New Jersey Devils Adam Henrique: He’s Already Gone
By Ken Jones
Adam Henrique was a fan favorite as long as he was in Newark. It’s not easy to process the fact that he’s already gone from the New Jersey Devils.
So, my alarm clock went off a usual this morning, at 5:00AM. An ironic Don Henley / Glenn Frey classic tract filled the room, at an hour which was way too early for a Friday. As I awoke in a somewhat groggy state, I thought to myself. Did this really happen? Maybe I was dreaming. I must have been dreaming. It couldn’t possibly be so. So I reached for my phone, fired up Twitter, and, quite bleary-eyed, searched for Andrew Gross.
And there it was. I wasn’t dreaming. It was true. Adam Henrique was traded to the Anaheim Ducks.
Let me say again, another way. Adam Henrique is now an “Ex-Devil”.
Now, in one sense, this was a perfectly reasonable move. Clearly, the Devils needed a top four defenseman. Sami Vatanen is a great pickup. No one can argue this is a solid hockey move, but this article is not about that. It is about something which is incredibly hard to process. Adam Henrique is not on Jersey’s Team.
Wanna guess what was blasting on my alarm clock? Thinking “Hotel California”? Not a bad idea, but it was something else.
Adam Henrique was seemingly everyone’s favorite. He was part of the heart and soul of the Devils. He was involved in the community, posted funny pictures on Twitter, incredibly clutch and even rode the PATH train. Henrique took his demotion like a man and, instead of sulking, earned his way back up into a top line. He was always one to come to the defense of a teammate without hesitation.
There were better players on the Devils than Adam Henrique. But none more beloved.
Lest we not forget, Adam averaged more than 20 goals a year over the past four campaigns. He hardly ever missed a game.
He even hosted a Soirée. Enough said. He was the man.
Thinking “Take It Easy” for the song on my radio. Nope. It’s too soon. I’m not ready for that yet. How about “New Kid In Town”. Well, that might work for a Ducks fan, but not for me.
A long time ago, in a place not so far away, I can remember preseason games when Henrqiue was wearing a ridiculous high number back in the Lou Lamoriello era, a time when no player who was actually going to make the team wore a number that high. Adam was flipping in goals with his patented backup deke, top shelf move, making things look incredibly easy. He was sent down to Albany, but came back before you knew it.
Once he returned, Adam won over tons of fans, very early in his career. Those who appreciated the more subtler aspects of hockey rapidly warmed up to his defensive instincts, strong penalty killing and excellent passing ability. Heck, we saw that only last week with Rico’s sweet pass in overtime to John Moore to beat the Wild.
Because of all of this, Henrique was the only Devil for whom I owned two jerseys. He was that likable a guy.
Well, maybe now you can guess what Eagles classic I woke up to this morning. It’s pretty obvious if you think about it. It was “Already Gone.” It’s hard to believe the kid we grew up with, a Canadian lad who took to North Jersey like it was his home and gave Devils fans one of the most iconic goals of all time, is already gone. Incredibly sad.
We’ll move on. We have no choice. Sami Vatanen is a Devil now, and he’ll be welcomed with open arms into our community. As we know, he’s a highly skilled two-way defender. The Devils are lucky to have him, and it’s a trade which had to be made. But it’s going to be awfully hard to walk into Prudential Center next Friday night realizing there is no more #14 on the club. And even harder to be there on December 18th.
Good luck Adam. I know I’m not alone in saying the Devils faithful will miss you. You were the consummate New Jersey Devil. All the best of luck to you in California. You deserve it.