Jaromir Jagr Deserves To Be The Devils’ All-Star This Season
By David Berger
The 2015 NHL All-Star Game, which will be played on January 25th, should have at least one player from each team represented. The Devils’ representative should be Jaromir Jagr. NHL.com predicted the rosters and they had Jagr being the lone player to make the team from New Jersey. Seeing as fans voted in five Blackhawks, there isn’t much room for teams to have more than one player selected. That’s why fan voting should be eliminated, but that’s a topic for another day. As it is, the Devils are having a terrible season and are lucky that the NHL usually has at least one player from each team in the game.
More from Pucks and Pitchforks
- Should New Jersey Devils Try Load Management With Vitek Vanecek?
- New Jersey Devils Will Prove That Last Year Wasn’t A Fluke
- New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes’ Playmaking Will Outshine His Mistakes
- New Jersey Devils: Chase Stillman’s Performance Causes Concern
- Can Devils Fans Separate Zach Parise Heartbreak From Achievements?
If you’re wondering why you haven’t heard about All-Star Games for awhile, it’s because the NHL hasn’t had one since 2012. 2013 was lockout shortened so they didn’t have a game and then 2014 the game was not held due to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Even in 2012, the Devils didn’t have a true All-Star in the game because the NHL created a loophole to get more players involved. They had a separate game for rookies so that all the teams would be represented, but not clog up spots in the main game. Adam Henrique and Adam Larsson were chosen to play in that rookie game but neither did due to injury. The last Devils’ All-Star was Patrik Elias back in 2011. Oddly enough, current teammate Martin Havlat was also an All-Star that season for the Minnesota Wild.
It would be very surprising if Jagr isn’t the lone Devil making his way to Columbus for All-Star Weekend. Jaromir Jagr leads the Devils in points with 25 (9G, 16A) and is an NHL legend. The NHL has a chance to get one of the greatest players to ever play the game headlining All-Star weekend.
Dec 23, 2014; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils right wing Jaromir Jagr (68) skates with the puck in front of Carolina Hurricanes goalie Anton Khudobin (31) during the third period at Prudential Center. The Hurricanes defeated the Devils 2-1 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
There’s no way they don’t select him to the game. He’s the most deserving player on New Jersey and he would create a big buzz about the event. Jagr has been one of the only bright spots the Devils have had the last two seasons and it would be a great honor if he’s the player chosen to represent our team. There is no player who wants to win more than Jagr and his work ethic is second to none. Plus, his postgame quips are hilarious.
Jaromir Jagr will, in all likelihood, be the Devils’ representative but there are a few other guys who have excelled this season as well. Adam Henrique, the team’s second leading scorer, has had a strong season playing in a lesser role than he deserves. He has 23 points (10G, 13A) and is the team’s best all-around forward. After leading the team with 25 goals last season, he has done nothing but grow this year. Mike Cammalleri, the team’s leading goal scorer (13), has also had a nice season. He’s also missed 12 games due to injury, so he could probably be sniffing 20 goals right now if he stayed healthy. Then there’s Cory Schneider who has been the team’s MVP. He’s the only reason they’re competitive on a nightly basis and his numbers are getting better as the year goes on. He started a little shaky but he currently sits with a .919 SV% and a 2.40 GAA – both top half of the league.
Again, there will probably only be one Devil in the game (as it should be) and that deserves to be Jaromir Jagr. When the rosters are announced this Saturday, he will probably be the player chosen to represent the Devils in Columbus.