So as we jump back into some hockey after having a few days off, I bring you this funny little video that has been making the rounds on the internet.

So what are the things that NJ Devils fans don’t say??

“What an amazing Power Play we have”
“I can’t believe we are NBC’s Game of the Week again!!”
“Lou needs to be more cryptic in the things he tells the media”
“If the Devils don’t win the cup, I hope the Rangers do, it’s a long time coming for them”
“I wish the league would keep us more informed about Sidney Crosby’s injuries”
“Our third jersey looks AWESOME”
“Can you believe the Devils are going to play in the Winter Classic”
“I’m so glad that Doc Emrick is gone…his voice was like nails on a chalkboard”
“I can’t believe we traded Brian Rolston”
“Marty should try to play at least another 5 years”
“This was the greatest All-Star Game EVER!!”

Join in the fun and add your own!!

The Devils are in a much better position heading into the All-Star break than they were last season but there are no guarentees for games 83, 84, 85 and 86. Here are three questions heading into the All-Star break.

1. Will They Make The Playoffs

They’ve dropped 3 straight going into the All-Star break and while they weren’t in the games against the Bruins or the Flyers, they did have a chance to win against the Sabres and did skate away from that game with 1 point. The Panthers are free-falling through the Eastern Conference standings at the moment and the Leafs are looking to turn things around. I do believe the Devils can pull it together post All-Star game and find a way to solidify a spot in the postseason but I certainly don’t believe that position will be anything higher than a 7^th seed.

2. Will they make a deal?

I think the big question on everyone’s mind has to be, what do we do about Parise? Do we trade him or hang on to him in hopes that a) should we make the playoffs, he helps us find a way to make it past the first round and b) we find a way to sign him long term. I’m not sure what the answer is. The truth is, if we make the playoffs, we are probably headed for a matchup with the Rangers or the Bruins. I don’t know how well we’d play NY considering we haven’t played them much this season but we know the Bruins have our number. Should we trade Parise at the deadline to try and help out our team for next season, which assumes he would sign elsewhere July 1? I’ve heard rumors of Miller maybe wanting out of Buffalo. Could we trade Parise for Miller which would give us a replacement for Marty (assuming Buffalo would trade Miller and assuming if Marty doesn’t retire, we’d be ok letting him go elsewhere). Would we want to do that? In answer to my question, if we make a deal, I would imagine that it would HAVE to involve #9.

3. Who steps up in the second half?

I don’t know if it’s a matter of who steps up but how about continuing? Kovalchuk is contributing, Henrique is having a great rookie season and Elias has been awesome this year. This team doesn’t seem to be about 1 person stepping up but rather a team effort. I’d like to see someone of the defense step up and help this team find a solution to their third period problems. Ultimately, I would love it if Marty Brodeur was the guy to step it up in the second half and start stealing some games. He’s been getting better but I ALWAYS want more!!

I feel obligated to tell you that if you are an Ilya Kovalchuk supporter, you might just want to close your browser and skip right past this article of mine.

As I mentioned last week in my quarter season review, I get the feeling when I watch the Devils that something is just missing. In fact there are many things missing but one of those things would be a guy that whenever he has the puck, you get the feeling that he just might put that puck in the net. I thought Ilya Kovalchuk was that kind of player. It seemed like he was that kind of player when he played in Atlanta but for some reason, Devils fans have never seen that side of Ilya Kovalchuk and honestly, probably never will.

Let’s look at some recent facts:

• Kovalchuk was on the ice for 3 of the 4 goals scored by the Jets on Friday night.
• Kovalchuk was on the ice for 3 of the 4 goals scored by the Wild on Friday night.
• Kovalchuk was on the ice for 5 of the 6 goals scored by the Avs on Wednesday night.
• In 20 games played, he’s a -11, which is #1 on the team for worst +/- rating.

All in all he was on the ice for 11 of the last 14 goals scored against us in the last 3 games and 13 of the last 17, so I ask you, does the dude know how to play defense?
He is currently ranked at 123rd in the league in the goals column. Let us just take a quick look at some of the guys ahead of him in this column.

• Olli Jokinen
• Cal Clutterbuck
• Nathan Horton
• Jason Chimera
• Scott Hartnell
• David Clarkson

ARE YOU F&#$^#G KIDDING ME??  Kovalchuk is currently making $6 million dollars this season, which jumps to $11 million next season. Now admittedly, the cap hit stays at 6.667 million each season but we are still spending a boat load of money on the guy and guys like Cal Clutterbuck and David Clarkson are outscoring him? Plus, we have to add on to this that Kovalchuk is ahead of all these guys when it comes to TOI/G.

I’m being serious here when I say this. The Devils have come off a horrible weekend and are 0-3 on their current road trip, heading into Toronto which doesn’t make me feel good about not going 0-4. There are lots of problems everywhere with this team but I do believe the main problem starts with (not ends with) #17. He’s not the kind of guy that fits in the type of team we have. We aren’t getting a lot of offense from him and his defense is pure crap.  I’ve seen countless guys with less talent come on to this team and succeed. You need an example, how about Jeff Friesen or even Jason Arnott 1.0? Both guys weren’t supposed to do much when they got here and did exactly the opposite.

If I had to do it all over again, Kovalchuk wouldn’t be in NJ and the money used to sign him would have been used on either a #1 center or a true #1 defenseman and I would probably go defenseman first.  I know I can’t change what has been done but I don’t see Kovalchuk ever changing his way. He spends too much time on the ice and and is making too many mistakes. He’s become the centerpiece of this team but doesn’t play like other centerpieces in the league and doesn’t really appear to care about that either. It’s going to be a long contract that we will argue over for many, MANY year so thanks Lou, you royally screwed this team and we STILL owe the NHL of our first round picks.

There is no question in anyone’s mind that the start to the Devils 2011/2012 season has been much more enjoyable than the start they got under head coach John MacLean last season. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems or things to worry about.

First, let’s look at some of the good things about this team. The one thing to take away from the first quarter is that there is certainly hope about the future. Adam Larsson looks to be a very promising young defender and Adam Henrique has certainly delivered when the team has needed him to. Zubrus, Elias and Clarkson are all playing at levels we haven’t seen in recent years and Hedburg has once again proved how valuable he is to this team.

The Devils have had their fair share of injuries this season. Marty missed a bunch of games to begin the season, Ilya Kovalchuk had a stretch of 5 games where he watched from the cheap seats, Jacob Josefson has been shelved for 3-4 months with a broken collarbone and our #1 center has yet to even practice with the team this season but despite the injuries, the Devils have found ways to win.

If all that is going on and the Devils are within striking distance of the playoffs, why do I feel like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop? Let me tell you why…

• The Power Play is awful, plain awful. It’s bad enough that the power play can’t seem to score but we’ve let in too many shorthanded goals. I personally think the Devils should just roll their regular lines during the power play at this point. Maybe that will ease the stress that the Devils seem to experience when up a man. Obviously, Elias and Kovy as point men where the defensemen should be is creating too many shorthanded chances.

• A buddy of mine used to joke that the Devils were a “third period team.” Ok, it wasn’t a joke, the third period used to be a great period for us but this season, we’ve lost a lot of leads in the third period.

• Ilya Kovalchuk, our superstar, the guy we’ve paid so much money to only has 4 goals. I know he was hurt but he needs to step it up in the goal scoring department. I mean David Clarkson has more goals. Maybe he should be moved back to left wing because he’s obviously more comfortable over there.

• Figure out the fourth line. Look at the teams that win the cup. They successfully roll 4 lines. DeBoer’s refusal to play the fourth line in the 3rd is just plain stupid.
And finally, the biggest issue for me this season:

• Name our best defenseman…………………. (I’m still waiting!!)………………….(Can’t do it can you??)……

Even with all that, I do feel the Devils are going in the right direction. We learned last year that the slow start was the nail in our coffin. We’ve had a decent start this year and are right outside of being a playoff team. I don’t expect the Devils to get on a tear like they did when Lemaire came in last season but if they can improve a little bit or even sustain what they’ve been doing, there is no reason to think they couldn’t grab a spot in the playoffs, even if it was the  6, 7 or 8th spot. 

The one thing I know for definite, I am on board with Peter DeBoer as our head coach, which is something I certainly couldn’t say about John MacLean 1 year ago.

We’ve made it through the first 11 games of the 2011/2012 season and the question on everyone’s mind is: “Are the Devils better under DeBoer than they were under John MacLean?”
First thing to look at would be the records. Last season the Devils got off to a miserable 3-7-1 under Johnny Mac and were dead last in the Atlantic Division (and I believe dead last in the Eastern Conference where they would stay for a while). This season, the Devils are off to a 5-5-1 start which puts them in 4th place in the Atlantic Division and sitting in the 11th spot in the Eastern Conference. A .500 record is a big improvement.

The next thing to look at would be goal for and against columns. Last season our opponents seemed to score on us at will. I remember one game we lost 7-2 and another we lost 6-1 and there weren’t too many 1 goals games. In fact, the Devils only pumped in 19 goals in their first 11 games while they gave up 36 to their opponents. This season, the Devils are still giving up more than they score but it’s a much closer margin with the Devils scoring 24 and giving up 31.

After the first 11games, I believe we can actually answer “YES” to this question but there is still a lot of room for improvement.

The one major difference that I’ve seen this season that I didn’t see in the beginning of last season was “fight.” I’m certainly not talking fisticuffs because I’m not trying to bring attention to the fact the Clarkson gets his ass kicked every time he drops his gloves. I’m talking about how the Devils don’t pack it in and go home because they’ve either allowed their opponents to get a decent lead or keep allowing their opponents to find the equalizer. Need some examples?? Ok…

Game 2: Carolina – The Hurricanes were able to find the equalizer twice before Kovalchuk put the Devils on top for good. An empty net goal would seal the 4-2 victory.

Game 4: Nashville – The Predators find themselves up 2-0 after the first period and completely dominate the second but the Devils battle back in the third to tie the game at 2. The Devils would go on to win the game in a shootout.

Game 10: Toronto – Three times the Toronto Maple Leafs would take a one goal lead and watch the Devils come back to tie it. Eventually the Leafs took took the lead for good but the Devils had to believe that they had a chance all night long.

Game 11: Philadelphia – The Devils gave up two ugly goals early in the 2nd to find themselves in a 2-0 hole but battled back to tie the game. They gave up another goal in the 3rd, only to battle back again and finish off the Flyers in a shootout.

These things DIDN’T happen with MacLean behind the bench. This team is trying and that is a lot more than they were doing at this point in the season last year. Sure, there are issues with the defense and Marty didn’t look good in his comeback against the Leafs the other night but there is effort. That alone is enough to say that DeBoer was a much better decision than MacLean a year ago.

I’ve said a lot of negative things lately about David Clarkson and honestly, I’ve meant every one of them. I can see by a number of emails that I have received that there are people out there that completely agree with me and would love to see the next Devils headline be something about Clarkson being shipped out of town and there are some people that think I’m crazy. Where do you stand?

Believe it or not, an article came out about Clarkson today and I really have to disagree with DeBoer’s assessment of his abilities.

DeBoer had this to say about David Clarkson. "Clarkie is one of a handful of guys in the league-- and there are not many of them-- that can play in your top nine, is heavyweight tough and is capable of scoring 20 goals. Those guys are hard to find. So there is a lot to like,"

I won’t disagree that Clarkson is a tough guy who’s not afraid to drop the gloves but I’ve never really viewed him as the type to be labeled “Team Enforcer” and I’ve felt that was the role given to him in NJ.  I’ve always looked at him of more like a Milan Lucic or a Cam Neely but  he’s not even close to being as important to the team as they are/were to theirs. Cam Janssen is by far a lot tougher and a lot better at the tough guy/enforcer part of the game but for some reason has been a healthy scratch so far this season.

DeBoer thinks that Clarkson is capable of scoring 20 goals a season? He did so for DeBoer in Kitchner but Clarkson hasn’t been able to find that kind of success at this level. For years I have waited for him to put up the numbers that DeBoer thinks he can put up but it just doesn’t happen.

DeBoer also says that there aren’t many like Clarkson in the league sadly I can think of many that I would like to have on the roster in place of Clarkson for around the same amount of money. DeBoer seems to love Clarkson so I guess he’s going to stick around so be prepared to hear a lot of negative Clarkson talk from me this year.

You know, maybe cashier IS more his thing….

Let’s quickly recap the 2010/2011 season.  John MacLean finally gets a shot as head coach of the New Jersey Devils but calling the Devils awful would be a compliment. After a 9-22-2 start, Lou says “Yippee Ki Yay” to MacLean right before Christmas and old faithful Jaques Lemaire returns to a familiar position with the team. While the Devils would go on to miss the playoffs for the first time since 1996, Lemaire was a much needed change, whipped a bunch of out of shape hockey players back into shape and led the Devils to a 28-17-3 record under his watch. At one point, we all believed they could sneak their way into the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference. So what will 2011/2012 bring to the table?

The Headlines Going Into the Season:

Is This Marty’s Last Dance? – He is in the final year of his contract so this could be it for the 39 year old goaltender.

Peter DeBoer Takes Over –  Can DeBoer end the annual summer hunt for a new head coach?

The Return of Zach Parise -  We missed him last season and as a guy heading towards the open market next summer, I expect a HUGE year from #9. It was announced this afternoon that Zach will be the Devils new captain.

Will Kovalchuk Be Better? – Last season, Kovalchuk posted his lowest single-season goals and points tallies since his rookie season. With a healthy Parise, he SHOULD do much better but I think Zajac is a huge part of that equation as well.

How Will Larsson Do? – After a disappointing season, the Devils wound up with the 4th pick overall in the draft and used it to draft D Adam Larsson. We expect great things out of this kid and after a strong preseason he’s made his way into the opening day lineup. Not a bad start for the kid!!

What We Think

Darren’s Thoughts on 2011/2012 – I’ve learned a valuable lesson in sports over the last year. It really does matter how well you do out of the gate. The Devils had a terrible start last season followed by an incredible run but in the end, it was that start that did them in. The Devils proved last season that they weren’t a bad team, just a team that got off to a bad start. I think the Devils organization believes that statement as well because there were no drastic changes made this summer. One thing is for certain, the Devils can’t afford to get off to the same kind of start this season. The biggest question I have for this team is the following: Can the Devils win without Jaques Lemaire?

The truth is, I think the Devils are the definition of a wild card this year. I don’t really know what to expect of this team. I would love to see Marty have one last great season and head for retirement but Marty is 39 and the defense corps that was once our identity isn’t there anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I like some of the guys on defense and Adam Larsson brings a new dimension to the blue line with with his mobility and puck skills but this is the one aspect of the New Jersey Devils that worries me.

I have a lot of question marks surrounding this team. I know Kovalchuk and Parise will shine but will it be enough to carry this team offensively? Does Elias have anything left in the tank? Arnott was brought in a year ago to reignite Elias and that didn’t seem to work so will having been reunited with Petr Sykora this season do the trick? How long will Zajac be out and how will that affect our start? The Devils appear to have a lot of youthful talent in the organization but can they consistently perform on the NHL level? Will the presence of Cam Janssen as the team enforcer allow David Clarkson to become the player we’ve all been expecting  for years?  Hopefully DeBoer has the answers and I hope the Devils can climb back into the playoff picture but there are A LOT of good teams in the Eastern Conference this season so I do expect a dog fight from Game 1 through Game 82.
 
So my prediction is that the Devils will somehow claw their way into a playoff position but I won’t give them home ice advantage, meaning they finish somewhere between 5th and 8th place in the East. I do believe this will be it for Marty Brodeur and I do believe the Devils find a way to keep Parise in NJ. Making him team captain is certainly a step in that direction.

Deb's Thoughts on 2011/2012 - If I could say one thing with certainty, it would be that the Devils’ actions (or, more appropriately, inactions) during the offseason demonstrate to me the organization’s belief that the debacle that was last season was a one-off, fluky occurrence that had very little to do with the talent of the players on the roster.  For a team who finished last season drastically below everyone’s expectations, surprisingly few changes had been made during the summer.  Sure, Pete DeBoer was hired as the new head coach…but in Jersey, the hiring of a new coach is practically an annual event anyway.  And, yes, the Devils acquired the number one defenseman in the 2011 entry draft with the 4th overall pick.  But perhaps the most important changes that were made were the ones that resulted in the Devils losing players.  The Devils were finally able to shed some dead weight – old, slow players that were crippling the Devils in terms of the salary cap.  The two most notable such players were Brian Rolston and Colin White with an almost $8 million combined annual salary cap hit.

So, here the Devils are - pretty much the same team as they were entering last season – but with yet another new coach, plus Adam Larsson and minus Rolston and White.  A few new role players have been added and disposed of, too, of course.  But the core of the team (minus the unimpressive Jamie Langenbrunner who was traded mid-season and equally unimpressive Jason Arnott who was traded at the trade deadline) consisting of:   Martin Brodeur, Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, Patrik Elias, Anton Volchenkov and Travis Zajac remains the same.  Travis Zajac will begin the season sidelined with an injury, but other than that, there really isn’t much change to the core of the team from last season.

I subscribe to the Devils’ line of thinking (typing with crossed fingers and toes)…that last season was a one-off disaster that never should have happened and probably will not happen again anytime in the near future.  So, assuming (and hoping) that we are correct, we can pretty much expect the same performance from the Devils this season as was expected from them last season.  And pretty much everyone expected great things from them.  Last year at this time, practically every sportswriter and analyst “in the know” predicted that the Devils would go far in the playoffs.  Ironically, that was the first time that many of them predicted the Devils to do so well.
 
There really isn’t much reason why the same predictions wouldn’t be made considering how little the team has changed.  The only hesitancy in making such predictions would be shaky confidence due to last season’s disappointment.  But, if like the Devils and me, you believe that last season’s lackluster performance was a one-time fluke then your confidence shouldn’t be too shaken.  Of course there are still uncertainties – the competency of DeBoer, whether or not Parise will get his groove back, how much the injury to Zajac will really impact this team, Brodeur’s age, etc. – but there are always uncertainties surrounding every team at the start of every season if not every game.  That’s what makes sports so exciting.
So, I predict this:  the Devils will make the playoffs.  If they don’t win the Atlantic Division, they will finish a very close second and be in one of the top 4 playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, as usual.  Barring any significant injuries, I will even go so far as to say that if the Devils can make it past the first round of playoffs, thereby shaking that monkey off their backs, they will play in the Stanley Cup Finals.  Obviously, only time will tell if my prediction will come true.  But, in the meantime, enjoy the season and …
LET’S GO DEVILS!!! 

FUN FACT:
In only one of the three seasons which lead to the Devils becoming Stanley Cup Champions did the Devils actually win the Atlantic Division.  That was in 2003 when they were ranked 2nd in the Eastern Conference.  They finished 2nd in the division in both 1995 and 2000 and were ranked 5th and 4th in the Eastern Conference, respectively.

Let us know what you think!!

The Devils opened their 2011 Training Camp and there are certainly some things that are worth paying attention to.

Martin Broduer - Is this his final training camp? Brodeur is entering the last season of his contract and doesn’t know whether he will continue playing after it expires. It's not something the future Hall of Famer is going to think about or talk about right now because there is a long season ahead of him.

Jacob Josefson  - With the injury to Travis Zajac, Jacob Josefson is getting a shot at playing center along side Ilya Kovalchuk. Zajac’s absence has created a sizeable hole for the Devils because he did so many things.

Jaques Lemaire -  Jacques Lemaire is back in his role as a special assignment coach with the Devils and watched the first full day of training camp practices Saturday from the stands while DeBoer ran the drills on the ice. Give DeBoer credit as he doesn't appear to be letting Lemaire's presence bother him.

David Clarkson - Played for DeBoer in the past and had a great relationship with him. It will be interesting to see if DeBoer can get out of Clarkson what we've all been waiting for from him for years.

Camp is just starting and we'll be covering developments as they happen.

When you browse Bloguin, you will find many great sites covering all different sports. It’s what really makes this network great. Crossover Chronicles is a featured blog on the network and they do a lot of great articles and worth a daily read (even though they don’t cover hockey!!).  I was over there the other day and they are doing a great series on 4 jerseys you gotta have for a particular sports team. Of course they are talking about basketball but I thought it would be great to run with that idea for my own team. So here we go.

You Gotta Have:

Scott Stevens – He is the greatest captain in the history of the New Jersey Devils and the first player to have his jersey sent to the rafters. There are many moments from Stevens career that float around in our memory and every guy that has worn and will wear the C after Stevens, immediately gets questioned if he can lead like Stevens did. I do believe that if you ask any Devils fan what the top 4 jerseys that a fan has to have Scott Stevens would make the top of that list almost every time.

Can’t Go Wrong With:

Marty Broduer – It is hard to argue against having the jersey of one of the greatest goalies to play the game in your collection. I remember right before Marty got to the Devils, it seemed like every hot girl that liked the Devils owned and wore a Scott Niedermayer jersey but once Marty got to NJ, that all changed. Once Marty walks away from the Devils and the game (which hopefully will be at the same time), no one will be able to argue what Marty meant to this franchise.

Oh, That Is Awesome:

If you want awesome, you have to go with an original Red and Green jersey. In the past few years, the Devils have embraced their past and brought back the “Christmas Tree Jerseys” for one game a season.  But if you are going to own a retro red and green jersey, whose name do you put on the back of it? I’ll vote for none other than Johnny MacLean. Yes, he sucked as our head coach but he did put the goal that sent the Devils to the playoffs for the first time in their history. Joe Cirella took the a shot that was blocked by Darren Pang who gave up a juicy rebound to John MacLean and the rest was history. Weeks later, it would be that same John McLean that would score with four minutes left in Game 7 to knock out the Washington Capitals and lead NJ to the Patrick Division title.

Oh, That Is Funny

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone where a Glenn “Chico” Resch jersey, but someone should. Sure, he wasn’t a spectacular goalie but he’s part of the Devils history.  Resch played in Colorado for part of the 1980–81 season and the 1981–82 NHL season before the franchise moved to New Jersey to become the New Jersey Devils. Even though the Devils didn’t win many games, Resch shouldered a heavy load over the next few years. He was our franchise first goalie and he’s been a staple in our broadcasting booth for many years, so why not add a Chico Resch Jersey to your collection!!

Let us know what you think and lets us know which jerseys you own!!

The Devils placed both defenseman Colin White and RW Trent Hunter on waivers today. Lou Lamoriello later confirmed that the Devils plan to buy out their contracts if they clear waivers. If the players clear waivers by noon on Tuesday, their contracts could be bought out for 2/3 the remaining contract value spread over twice the number of years remaining. All in all, this would save the Devils $3,333,333 in cap space for the upcoming 2011-2012 season. The players would then become unrestricted free agents and free to sign with any other team.

By placing Hunter on waivers, the Devils have more or less proved the theory I had put forth in my post on Thursday regarding the trade which brought Hunter to the Devils from the Islanders in exchange for Brian Rolston. In that post, I postulated that the Devils made that trade simply to clear cap space. That’s evident now. But regarding Colin White, this move might be slightly more surprising to many people. White has played his entire professional career for the Devils – a career which has spanned 11 seasons and included 2 Stanley Cup championships. Lamoriello described placing White on waivers as “difficult” but a business decision. White had been informed that this could happen if he wasn’t traded, and, although they tried, the Devils weren’t able to trade him.

While White had been a member of the 2000 and 2003 Stanley Cup championship teams, his play declined significantly after he suffered an eye injury in 2007, and he has never been the same player since. Personally, I was never that impressed with White’s quality of play. I remember him making an inordinate number of mistakes and sloppy passes. I was actually sitting in a section of Continental Airlines Arena during the longest playoff game in Devils history (against Tampa Bay in 2003) from which quite a few Devils fans would yell “You suck, White!” every time he touched the puck. But with the eventual losses of Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Brian Rafalski from the back end, White slowly emerged as one of the Devils’ top defensemen. I think this may have been more by default than by virtue of his play. But for all of his mistakes and idiotic plays, White was usually able to atone for them by being physical. The dude could fight. Unfortunately, the operative word there is “could”. Past tense. Since his eye injury in 2007, White has rarely engaged in any fights and, quite frankly, hasn’t had that many impressive hits, either. Add to that the fact that he’s not a very fast skater, and one could see how this move by the Devils is a good one.

I respect Colin White as I respect all Devils who have contributed to winning the Cup…and White’s even contributed to two Cup wins. And White was nothing if not loyal to the Devils for over a decade. As such, I truly wish him the best of luck. But it’s time to move on and make room for a younger, faster and more physical crop of defensemen on the roster. Truth be told, this move is probably way overdue. What do you think? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

FUN FACT:

Colin White was one of only three Devils remaining from the 2003 championship team. The other (and now, only) two are Martin Brodeur and Patrik Elias. With White’s departure from the Devils, this now leaves Brodeur and Elias as the only two current Devils who have their names on the Cup. This should, hopefully, result in the Devils being a very hungry team!