The New Jersey Devils announced the team will host Patrik Elias Retirement Night on February 24th. For a number of reasons, this was the perfect night to do it.
The New Jersey Devils have picked the date to honor possibly the best offensive player to ever don the NJ crest across their chest. Patrik Elias will be honored by his only team on February 24th against before the team plays the New York Islanders.
https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/892765642289405952
So many times, these special nights feel like ticket grabs. The team brass will pick a date where the Devils are playing an undesirable opponent. The team could choose March 8th against the Winnipeg Jets or October 28th against the Arizona Coyotes. Instead, they chose an opponent Elias has seen as much as any other team.
Elias played against the New York Islanders 91 times over his 20 year career. He has more points against Long Island’s (and I guess Brooklyn’s) team than any other team in the NHL (86).
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Obviously the Devils don’t have the same rivalry with the Islanders than they do with the Rangers or Flyers, mostly because it seems the two teams are never good at the same time. This still gives the Devils front office a chance to make an extra sellout in the middle of the season. The team even chose to have Elias’ last skate come against the Islanders this past season.
Speaking of middle of the season, this was about the time the Devils fell off the map last year. February 19th started a run of 10 straight losses for the Devils, knocking them out of playoff contention for good. In fact, the Devils won just three games for the rest of the season after that point. This game could give the Devils a pick-me-up at the perfect time in the season.
It’s great news that the Devils are honoring Elias as soon as they are. Many fans worry about how the new regime will treat the players of the past, but this shows they see more than dollar signs on guys like Elias and Ken Daneyko. February 24th gives fans a chance to look forward to the date while also being able to settle into the season for the pure game of hockey. For once, let’s give the Devils their due and give them a hand for picking the perfect date for Patrik Elias Retirement Night.