out “in the next couple of days” whether he will require surgery to fix the shoulder, which never healed fully after he dislocated it in a fight with Anaheim’s George Parros on Nov. 24. He missed 12 games last season because of it. Surgery would likely keep him out for at least two months this time.

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RBK Jersey Quality is Questioned

by Alanah on 09/18/07 at 01:37 AM
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From Tom Gulitti at Fire & Ice,

Enforcer Cam Janssen might have injured his shoulder tonight because of the league’s new Reebok Edge sweaters. His sweater ripped during his two first period fights with Philadelphia’s Jesse Boulerice. That might have helped Boulerice pull Janssen’s jersey over his head in both altercations and win both decisively. Arron Asham also had his sweater tear during his fight with Riley Cote.

“These new jerseys are supposed to make you faster, but what good are they if they tear that easily,” Mike Rupp said.

continued...

____________________
*Hat tip to hockeyfights.com for passing on the story

Langenbrunner Could Miss Significant Time

by Paul on 09/17/07 at 07:29 AM
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from the NY Post,

As revealed in Saturday’s Post, Langenbrunner tried a rest cure all summer for the injury he now admits was initially suffered in February. It recurred this month, keeping him out of training camp.

Recovery times vary and surely will depend on the injury itself, but he could be out 6-8 weeks, then require significant time to regain full fitness. His summertime rest cure prevented his usual training regimen, leaving him out of game shape, and further behind following surgery.

Langenbrunner, 32, said he wishes he’d gone straight for surgery during the offseason.

more