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Devils recall two from AHL, place Greene on IR

The New Jersey Devils have recalled defenseman Karl Stollery and forward Blake Coleman from the American Hockey League’s Albany Devils.

Stollery, who recently spent time in the San Jose Sharks organization, was signed by the Devils in the off-season.  The 29 year old has 0 points in 12 NHL appearances and currently has nine points in 33 games for the A-Devs.

Coleman, the Devils third round pick in 2011 (75th overall), is having a good season in Albany with 23 points in 34 games.  The Plano Texas native is in his second full season as a professional and will look to make his NHL debut on the upcoming road trip.

To make roster space for Coleman and Stollery, the Devils have placed Captain Andy Greene on the IR retroactive to January 3rd where he was injured in a contest against the Carolina Hurricanes.  Greene, who had played in 350 consecutive games for the Devils, had battled injuries early on in his career, but has been a model of consistency for New Jersey the past six years.

The loss of Greene does not help the Devils blue line, which has been a big part of New Jersey’s failures this season, though Jon Merrill has stepped in admirably to fill the void in Greene’s absence.  

Joining Greene on the IR is fellow defenseman, Yohann Auvitu, who was injured after just one shift against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday evening.

Auvitu, who is in his first season in the NHL as a 27 year old, currently has four points in 25 games for the Devils while bouncing back and forth between Newark and Albany.

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Taylor Hall Selected to Represent Metropolitan Division in 2017 All-Star Game

New Jersey forward Taylor Hall has been named the lone representative of the Devils for the 2017 NHL All-Star Game from Los Angeles.

Hall, who was acquired by the Devils on June 29th from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Adam Larsson, has had a trying time in his first season in New Jersey.  He does however lead the team in points with nine goals and 16 assists in 32 games while missing 10 games due to injury.

It’s not a surprise that the Devils have one player to represent them as the whole team has performed below expectations.

Hall was a member of the Pacific Division that was led by Captain and all-star fairy tale, John Scott, that won the three on three, four division competition.

The Captains for this year’s squads are:

Sidney Crosby: Metropolitan Division Carey Price: Atlantic Division PK Subban: Central Division Connor McDavid: Pacific Division

Other notable all-stars include, Toronto Maple Leafs rookie sensation, Auston Matthews.  Bo Horvat, the player the Vancouver Canucks selected in exchange for Cory Schneider. Cam Fowler, a former teammate of Adam Henrique and Hall with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires.  Winnipeg Jets sniper, Patrik Laine, though his slot may be in jeopardy depending on his recovery from a concussion sustained over the weekend.

The all-star weekend, which was a success last season, will take place on Sunday, January 29th, preceded by the skills competition on the 28th from the Staples Center in downtown LA.

The full rosters as released by the NHL is posted below.

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John Hynes: AHL reinforcements possible

John Hynes alluded to possible call ups for the Devils after Monday’s 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers at the Prudential Center. “Yeah, for sure, it’s something we’ll talk with Ray (GM Ray Shero) about and as a coaching staff. We have an opportunity to maybe have some guys come up from the American League and play, change some lines. It’s not like we’re going to sit on our hands.”

The Albany Devils are currently in second place in the American Hockey League’s North Division and have some promising young pieces to choose from, including rookie John Quenneville who saw two games earlier in the season before being returned to Albany.

Quenneville, the Devils former first round pick (30th overall, 2014) is currently enjoying an outstanding rookie season in Albany with 10 goals and 17 assists in just 33 games and earlier was named to the AHL all-star team along with fellow A-Dev, Joe Blandisi.

Blandisi is unlikely to be one of the call-ups for the Devils as he is currently on the shelf with an injury.  Forwards Blake Pietila and Coleman are also possibilities to join the big league club as well, depending on what head coach Hynes is looking for.

The Devils could also use insurance on their blue line with injuries to Andy Greene (upper body injury), John Moore (concussion), and Yohann Auvitu (lower body injury) with only Greene seemingly close to returning. 

After recalling Seth Helgeson and Steven Santini, the only defenseman that the Devils would consider calling up at this point would be Vojtech Mozik.

Mozik was called up earlier this year but did play in any games, previously played in seven contests last year for New Jersey.

The Devils, who currently sit 29th in goals for this year, are looking for any sort of help they can find to kick start their offense, which only has Taylor Hall making any sort of inroads in the offensive zone.

Hynes has been pleading for the Devils to want it more than the other team and reiterated that stance on Monday night.

“It comes down to work ethic,” Hynes said. “It comes down to being able to check, shoot the puck, retrieve the puck. We have to get more passionate in that area.”

The Devils head coach could be hoping that the youthful injection that has served the AHL’s youngest team well, could be the fuel that kickstarts an anemic Devils team who has continually had trouble exiting the defensive zone and gaining entry into the offensive zone.

That is in large part due to the lack of skilled puck moving defenseman on the back end.  With Moore injured, most of that job falls to Damon Severson, Kyle Quincey and Jon Merrill.  

While Severson has shown flashes of being able to do that, it’s easy to forget he’s just a third year pro and only 22 years old learning the hardest position in hockey.  

Merrill has started to come around after a deep early season funk, but still isn’t expected to be a big point producer at this level.  

Quincey however has been a poor fit for the Devils after signing a contract late in the off-season just ahead of camp and his roster spot could be the one that is up for grabs when Greene returns, or reinforcements from Albany arrive.

The Devils practice tomorrow at 1 PM ET before heading out to Edmonton for the start of a four game road trip, so we should have a clearer picture on the Devils call-ups at that time.

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Game 42: Devils v.s Panthers Are you still watching?

The New Jersey Devils welcomed the Florida Panthers to the Prudential Center on Monday night to complete a three game home stand.  

Unfortunately for the Devils, the result was the same as the previous two games as New Jersey fell 3-0 to a Panthers team that has struggled this season.

The Devils didn’t play poorly in this game, but, one questionable major call to Pavel Zacha is all the Panthers needed to make a difference.

The game started off evenly with the teams trading shots in the first couple of minutes.  But, with the Panthers Denis Malgin streaking down the left hand side, Devils rookie Pavel Zacha rode Malgin hard into the boards and was inexplicably called for boarding.  

https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/818616702455975936

Shawn Thornton gave the Devils a gift by taking an unnecessary roughing minor trying to get at Zacha and New Jersey almost made the Panthers pay by nearly killing it off.

However, with 22 seconds left on the major, the Panthers Reilly Smith was able to take advantage of some disastrous defending by the Devils Kyle Quincey and deposit his own rebound in for a 1-0 Panthers lead.

https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/818618695907938305

It’s unclear what Quincey was thinking on this play, but he doesn’t even enter the picture until Smith is at the front of the crease for a glorious look, and Smith makes no mistake with no Devil to stop him.

Quincey has really struggled for the Devils this season, and is a very poor 41% in CORSI this season in all situations.  

The Devils have been plagued with all sorts of issues defensively after dealing Adam Larsson to the Oilers and will be looking to fill in those holes in the off-season with many teams looking to trade for assets before the expansion draft in June.

New Jersey didn’t play poorly in this contest however, but were constantly stymied by Roberto Luongo who passed Terry Sawchuk for fifth on the NHL’s all-time wins list with 448 victories.  

Taylor Hall led the way with five shots toward Luongo, but he was one of the lone bright spots for New Jersey tonight. The Devils fall to 0-1-2 against Florida this season

The team will now embark on a three game road trip to Western Canada where they have struggled in their history.  The Devils who find themselves in the bottom five of league standings are -29 in goal differential this season and are only trailed by the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes in that statistic.  Coincidentally, those are the two teams that are further in the cellar than the Devils.  

New Jersey is going to have to figure this mess out, and fast. But as NHL fans know, it starts to get late early, and it looks like that’s the point where the Devils are on this NHL season.  The playoffs are looking less likely by the day, and the Western Canada trip could be the final nail in the coffin.

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Guelph Storm surge to 6-3 victory over Val d'Or Foreurs

Credit:  Aaron Bell/CHL Images

The Guelph Storm have clinched a birth in the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup Final on Sunday by defeating the Val d’Or Foreurs 6-3 to sit atop the round robin table.

Guelph came out guns blazing in this one getting a goal from Kerby Rychel 59 seconds into the contest.

Before the game was six minutes old, the Storm had notched two more tallies from Zack Mitchell and Jason Dickinson to make it 3-0.

Val d’Or, coming off a shutout of the host London Knights used their timeout after the third marker to regroup.  And it worked in the sense that Guelph would stay off the score sheet for the rest of the period.

The Foreurs would finally get on the board scoring twice in 56 seconds after Guelph made it 4-0 to give the Storm something to think about, but Guelph as they have all season, filled the net twice thanks to Robby Fabbri and Tyler Bertuzzi to restore the Storm’s four goal lead.

To start the period, the Foreurs pulled goaltender Antoine Bibeau and put in Keven Bouchard to light a fire under the players.  Bouchard was tested early and often but stood tall in net keeping the Storm off the board in the third period.

The game was marred by an ugly incident in the final frame when Chad Bauman was given a match penalty for kneeing overage Val d’Or defenseman Guillaume Gelinas .  Val d’Or could only capitalize once on the extended power play. 

After the game, Guelph head coach Scott Walker said that he didn’t think it was a dirty hit and that Bauman is not that type of player.  Val d’Or’s head coach Mario Durocher hadn’t seen a replay of it.

From our vantage point the collision looked fairly dirty, but it is hard to determine intent.  Either way, the CHL will likely hand Bauman a one game suspension for the contest against the London Knights on Wednesday night.

For the Storm, they’ll be able to enjoy it and play that game pressure free, while the Knights, who are 0-2 are in a must win to force a tiebreaker against either Val d’Or or Edmonton on Thursday evening.  A Knights loss, however and the hosts will watch one of the other teams hoist the Memorial Cup Trophy on their home soil.

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Oil Kings send Knights to the brink with 5-2 thumping

Photo Credit: Aaron Bell/CHL Images

The Edmonton Oil Kings bounced back from a lackluster effort against Guelph with a 5-2 victory over the hometown London Knights.

London, who was looking for its first victory of the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup is now 0-2 and could be eliminated from contention before they play again on Wednesday.

The game started out physical for the Knights, who, led by Nikita Zadorov came out and laid the body on the Oil Kings early. 

Edmonton were undeterred by the physicality of the Knights and took the play into London’s end forcing the home side into undisciplined penalties, highlighted by Josh Anderson’s ill-advised attempt at retrieving the puck from Tristan Jarry, resulting in Jarry being sent flying by the hard charging Anderson.

London killed off the 5 on 3 successfully, but 20 seconds after expiration, Reid Petryk sent a shot under the glove of goaltender Anthony Stolarz and into the cage to give Edmonton a 1-0 lead.

The Knights, who had gone scoreless in the first game, were awarded a penalty shot shorthanded to Ryan Rupert who was hauled down by Ashton Sautner.  Like teammate Bo Horvat on Friday, Rupert was unable to capitalize on the shot and the Knights headed into the locker room trailing 1-0.

Rupert would have another chance at the start of the second period to pull the Knights even, but this time, his shot found its way past Jarry’s glove, but couldn’t beat the crossbar to keep the score knotted at one a piece.

Two minutes after that, Latvian import, Edgars Kulda, the younger brother of former NHL defenseman Arturs, came down the left side and let go a ripper past Stolarz blocker, to give Edmonton a 2-0 lead.

With just over five minutes remaining in the second, the Knights finally ended their Memorial Cup goose egg, thanks to overager, Alex Basso whose shot hit Jarry’s glove but bounced into the net.  The roof of the Budweiser Gardens was blown off by a crowd who were just on pins and needles hoping to celebrate a goal after being unable in the first game.

That seemed to energize the Knights if only for a moment before Edmonton struck again.  With 2:06 left in the second period a crazy bounce found its way past goaltender Stolarz and restored the Oil Kings two goal lead.  The goal would be credited to Kulda for his second of the game.

Head Coach Dale Hunter, looking for a jolt to his downtrodden team, started the third period with Jake Patterson assuming duties in the net.  Edmonton were able identify that quickly and peppered him early trying to extend its lead.

After Griffin Reinhart just missed in tight, the Oil Kings wouldn’t make a mistake a second time as Luke Bertolucci would send a shot off of defenseman Dakota Mermis’ hand and get underneath the outstretched glove of the London goaltender.

The Knights would pull within two with just under 10 minutes to play after Mermis atoned for his own goal earlier by sending a rebound past Jarry after a terrific around the world play by Max Domi. 

That was the first point for a London star in the tournament and gave some hope to the Budweiser Gardens crowd.

However, the Knights fans were sent to the exits early after Bertolucci’s second of the game made it 5-2 with Michael McCarron in the box after taking one of the stupidest penalties in recent memory.   After taking an extra poke at the Oil Kings goaltender, McCarron was greeted by the Oil Kings defense and he decided to take a swing and connected, but the referees were quick to send the Montreal first rounder to the sin bin.

Jarry, who needed a bounce back effort after allowing five a day before came up aces for Edmonton stopping 38 of 40 shots sent his way.

The Oil Kings have one game left in the round robin against Val d’Or while the Knights will play a familiar foe in the form of the Guelph Storm on Wednesday evening.

But with Guelph looking like the best in the tournament after its one outing, that seems like a real tall order for the hosts and that can’t be anything but disappointment for Dale Hunter and his troops.

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Guelph blasts Edmonton 5-2 at the MasterCard Memorial Cup

In a battle of league Champions, the OHL champion Guelph Storm dispatched the WHL representative Edmonton Oil Kings 5-2 in game two of the MasterCard Memorial Cup here at the Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario.

The game started out physical early with both teams trying to dial up the pressure and get the early advantage.  That physical play would boil over at the 3:56 mark of the first period in a spirited bout between Guelph forward Ryan Horvat and Edmonton defenseman Blake Orban. 

Guelph got the first chance of the game but Tristan Jarry came up big stopping a tip in attempt off a shot from the point .   Minutes later, OHL MVP, Robby Fabbri had a golden opportunity on a partial breakaway in front of the net but ended up sending the shot wide, a rare miscue for the Guelph standout.

A late penalty to Edmonton’s Aaron Irving would put Guelph on its first power play of the game and Kerby Rychel would clean up on a rebound at the left circle with 4.2 seconds left on the clock and the period came to a close 1-0 in favor of the OHL champs.

In the second period, the Oil Kings showed their resolve by coming out and getting a tying marker off the stick of Phoenix Coyotes prospect, Henrik Samuelsson who is the son of former NHL defenseman, Ulf.  Samuelsson raced down the left wing side and threw a harmless backhander towards goal that Justin Nichols had trouble with. 

Just 27 seconds later, Edmonton would take their only lead of the game after Curtis Lazar made a beautiful pass to a streaking Ashton Sautner for an easy tap in to make it 2-1 for Edmonton.

That lead would be short lived however, with Captain Griffin Reinhart in the box for Edmonton, a routine play by the goaltender Jarry and forward Mads Eller resulted in a terrible bounce off the torso of Kerby Rychel and in the back of the net. 

For Rychel it was his second goal of the game, and fourth straight goal for the Storm, dating back to the OHL Finals when he ripped two past Jake Smith to give the Storm the Title.

Creeping into the final five minutes of the second period, Nick Ebert, who was strong all game for Guelph on the back end dropped a pass for Carolina Hurricanes prospect Brock McGinn who made no mistake firing a rocket past Jarry’s glove to give Guelph a 3-2 lead.

Guelph’s Tyler Bertuzzi, yes the nephew of Todd Bertuzzi, and Detroit Red Wing draft pick would add two more goals in the third period to make the final 5-2. 

The Red Wings have to love the start of the tournament so far as their prospects have scored three out of the eight goals scored at the Tournament so far, after Anthony Mantha scored the lone goal the evening before.

After the game, Oil Kings goaltender Jarry said that the play that resulted in the tying marker was a routine play that him and the forwards practice all the time, and that the circumstances behind the goal was just a freak accident.

Eller echoed similar sentiments in a postgame interview on www.ontariosportsradio.com

The turnaround for the Oil Kings will have to be quick however, as they take on the host London Knights in game three of the MasterCard Memorial Cup, with both teams looking to avoid going 0-2 in the short round robin.

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MY JOURNEY WITH THE 2013-14 OSHAWA GENERALS

-Posted April 24th, 2014

THE SON OF A LEGEND

In May of 2013, I stayed at a friend's house in downtown Toronto, to wake up the next day and go to the General Motors Centre for the first time and take in the Oshawa Generals Rookie Camp.  

The reason?  To view Jeremy Brodeur who was drafted by the Gens and give a scouting report.  Why Jeremy Brodeur?  Well, anyone who knows me, knows that I am a BIG Devils fan, especially of his dad, Martin.

I walked around the GM Centre and saw a man with a cape and a wig and thought, look at that nut.  I think we all know who I speak of, you've all seen him.  I also met Channel 12's Dan Malta, a former schoolmate, who showed me around.  

Dan would point out a young player attending Rookie Camp by the name of Michael Dal Colle, you may have heard of him.  I had not at the time, but when I saw him, I was very impressed.  I believe he scored a hat trick on Brodeur with ease with that absolutely lethal shot.

I will, by my own admission, admit my own ignorance and say that I knew nothing of the Ontario Hockey League, save for the names of the teams and graduates of teams, but tell me to name one current player for each team, and I would be completely lost.

As I waited downstairs for Brodeur to leave the dressing room to grab an interview for this blog, I ran into Mitchell Vande Sompel.  I had heard of Mitchell from my hockey instructor at Total Package Hockey, a man by the name of Dwayne Blais.

I introduced myself to Mitchell, told him I was also from London and also a student of TPH and we had a brief but decent conversation and I wished him the best, he would be on his way and Jeremy came out, and I conducted a quick interview.

Following the Brodeur interview, I went home, excited, because I got to interview a dead ringer for Marty, while it wasn't Marty which would be an absolute dream, this was pretty darn good.  I did not give the GM Centre or the OHL a second thought.

A CONVERSATION THAT WOULD CHANGE EVERYTHING

In July of 2013, I got a message from one of my best friends and former and current roommate, Mike Dickson who alerted me to the fact that his former boss Peter Whitaker needed "crew" for OHL broadcasts this season.

Now I will admit, I have no idea what "crew" meant, I figured it may be something such as produce back at the station, carry equipment, something of that sort.  So I fired off a resume to Peter.

He would end up calling me, and to my surprise, identified the job as either play-by-play or color commentating for the Oshawa Generals, I mean, WOW, what are the odds? I excitedly sent off my resume and a demo tape of my work with the St. Thomas Stars in 2011-12 and he said he would be in touch. 

A week would go by, and I started to get antsy, finally, the phone rings and my caller ID says Peter Whitaker.  I excitedly answer my phone, yet with jitters, because I didn't know what to expect.  

I answer and make the small talk, and then finally, it's down to business. Pete says he liked my demo tape and he would be interested in hiring me on as the play-by-play announcer.  

My God, what a turn of events, there I was, two months ago in Oshawa, as a fan of the Devils, there to interview the son of a legend, and now, I'm hired on as the commentator of the team who's building I had visited.

THE PRE-SEASON

In early September, I stay at my uncle's house in Guelph because the next day I want to go to Niagara and see the Generals play in the pre-season and familiarize myself with the team.  I wait in the parking lot of the Jack for the team to arrive and get my first taste of the friendly staff in the OHL arenas.  A security guard points me in the direction of where the Generals would come in from and I wait.

Finally, the team arrives, and they unload all their things and get ready for a pre-season game while the weather outside was anything but hockey weather.  

I introduce myself to GM Jeff Twohey, D.J. Smith, Roger Hunt and Paul McFarland, and I ask if I can do an interview with one of the players for our first pre-season broadcast.  They say sure, go ahead and I head towards the locker room.

From my previous broadcasting experience, the liaison between myself and the players were the trainers. So I head over to Bryan Boyes and I ask him if I could talk to one.  Bryan, not knowing me says "I don't know you" and continues on his work.

I stand there for a moment, but take no offense, he's busy and he has a lot of work to do.  Finally, they have a little bit of free time and I go over a list of people I could interview.  I start with Justice Dundas, and they say he's away.  So I ask for Cole Cassels, nope not there.  Scott Laughton?  Try again.  Finally, I land on Colin Suellentrop and they say he's right behind you.

So, I introduce myself to Colin and, remember what I said earlier, I couldn't name you one player from any team or know anything about them.  I ask Colin if he's a first year player or a second year, not knowing his veteran status with the team.  Colin, rightfully, was annoyed, he should have been, I messed up and I take full responsibility for that.  

I reset, regain my composure and do a brief spot with Colin, before moving on and getting to talk to Al Jensen of the Central Scouting Bureau and GM Twohey.  I go home, excited, a night well done.

The next day, my life was turned upside down.  In late August, my mom was given a cancer scare, but the doctor's found it benign.  However, additional tests found that it was in fact, malignant.  You forget about the game of hockey and anything else when a loved one is given a diagnosis like that.

Thankfully, it was in it's infancy, so, only radiation would be required, which was somewhat of a relief.  But, the game of hockey can be an outlet, and thank goodness I had the Generals, because I needed them.  

The Generals would have a home schedule in the pre-season that would take them to Whitby, Ajax and then Pickering.  I do the game in Whitby and start to learn some of the players while Cassels, Laughton, Josh Brown and others were at training camp.  I did my first game against the Niagara Ice Dogs that the Generals would win.  My color commentator for the evening, was Ryan Maguire.  It went pretty well, Generals won, it felt good.

The next game in Ajax, we were informed that they didn't have the proper set up for us to broadcast, so we didn't do it.  The next game after that, would be in Pickering, the last of the pre-season and this time I'm joined by Anthony Nicholson and the Gens are playing the Kingston Frontenacs.  

Again, Pickering did not have the right set up and we couldn't get our equipment set up for the broadcast, drawing the ire of the Generals, because Rocco Tullo, the owner wanted to hear a broadcast.  

Sitting in the booth next to us, was Fronts broadcaster, Jim Gilchrist. Gilly, as I know him now, had a good laugh and told me not to worry, it happens.  That was great for me, it settled me down.

So, Anthony and I end up improvising and flipped the receiver upside down and used that as a microphone to broadcast the game.  I guess Rocco didn't hate it, because the regular season would be next, starting on the 19th of September.

THE SEASON

Fate, God, the Heavens, whatever you believe in, smiled upon me, knowing the turmoil at home and gave us a schedule in which the Generals played back to back to start the year in Windsor and Sarnia, both easily driveable from Strathroy where my parent's house is.

This way I could stay at home with my mom as she underwent radiation, the luck is definitely on my side.  The only other road games in that time were in London and Guelph while every thing else was in Oshawa, all allowing me to drive to the games and stay at home, or at a friends, but never gone for too long.

In those first two games of the season, the Generals stole away two victories from the home team, both winning goals coming off the stick of Hunter Smith, who was looking for a bounce back year this season.  His line with Dal Colle and the newly acquired Josh Sterk started very hot and got the Gens two W's.

Before the home opener against Kitchener, there is fan fest outside the GMC, and I go back to Suellentrop and apologize for my gaffe in Niagara, he's a veteran, he deserves respect and I wanted to make sure that he knew I had it for him.  Colin, the stand up guy that he is, says don't worry about it and it's buried in the past.

I also take the opportunity to talk to Dundas who's games i used to call in St. Thomas when he played for the Sarnia Legionnaires.  I always remembered him because really, who can forget a name like Justice Dundas?  Finally, I interview Josh Sterk who immediately gets to play his former team after a trade at the end of training camp.

The Generals would lose that game, after dropping the previous game against Guelph at the Sleeman Centre.  The season was rather uneven, starting 2-2, but that would be the closest the .500 they'd be for the rest of the year.

THE MVP RETURNS

Listen, there's a lot of great players in this lineup and usually one player doesn't make the biggest difference, but, this is a special case.  On October 3rd, 2013, the Generals receive the great news that Scott Laughton has been loaned back by the Philadelphia Flyers because they would rather have played Jay Rosehill and Kris Newbury.

Their loss, was the Generals gain, and no one, but the fine folks of Peterborough would complain.  Many expected the Generals would have waited to make him Captain, but they didn't know what Philadelphia's intentions were and gave the C to Josh Brown, a veteran of the team.

So off we go on my first trip on the team bus of the season, Laughton in tow.  I had been on a team bus in St. Thomas and it wasn't the best, I didn't like the atmosphere, but here, on the Generals bus, a whole new story.

The Generals didn't have any sort of division within the roster between the rookies and the vets like some teams do.  And that was a great thing, as there were six rookies (Jimi Kuronen, Matt Hore, Jacob Busch, Joe Manchurek, Mitchell Vande Sompel,  and Sam Harding) in the lineup that night alone.  With three more as healthy scratches (Stephen Desrocher, Aidan Wallace, Owen McDade)

Before the game started, I was around the locker room area and there was a player stretching against the wall.  At this point I'm still not familiar with players so I ask someone is that Josh Brown?  And they said "I think so"

So I said, congratulations on the Captaincy, Josh and the player turns around and says "I'm not Josh Brown" whoops!  For privacy sake, lets say that player's name was J. Busch.  No wait, that's too obvious, lets go with Jacob B.

I don't think he cared because he was drawing in to his first game of the year and out came Adam Lloyd, who, after a few more healthy scratches would decide to go back to Jr. B at home.  

And good on Jacob, because he made the most of that opportunity and would hardly be a scratch again all season.  That's what you want to see out of any player, is that kind of tenacity, in which the player makes it tough on the coaches.

The Generals would surrender a 1-0 lead to a rowdy crowd at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.  But, Scott had something to say about that, he wasn't going to let that team lose and would record two goals, and two assists in a 7-1 beating of the Petes.  My initiation into the Peterborough-Oshawa rivalry was now complete.

That would start a run of five straight wins including defeating the eventual regular season champion Guelph Storm with ease, 4-1 at the GMC.

On Thanksgiving the Gens would finally lose for the first time with Laughton in the lineup, the first time he was held pointless since he returned, but they would get a point in a 2-1 loss to Saginaw.  

No matter, Oshawa wouldn't let that faze them as they entered the belly of the beast, the home of the Memorial Cup hosts, Budweiser Gardens for a duel with the mighty London Knights, a prohibitive league favorite.  Laughton would make his mark again, netting a hat trick in a 5-3 victory.  

Oshawa would pick up another win against Sault Ste. Marie, before falling to Mississauga and ending a streak in which they recorded a point in eight straight games. The two losses in that time, both games, Scott didn't record a point, cementing his status as the engine on the Generals locomotive.

This would be the story of the Generals for pretty much the whole season, but, things were looking good for Oshawa.  They were winning, the league was being taken by storm and they were having a good time. Unfortunately, the good vibes would be railroaded by a terrible, terrible, unimaginable tragedy.

THE WORST LOSS OF THE SEASON

There have been many losses in the Generals season this year, some not so bad, some pretty bad, and of course the elimination loss against North Bay.  But those pale in comparison as to what came next.  

On Sunday November 3rd, I came to the rink anticipating another exciting clash against the Petes and as I come in, I'm greeted by Andrew Edwards, the Game Day Operations manager of the Gens who informs me of a change in itinerary and that after game against Ottawa on the 5th of November, we'd be staying overnight.

I wasn't expecting that, and I was puzzled as to why, so I asked Andrew, who informed me that Will Petschenig's father Dan, had passed away.  What a kick in the junk that was to hear that.  A young man, who loses his father at a young age, that just isn't right.  

I hadn't been with the team that long, but in the time that I was, Will was one of the first on the team to say hello to me without provocation.  That is the sign of a well raised young man, and the man who had a hand in that was no longer with us. I didn't know what to say.  What could you say?

To Will's credit, he played in that Peterborough game, the Generals won 5-3 and Will would go onto Ottawa right away while we'd follow two days later.  Again, Will was in the lineup at the Canadian Tire Centre and the Generals came away with a 7-1 victory thanks to Cole Cassels' four goal game.

That night, we go to bed and the next day, it's up and off to the Roman Catholic Church where Dan Petschenig would be laid to rest.  As we arrive, there at the doors to greet us is Will.  

Here I am, a new member of this team, feeling awkward in a tough situation where I've just joined them, and everyone else is like family because of the length of time they've been together and Will greets me as if I was a always part of that family.  At that moment, I was and I have to say, it is thanks to Will Petschenig who made me feel welcome and at ease in a period of complete grief.

At the funeral, I sat next to Michael Dal Colle, who I suppose had been raised as a Roman Catholic and just followed his lead, and I suppose that may be where I formed a pretty solid relationship with Michael.  We listened to the clergyman, and then it was time for Will and his sister and brother to speak.

I couldn't believe the strength exhibited by those kids.  Mr. Petschenig left behind an amazing legacy in his children, what a fantastic family.  I can't say enough about them.  But that, I feel would lay the foundation for the rest of the season.

FINDING STRENGTH THROUGH LOSS

If you follow any of the Gens on Twitter, you'll notice the term "brothers" come up a lot in their tweets and, sometimes that's just cliche, but not so with this team.  What I saw at the funeral and beyond was that these were indeed brothers.  

Through the loss of Mr. Petschenig these teammates bonded something fierce, and I believe through that bond will forever be friends, no matter where their respective lives take one another.

In that time, they would lose Vande Sompel and backup goaltender Ken Appleby to injuries and those losses would build opportunities for other players, most notably, Stephen Desrocher.

Desrocher would dress against Barrie for the second time in the year, but in that contest, he was planted on the bench exclusively and didn't move from his spot.  Not one shift.  I felt terrible for him.

I think a player should at least get out there once and make some hay, or get to show what he's made of, because practices don't tell you the whole story of what a player can do in a game situation.  

But, to Stephen's credit, he never sulked, and he got out there when his number was finally called against Sault Ste Marie.  And in his limited minutes out there I took notice of all the things that Stephen was capable of, including his shot, which will serve him well in his entire career.  

I remember telling Shane Hollinshead of Rogers TV and everyone at the arena that he is Oshawa's best kept secret and if I were an NHL scout, I would steal him in the later rounds of the NHL draft because if he's passed over this year, he'll go a lot higher next year with added development.  

He didn't really have an opportunity to showcase what he could do in the first two months of the year because his ice time was limited to maybe three minutes a game, but every minute was a good one in my eyes.  The first two months of the season were a rousing success, rookies were developing nicely, all getting their first goals of the year, the vets were helping them, the Generals were a well oiled machine.

Going into December, the Generals would build a lead in the Eastern Conference by as many 14 points in the standings.  So much for the nonsense by the predictors that this Generals team would struggle to make the playoffs or miss them at all.

THE SWOON

It is inevitable that a team will suffer from a bit of a losing streak or struggle through the year.  For Oshawa it would be the month of December.  Following a 5-2 victory on December 10th against the Ottawa 67's, their third win in as many games, the Generals would lose their heart and soul to Team Canada for the World Junior Championships.

The Generals would also lose Vande Sompel and Harding to Team Ontario's u17 team in Nova Scotia, so Oshawa would be without their two best face off centremen and their powerplay quarterback defenseman.  And it would show as the Generals ended up losing four in a row and drop six of eight without Laughton, Vande Sompel and Harding in the lineup.

By the time they returned, their next game was the first game after the trade deadline and the overage deadline and Laughton would lose good friend, and long time Oshawa General Brian Hughes in a numbers game, due to Ontario Hockey League rules that allow only three OA players on a team.  After adding Dylan Smoskowitz from Mississauga for goal scoring and Alex Lepkowski from Barrie's unprotected list to shore up the defense there was no more room for Hughes.  

That first game back, new teammates, the loss of old ones, the Gens looked discombobulated and gave up the first four goals to Kingston at the K-Rock centre.  The Generals would storm back and tie the game at four, before allowing five straight and dropping a 9-4 decision, their most lopsided loss to date, and their only lopsided loss all year.

The next game would be against the Sudbury Wolves and after dropping seven of nine games, the gap that was once 14 points going into a trip to Sudbury (incidentally, the same trip in which I proclaimed Dal Colle the best dressed on the team, which he loved and made sure his teammates knew about it every chance he could), was down to one, the winner of the game gets first place in the Eastern Conference.  

Oshawa would win that game 2-1 and after that, Oshawa would rattle off four more wins and in the 14 games thereafter the Generals would win a total of nine games and accumulate 19 points.

A LONG TIME COMING

On Friday February 21st, the Generals would head to the K-Rock Centre to start the last three games in three nights of the season.  The Gens would have two contests against Kingston, sandwiched by a game in Belleville against the Bulls.  

The games against Kingston would be a part of a stretch of three games against the Fronts in six contests.  Win all three against the Frontenacs and the division was theirs for the taking.

In the first game, the Generals would jump out to a 2-0 lead thanks to Cassels and Laughton and deflate the K-Rock Centre.  But, that lead wouldn't hold up as Kingston would tie it in the third off the stick of Darcy Greenaway and the Rock was given new life, which would last a grand total of two minutes and 27 seconds before Joe Manchurek would pot his sixth of the year to give the Gens a 3-2 lead.  Daniel Altshuller would shut the door the rest of the way, and Oshawa was a third of the way there.

Two night's later the Fronts would come to Oshawa and get destroyed by a score of 7-2.  The Generals would win four of five contests heading into Sunday March 2nd's contest against Kingston back at home.

A Generals win clinches the division title for Oshawa and the Eastern Conference title, or so we thought, until some confusion made it sound like it needed to be a regulation victory.

So Oshawa would try and do just that, jumping out to a 2-0 lead yet again on the strength of markers by Sam Harding and Michael Dal Colle. Kingston, not about to give up easily, would storm back and score two goals of their own, including Lawson Crouse's third period marker which would push the game to overtime.

OT would solve absolutely nothing and it was on the shoulders of Daniel Altshuller to come up big once more as he had all season for the Generals including a stretch where he started 17 in a row with Ken Appleby injured.

The Generals would lead off the shootout giving Laughton the opening shot, but he was unable to score. Kingston would counter with Spencer Watson who was also unable to light the lamp.  The next four shooters on either side would also miss, and then in round five, Cole Cassels would score for Oshawa, putting the pressure on Kingston to score.  Corey Pawley, the former London Knight would be the shooter, but, Altshuller, strong as always, made the stop and that was it.  Celebration.

The Generals had no idea however, and neither did I, up in the pressbox that the win, even in a SO meant that for the first time in 23 years, the Oshawa Generals were Eastern Conference Champions.  After being informed of such in the locker room, a celebration would touch off.

Knowing that the division was wrapped up, the Generals would rest their players the rest of the way and drop four of their last five contests.  But they had done it, a team that no one thought much of, were on top.  Maybe it's something to do with London Ontario born players being Captain in Oshawa.  Last time the Generals did it, Londoner Eric Lindros wore the C and now, it was Josh Brown.

A CRAZY START

Oshawa would start the 2014 playoffs with home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, and in would come the Mississauga Steelheads.  Everyone expected the Generals to take the series in four straight games, and after game one, that expectation never wavered.  Oshawa would rout the Trout 6-0 in a laugher.

However, after game one, no one was laughing.  Spencer Martin, the outstanding goalie of the Steelheads put up three straight solid efforts and each game would go to OT.  Fortunately for Oshawa, they were able to pull out a victory in each game, with Hunter Smith sending the Generals to round two.

After a week off, the Generals learn their opponent would be Peterborough and the excitement was through the roof. 

At end of game two however, Scott Laughton’s ill-advised butt end would result in a three game suspension and people would be forgiven if they thought Oshawa would struggle a bit without Laughton as they were 4-9-1 without him all year.

That wouldn’t be the case though as two hard fought wins in Peterborough gave the Generals a second straight sweep with Daniel Altshuller only allowing three goals in four contests.  Maybe the sweep though, wasn’t the best for Oshawa.

A DISAPPOINTING FINISH

Game one, Laughton is still in the pressbox and sees his teammates drop a 1-0 decision thanks to Nick Paul’s goal with five minutes left in the third and the Generals outshot 51-24 in the game.  Game two would be no better, and down 2-0 going to North Bay would be too tough for Oshawa.

After another disappointing loss in game three, the Generals were down 3-0 and you could see it in D.J. Smith’s press conference that there was a look in the coaches eyes as if he looked lost for answers.  But the team in Oshawa is a feisty group and came out with a spirited effort, with Kenny Appleby in net for Daniel Altshuller who was good enough to back up, but I would bet there was something there injury wise even if no one would admit it.  And it looked like maybe they had a fighting chance to stay alive, erasing a deficit twice on the back of Appleby’s great game. But unfortunately, Jamie Lewis had other ideas and a blast just inside the blue line found it’s way in, and game over.  The Battalion would jump over the boards, the crowd roaring and celebrate in front of a dejected Generals team, and their radio broadcaster, sitting in the pressbox.  Who knew that a team that was 8-4 in the playoffs, could be eliminated.

THE LONG GOODBYE

After the game, I didn’t have any heart to go to the press conference, I wanted to go down and see the kids who I had seen grown throughout the year and the vets who I would never see again.  So I ran down and as each and every player left, I said my goodbyes, because over the course of 68 regular season games and 12 playoff contests, this team was not just a team that I covered, it was a part of me.

Unprovoked, Michael Dal Colle gave me a hug on his way out, even though I could see the hurt in his eyes, which hurt me, because there was a kid I came to respect and admire and felt like one of my own family members.  One by one, out they came and a hug for Petsch, tear in his eyes, but thanking me for everything this season, even though, I should be thanking him.  A hug for Vande Sompel who had just lost a loved one of his own and one for Stephen Desrocher, who I took pride in seeing develop the way I knew he could. 

After the loss, you feel so many emotions and it’s hard to process, but, after a day of letting it process, you’re able to look back and really appreciate the year for what it was.

ON TO THE NEXT ONE

Now that the season is over, 2014-15 has already begun, and the Generals foundation for that season is going to be solid.

Dal Colle will be drafted in the top five of this draft, and whichever team gets him is going to have a fan in me, because I am a fan of him, but he will be back.  Cole Cassels will be the leader of the squad up the middle and be given more responsibility.  Hunter Smith, Josh Sterk, Justice Dundas and Bradley Latour will be the seasoned vets up front for the team. 

Sam Harding, who I have said time and time again is the best two-way forward in the OHL at the ripe age of 16 will be a year advanced and better suited to handle the bigger forwards while bringing his deft faceoff touch.  Jacob Busch, Joe Manchurek, Aidan Wallace will also be a part of the future moving forward, so there will be a lot of returnees who will be fresh off of a final four appearance.

On defense, that is where it should really be tantalizing for the Generals.  Will Petschenig will more than likely be the leader on the back end in his third junior season.  Stephen Desrocher, who couldn’t get a minute of ice time in his first game suited up, made it impossible to be taken out of the lineup for the playoffs, will be counted on for a whole lot more.  Mitchell Vande Sompel, like Harding and Desrocher will also be better equipped knowing what to expect.  Chris Carlisle, despite being a scratch in game four, will be back and that’s your top four on defense.  Stephen Templeton, who played a couple of games for the Generals at the end of the year, I can bet will be a regular defenseman in the lineup next year.  He has good speed, and a quick first pass out of the zone and is a very smart player in his own zone in the limited viewing I had.  Josh Brown may or may not be back for an overage season, but if I was a betting man, I’d bet against it.

In goal, almost no chance Daniel Altshuller is back in Oshawa, almost guaranteed to be in Charlotte with the Checkers, a part of the Carolina Hurricanes farm system.  So, expect Kenny Appleby, who started slowly this year, but ended with an extremely strong finish to be the go to guy in between the pipes.  Even though Shawn Mabely was the back up when Appleby was hurt this year, I would figure Jeremy Brodeur will be the backup goaltender now that he has graduated at Shattuck’s St. Mary’s.

In terms of prospects, the Generals only had a first and fourth round pick to start the draft and took offensively gifted Cliff Pu with the 16th pick in the OHL draft.  The last player picked 16th by Oshawa?  Cole Cassels.  Of course you can never tell how a player is going to develop, look at Desrocher, I bet no one thought he’d be a huge part of the team so soon, but he earned it and I’m sure there will be another one like that next year.

PROJECTED GENERALS LINEUP:

FORWARDS

Dal Colle-Cassels-Pu

Latour-Sterk-Smith

Dundas-Harding-Busch

Manchurek-Wallace-McDade

DEFENSE

Petschenig-Vande Sompel

Desrocher-Carlisle

Templeton-Stillman

GOALIES

Appleby

Brodeur

FINAL THOUGHTS

When I came to Oshawa, I had no idea who anyone was, and now, I will never forget any of them again.  To Scott Laughton, Daniel Altshuller, Josh Brown, Colin Suellentrop, Dylan Smoskowitz and Alex Lepkowski, I wish them the absolute best in their future careers, wherever it may take them.  And though I’m a Devils fan, and Laughton is a part of the Philadelphia Flyers organization, and I’m sure he’s going to be a thorn in Jersey’s side all his career, I’ll still be a fan.

This team, despite the disappointing finish, did so many things right, they will never be forgotten in Oshawa, nor should they be.  I have no contract for next year, but I hope to be back, and if I’m not, well then, I thank the Generals organization, especially Gary Minacs, their players, trainers, arena workers,fans, staff, volunteers, billets, and other media members for everything and helping me grow, not only as a broadcaster but also as a person.

[devils-advocates-ca]

Devils need a change

With Peter Laviolette getting canned in Philadelphia, three years after leading his team to the Finals, it's time for another Peter in the Metropolitan Division to be let go.  

I was a big advocate of Peter DeBoer being hired after the 2010-11 season, and while I love his system, he is just not being a smart coach.

The first two games for New Jersey were a disaster, and usually when that happens, it's time to make a lineup change.  However DeBoer has been steadfast in his decisions.  

Peter Harrold and Anton Volchenkov are taking time away from Mark Fayne, who is an underrated yet very valuable defenseman.  Last year was a bit of a tough go for Fayne who was dealing with a death of his grandparent and that is understandable.  But this is a new year and Fayne is ready.  

His other problem is the infatuation with a grinder like Stephen Gionta who brings literally nothing to the Devils except for speed.  He is terrible  at penalty killing, he has no offensive touch and he is brutal at faceoffs yet plays center.

The Devils are putrid on faceoffs so Peter gets his charges out there and instead of Travis Zajac who is the best faceoff guy, Adam Henrique is taking draws.  

Jacob Josefson, Adam Larsson and Mattias Tedenby need to be given prime minutes, and save for Larsson, they sit, and even then Larsson sits a lot.

The season is only three games in, but the wheels are looking like they're going to fall off and never be put back on.  Peter's system works wonderfully, but his lineup decisions and constant backing of players who just don't work are his downfall and I expect him to be fired very soon by Lou Lamoriello who has an itchy trigger finger and isn't afraid to use it if he feels it's necessary, and I feel right now he has to.

[devils-advocates-ca]

ELIAS DISHES ON JAGR, KOVALCHUK, (In CZECH)

Well, speculation abound that hockey royalty, Jaromir Jagr, who in the 90's with that long flow would never be welcome in New Jersey, might be welcomed in New Jersey following the departure of Ilya Kovalchuk.

There's a part of me, who loved Jagr, despite his Penguins handicap back in the old days, the supreme skill and slick salute after goal scoring always stick out.  These days, Jagr is a mercenary, bouncing from team to team and why not New Jersey?  The Czech Republic would sure flip it's collectively beautiful lid with the sight of these two Czech legends on the same team.

Elias spoke with a Czech publication on the matter.  

When asked of the fit between a strict Devils team rules, and the individuality of Jagr, Elias says that the team likes to stick together and not do things as individuals, but after three years of Kovalchuk, they got used to it, so maybe Jagr is a fit now than he would have been before.

In response to the question of whether signing Jagr is a marketing ploy, Elias feels that Jagr's marketing days are behind him as the league belongs to the Malkin's and Giroux's of the world (interesting no mention of Crosby) so unlike the Kovalchuk move, that probably would not factor into the franchise decision.

But Elias left the best for last when asked about Kovalchuk's desertion and whether it was a blow, or deliverance for the team.

In the words of the Devils Franchise Winger, he feels that Ilya's offensive game is one of the best, however, at the end of the day, he made many mistakes and wasn't a good defensive forward which would cost the team on the ice in the worst way.

Kovalchuk said it was best for both parties and Elias agrees as it allows the Devils to get back to their identity and frees up cap space for the future.

So there we have it, the first Devil to actively speak out against Kovalchuk and address the Jagr rumors, and why is it not a surprise it's Patrik?

[devils-advocates-ca]

DEVILS MOVE TALLINDER BACK TO BUFFALO

Well the Buffalo Sabres brought back legendary alumni, Henrik Tallinder for a 2010 7th round pick, or Riley Boychuk as he likes to be called. 

Basically, the Devils acquired cap savings because Boychuk is as wanted as Zach Boychuk was league wide last year.

Tallinder wasn't a bad signing by Lou Lamoriello in 2010, only because that same summer he signed Anton Volchenkov and we all know how good that gem looks today.

By all means Henrik Tallinder isn't even a bad defenseman, but he's more useful to Buffalo than any other team and somewhere, Tyler Myers is shedding a tear of joy as mentor returns.

If you need Tallinder to be your mentor, however, maybe you're not as good a defenseman as everyone thought you were.

The move almost undoubtedly means Marek Zidlicky will be brought back to the Devils to take away playing time from a younger prospect who needs ice time to develop.

But when you're the New Jersey Devils, that's just what you do, Adam Larsson be damned!  Who does that sexy mountain of beauty think he is?  Drew Doughty?  Ha, right!

[devils-advocates-ca]

NEWFOUNDLAND PROVIDES DEVILS SCORING

After signing one goofy Newfie in Ryane Clowe, the Devils went out and spent their remaining external FA cap on Michael Ryder.  

With the Europeans on the team and now two Newfies, the Devils will have the funniest sounding postgame scrums in the National Hockey League.  You think Boston accents are hard sometimes?  Just listen to a Newfie and try to make heads or tails of what the hell they're on about.

Ryder's deal is a two year pact worth seven million dollars.  Or, you know, the same contract Alexander Mogilny and Vladimir Malakhov signed in 2006 when they returned to the Devils.

Ryder is a pure sniper so his 20 or so goals should help with what Clowe SHOULD get.  That will adequately replace the goals left by David Clarkson and makes the New Jersey Devils a deeper team today than they were at the end of last year.

They have scoring depth, they have a goalie tandem that can succeed if one gets hurt, and missing the playoffs again in 2014 just doesn't seem to be an option for Lou Lamoriello.

Now Devils fans sit on pins and needles hashtagging "Is it October Yet" waiting for a chance at redemption.

New Jersey said they'd be active on the Free Agent market and Lou was certainly that.  Devils fans breathe easy, as the GM did the best he could.

And Clowe!  I thought I told you to drop the "e" off of Ryane!  You're off the team!

[devils-advocates-ca]

RYANE CLOWE TO NJ

Well, one of the most frustrating spellings of Ryan is heading to the New Jersey Devils after New Jersey signed the former San Jose Shark/New York Ranger, Ryane Clowe to a five year deal worth 4.85M per season.  

Now I know what you're thinking, that's a lot of hooch!  And it is.  But the term takes him to the same age as David Clarkson's new deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs and is for about 100K less per year.  So it saves the Devils a little bit of cash which helps if New Jersey is truly in financial peril (I don't think so, Larry Brooks)

Clowe had a horrendous year last year, we all know that, but a fresh start in NY really jumped up his game.  The Devils are banking on THAT Ryane Clowe to be the guy they signed.  Not the three percent shot percentage dynamo who frustrated in San Jose.

Clowe is a more than adequate replacement for Clarkson as he is a better playmaker and a slightly worse goal scorer.  Not a big loss, and in just seven games more, Clowe has a 100 more points.  It's a good trade off for New Jersey.

In other news, the Devils signed Rostislav Olesz to a one year deal worth one million dollars if he meets his performance bonuses in games played.  No word on how many he's supposed to play, but I hope it's 82, because he's not reaching that.

A fun fact about Rusty Olesz is that he had the same cap hit as Zach Parise when they both signed their second deals as restricted free agents. And where's Zach and look at Rusty, yikes.

The Devils are thought to still be active in the market as Zack Michael Ryder is said to be mulling over an offer from New Jersey.

That would be a smart signing for the Devils as Ryder can score and is responsible defensively after playing for Michel Therrien and Claude Julien.  He's also got Stanley Cup experience.

Don't know where Lou is going with this, but after Clowe, Olesz, Zubrus, Elias he's doing a little bit of alright.  Lets see where the Devils end up in September.  Going to be a fun ride that's for sure.  

As Ryder would say:  Woo, woo, woo!  You know it!

PS:  Clowe, PLEASE drop the E in Ryan, do me a favor!

[devils-advocates-ca]

ALFREDSSON SAYS: SENS NOT GOOD ENOUGH

One word describes what the [expletive] (H/T to Mikhail Grabovski) we saw there and that's WOW.

Daniel Alfredsson is a guy that I viewed as a "lifer" in Ottawa, but then something fucked up in SPECTACULAR fashion and the one consistent word from both camps is that the man known as Alfie wanted to win.

If I'm a Sens player and a fan, I take great annoyance in this from the guy that was the "heart and soul" of the Sens for many years. He's the Captain, and he bails like that.  What the hell kind of message does that send to everyone in Ottawa?  This is a team that held their head above water without Milan Michalek, Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson. 

I put heart and soul in quotes because I don't think he was.  Danny Alfredsson had many years in Ottawa to get it done, and he simply couldn't.  Not with Zdeno Chara, Wade Redden, Marian Hossa, Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, and a whole host of others.  

Sometimes you look past all the other people and think, maybe they weren't the problem.  Maybe it was Alfredsson himself.  

Every time I saw Alfredsson he seemed like a crusty bastard who whined and complained when things didn't go his way.

Sure, Alfie was involved in charities in the Ottawa area, and seemed like a model citizen.  But sometimes we forgive our children because they are ours.  

Now that he isn't and left such a parting shot, the Senators fan base should look back and reflect truly and maybe they'll see what people who didn't like Alfredsson saw.

Bryan Murray referred to Clarke MacArthur and Bobby Ryan as "Plan B" in the end, with Alfredsson's defection, and David Clarkson's choice to sign with Toronto, "Plan B" looks like an absolute brainer.  

Clarkson's term + price is a bit crazy, as someone who saw a lot of that guy, WOOF, what a contract.  Two years too many and about 10M more than what he should have got.  But good for Clarkson. MacArthur will probably match Clarkson's production with the right combination

And Alfredsson is 41 and doesn't have much left, so to turn him into Bobby Ryan, never mind the price (Noesen, Silfverberg, 1st rounder 2014) is a shrewd move for GM Bryan Murray.

The whole day was a gongshow at the beginning in Ottawa, but Sens fans should look at the positives and realize the day went to a much better place and they're in a better position now, and in the future.

[devils-advocates-ca]

Oho! What Is This Demonry?

In the words of the legendary Conan O'Brien, what is this demonry where the Devils raise their arms and hug each other, seemingly happy?  Like my good friend Mike Dickson said "I believe it's called a goal, though I believe it's a soft G sound".  

Yes the Devils finally scored a goal, for the first time since Matt D'Agostini scored last Tuesday against the Boston Bruins.  But even more special for the Devils, the goal, unlike the one against the Bruins, resulted in a victory.

For the first time since March 23rd, when Ilya Kovalchuk crashed head first into the boards, the Devils were awarded in the win column.

Now this blog had a chance to see the Devils up close and personal and on TV over those ten games and they most certainly did not deserve to go winless over that stretch.

The Devils did what they have done best under Pete DeBoer and that's win all the board battles and contests for loose pucks, but each time they came away with a loss, each more frustrating than the last.  

Over the last two games prior to Thursday night in Philadelphia, the Devils couldn't even score a goal, though not for lack of trying.  After out shooting Ottawa and Toronto 33-11 and 32-12 respectively, New Jersey could only wonder where it went wrong. 

Even three wins in that ten game span and the Devils are in a playoff spot right now with the New York Rangers.  And though technically not eliminated, the 12th place Devils will have a tough time getting in.

The run to six straight started last night, but that is scant hopes for a team that struggled to win once in 10, though, I suspect these things balance out, so like Kevin Garnett, anything is possible but if they are to make the playoffs again, they will need a lot of help, starting today in Buffalo, where the Rangers are in town to take on the Sabres.

In a regular season, the Devils are just past the halfway point of the year, but unfortunately for them, there is no second half to lean on to make up for their poor 10 game stretch.

Perhaps Kovalchuk comes back on Saturday night, and perhaps they pull off a miracle of all miracles.  But, either way, just sit back and enjoy the ride, because you could only have five rides left this season.

[devils-advocates-ca]

Where do they go from here?

The offensively inept New Jersey Devils continued their run of less than stellar play, and that's putting it mildly after dropping a 2-0 decision to the Ottawa Senators and stretching New Jersey's losing streak to nine games.

That puts the Sens eight points clear of the Devils and gives the New York Rangers, who are four points ahead, another game in hand.  And the bad news for the Devils?  The Rangers play the New York Islanders who currently sit six points ahead of New Jersey.

The Devils can only hope that the game doesn't become a three point affair and that the Islanders come out with a victory.  But after gifting Jersey so many chances, the Eastern Conference has started to right itself and the teams that should be winning are, therefore severely hampering any chance the Devils have.

What has become clear during this time is that A) the team dearly misses Ilya Kovalchuk, and B) the jockey (Pete DeBoer) is right but without Secretariat, he doesn't have any other horses that can bring him past the victory line.

Of course, if ANY one else on the Devils roster could pot a goal it would be a help, they're thoroughly outplaying their opposition as far as possession time and shot count goes.  In their latest setback Friday night, the Devils out shot the Senators 33 to 11, or a three to one ratio, they out classed the Sens in the faceoff dot, which, almost never happens and they drew more penalties.  That should usually lead to a victory when you dominate in those three categories but that's the way she goes for the Devils right now.

I wouldn't doubt that Kovalchuk is rushed back for Monday as the team could be in very dire straits.  As it stands right now, New Jersey has 14 points left on the table, and four of those are against the Rangers, so in theory they could still make it, but pretty much need to win every game and get some help along the way.  

I doubt that happens this season as it's time to put it out to pasture and re-organize for next year where they have more than 48 games to make a mark.

But that can happen only one way, and that's if Lou Lamoriello makes a few tweaks to the roster.  The first would be to amnesty Anton Volchenkov who is currently serving a four game suspension.  Volchenkov was brought in as someone who may be able to replicate some of what Scott Stevens used to bring, but that's just not the case, he's slow, he makes too many mistakes and isn't really suited for the NHL any more.  It will be hard to envision anyone taking a chance on a faded warrior, who is too obsolete for the National Hockey League.  

Other players who can be let go are David Clarkson, if the price becomes outrageous (think anything over four million), Marek Zidlicky Peter Harrold, Alexei Ponikarovsky and Matt D'Agostini (RFA)

There aren't any Free Agents of interest that would be of any appeal to the Devils, so in this blog's mind, it's better to give the kids a chance and results be damned.  That includes Jonathan Merrill who has had an outstanding debut with the Albany Devils, Reid Boucher who has scored at every level he's played at, Adam Larsson who is learning, but needs to be on the ice to get even better, Mattias Tedenby, Jacob Josefson and if he's ready for it, Damon Severson.  

But one thing they cannot do, is allow Patrik Elias to walk, and to a lesser extent, Dainius Zubrus.  Elias is the franchise offensively, holding every record for a forward conceivable and if he stays in New Jersey will eclipse the 1,000 point plateau and is a sure candidate to have his #26 join 3, 4, 27 and eventually 30 in the rafters of the Prudential Center.

As for Zubrus, he's another horse for DeBoer with his board play, which makes the Devils that more potent, but he is getting up in age which has to be a concern.  

The Devils are too loyal to their older players and give them too much, and then inexplicably make them Captain, like Bryce Salvador who clearly has lost whatever mojo he had in the 2012 playoffs.

The time for retooling is over, the Devils have some decent prospects in the pipeline, and with a strong 2013 draft class, the Devils have a chance to nab some more special prospects.  In the range of where the Devils are picking, Max Domi and Bo Horvat are two players from the London Knights that could help.  Domi is like Nazem Kadri or Sam Gagner, and Horvat's game projects to be something like Corey Perry.  Of course if they keep losing at this rate, they may be drafting within the top 10 then names like Valeri Nichushkin, Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, and Hunter Shinkaruk become that much more enticing to New Jersey.

The fact of the matter is, the Devils are at a cross-roads right now, and their Marty Brodeur window is shutting by the day, and it's time to reflect properly and use the NHL Entry Draft to relaunch themselves into the upper pantheon of talented NHL teams.  

After 25 years of successful teams and Stanley Cup Champions, there is absolutely no shame in hitting re-start and with the pieces currently in the system, that can be expedited quicker.  New Jersey is a blue collar state, and if their team works hard, the fans will accept a rebuild rather than a broken contender that will get booed off the ice nightly.

[devils-advocates-ca]

STEVE SULLIVAN: THE 24TH RETURNEE

The trade deadline came and went without a bang but that doesn't mean that the Devils didn't make any moves.

Returning to the Devils was F Steve Sullivan, acquired from the Phoenix Coyotes for a meaningless seventh round draft pick in the 2013 National Hockey League First Year Player Draft.

Sullivan was originally drafted by New Jersey in 1994 in the ninth round, 233rd overall and overcame his small stature and injury woes to become a productive NHL player.  

In 1002 games, the diminutive winger has scored 288 goals while adding 454 assists for 742 points also suiting up for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, and Nashville Predators.  Not bad for a player picked in, what was the last round of the draft in those days. 

This year he scored five goals while adding seven assists for 12 points and is scheduled to be an Unrestricted Free Agent.

If Sullivan had been able to play injury free, he would be in the same breath as other prolific tiny goal scorers such as Mats Naslund and Martin St. Louis.

In 1997 Sullivan was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Alyn McCauley and Jason Smith in the Doug GIlmour trade.  The Leafs must have taken notice of Sullivan after his dazzling goal on Ron Hextall and the Philadelphia Flyers  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_P85hHpfZk

Giving up the seventh rounder means that the Devils only have picks in round one, two and six after conceding their third rounder (Minnesota, Marek Zidlicky trade), fourth (Winnipeg, Alexei Ponikarovsky trade), and fifth round picks (St. Louis, Matt D'Agostini trade). 

Sullivan is expected to provide "depth" in the words of General Manager Lou Lamoriello and should help on the power play and in the speed department as he hasn't lost a step even at the age of 38 and will be in the line up on Saturday against one of his other former teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs.