Credit to the Devils, they put on a really nice couple of days for Marty. From him dropping the puck on Saturday, to the statue unveiling Monday and jersey retirement ceremony Tuesday night, it brought back a lot of good memories as a Devils fan.
Having all the trophies he won present, the game pucks showing his accomplishments on the stage, it was all great. None other than Doc Emrick as the master of ceremonies. Brodeur's whole family was there. Lou was there. A lot of former teammates and coaches were there. The Devils "championship royalty" was in the house, including Stanley Cup-winning coaches Jacques Lemaire, Larry Robinson, and the late Pat Burns' wife, as well as fellow Devils immortals Scott Stevens, Ken Daneyko and Scott Niedermayer, whose jerseys were joined by Brodeur's in the rafters. It's all fitting, because Brodeur probably wouldn't have had the same career without all of those guys.
A couple of my observations:
Sergei Brylin was mentioned a few times as the only other player besides Brodeur, Stevens, Daneyko and Niedermayer to win all 3 Cups with the Devils. He is typically forgotten in this conversation, so it was nice to hear him get the credit he deserves.
It was a nice touch seeing the current Devils all wearing #30 for warm-ups and for the ceremony.
Why was Gary Bettman even there? He gets booed hard anywhere he goes and last night was no different, the New Jersey crowd let him have it. Didn't give a shit when he was speaking. It's very clear that nobody likes him. And he just sits there with his shit-eating grin. The best was when Lou got up for his speech and pointed out that the crowd reaction was very different (chanting "Lou" instead of "Boo").
The story of Brodeur's famous mask. I actually never knew why he had that custom logo on his helmet. It turns out he made it that way so it would work if he was playing in either Albany or NJ. Hard to imagine Brodeur ever having to play for Albany, isn't it?
Congrats on your achievements. Your style, smile during games, and success made me look up to you. #SaluteMB30 pic.twitter.com/CTLIZXzv2R— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 9, 2016
There were a lot of classy gestures from other NHL teams and players on Twitter (still no idea how to use this) congratulating Brodeur. You don't see that often, it was almost Derek Jeter-esqe. I saw an outpouring of tributes from the Caps, Penguins, Hurricanes, Sabres, Coyotes, Avalanche, Blue Jackets and I'm sure other teams that I missed. The Oilers sat on their bench to watch the ceremony, and you can see Brodeur giving them a thumbs up. I even saw people who are lifelong Flyers fans posting things about how much they respect Brodeur. It just puts in perspective how lucky us Devils fans were to have him on our team.
The crowd went nuts for Elias. I think he'll be the next guy up there. Not sure why he's dressed for a wedding though?
A fitting end to the ceremony with the salute to the crowd.
Marty's better
Devils Beat Oilers 2-1
The Marty ceremony set the stage for a showdown with the worst team in the league, the Oilers. But, I won't completely ignore the loss to the Rangers on Monday. The Devils struggled to score once again and Cory Schneider kept them in the game. The Oilers game was no different, even though the outcome was a win. And when you play a team like the Oilers, it's a must-win, especially with a sell-out crowd for Marty night. The Devils had never lost on a jersey retirement night an were playing a team that had been outscored 13-2 in their last two games.
Schneider tested early again (as usual) and made a huge save on a Taylor Hall breakaway 30 seconds into the game. He then made another breakaway save just a few minutes later on "The Next One" Connor McDavid.
The Devils kept the powerplay rolling with a goal by Henrique, then give one right back to the Oilers.
Severson has to get his stick or body on Eberle on this goal. You can see why he's be healthy scratched the past three games, but I wasn't surprised to see Gelinas get scratched given he's been in the area of goals scored in the past few games.
It's the same story, the Devils don't get enough shots or chances early to set the tone. They only had 6 in the first period. They held the Oilers to just 12 shots in the first two periods, but Schneider had to make some amazing saves to keep them in it.
Josefson whiffed on a a WIDE OPEN net on a perfect set up from Blandisi, only to be bailed out by a Reid Boucher sniper, which ended up being the game-winner on the powerplay. Blandisi and Boucher earning their keep.
🚨 BOUUUUUUUUCHHHHHH! 🚨 #EDMvsNJD pic.twitter.com/PltMFILURx— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) February 10, 2016
So, not the prettiest win, but a win nonetheless.
The Cory Schneider show rolls into Philly on Saturday before a game at home vs. the Kings Sunday for a big test. Can the Devils score more than two goals in a game?
Side note: Watch Connor McDavid and the Oilers the next few years. They are very young now, but have a ton of potential and will be fun to watch for a long time.
Also, another classy move by Brodeur to close this out. Thanks for the memories #30.
On #NJDevils fan base: "It’s one of the best ones, because they’re so personable. They’re true fans.” #SaluteMB30 pic.twitter.com/WRhiXiffz5— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) February 10, 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment