New Jersey Devils Fans Have A Lot To Be Thankful For

Thanksgiving is here and the play of the New Jersey Devils has given fans practically nothing to be thankful for. The season is rapidly slipping away after what was supposed to be a breakout season for the club. Hard core fans of the team knew going into the season that defense and goaltending of the team would leave a lot to be desired, but no one could have predicted such a boring, stagnant offense with the talent assembled on the roster. It’s realistic to say that prior to the season, the peak of this team would be a fringe playoff one, albeit a fun team to watch in the process. The Devils are headed down the road of playing meaningless hockey in 2020 as their playoff chances are dwindling after every loss. Sadly, the most anticipating part of the Devils season will be what they get in return for pending unrestricted free agent Taylor Hall. However, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, let’s focus on all things New Jersey Devils that fans should be thankful for.

Let’s first be thankful for the fact that there is hockey in the Garden State. Dr. John McMullen brought the Devils to New Jersey in 1982, with a vision of success on the ice and off of it. He succeeded as the Devils have won three Stanley Cups and the sport of hockey has grown so much in the state. The team was almost taken away from the fans back in 1995, so we should not take this take this team for granted.

All Rise! New Jersey Devils fans should be thankful for Judge Edward Houston. Judge Houston was brought in to decide whom the Devils should be awarded in compensation from the St. Louis Blues for their signing of restricted free agent Brendan Shanahan. The Blues offered the Devils goaltender Curtis Joseph, forward Rod Brind’Amour and two 2nd-round picks while then (so weird to write) General Manager Lou Lamoriello boldly demanded the Devils be compensated prized defenseman Scott Stevens. Stevens, ironically enough, was pried away from the Washington Capitals as an RFA only a season before. On September 3rd, in what was a turning point for the organization, Judge Houston agreed that the Devils should be awarded Stevens. The legacy of Stevens will live on forever as he became the greatest defenseman in team history, captaining the Devils to three Stanley Cups and has his #4 hanging from the Prudential Center rafters.

Fans should be thankful for former General Manager Lou Lamoriello. Under Lamoriello, he brought a no-nonsense approach to the club that was once called a ‘Mickey Mouse organization’ by the world’s greatest player Wayne Gretzky. In the famous words of Eric Cartman, ‘Respect My Autoritah’ describes Lamoriello in a nut shell. He was an old school general manager who demanded loyalty from everyone in the organization. He was more about the logo on the crest than the player (just ask Petr Sykora and Jason Arnott) on his roster. His shrewd, savvy moves nearly gave the Devils a dynasty, having won three Stanley Cups in nine seasons, five conference titles and an unprecedented 22 playoff appearances in 27 seasons as GM. He was the mastermind in drafting and acquiring players that helped the Devils win championships such as Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens, Jason Arnott, Patrik Elias, Claude Lemieux (twice), Stephane Richer and Randy McKay, amongst others. Devils fans will forever be grateful for his contributions to the franchise.

Lastly, Devils fans should count their blessings for Martin Brodeur, known by many as the greatest goalie of all time. He is the NHL’s all time wins and shutouts leader by a landslide, and his calm, cool demeanor was unlike anything we have ever seen from such a quirky position like goaltending. The list of his on ice accomplishments is endless, but just as impressive was how he conducted himself off of the ice. He was a great ambassador for both the team and the state. There were never any tedious contract negotiations during the prime of his career, and often took less than market value to stay in Jersey. He has stuck to his roots as he has since come back to the organization as executive vice president of business development. There is no three cups without Brodeur.

The season has gone just about as poorly as anyone ever could have expected. On a day in which many people reflect on the many fortunes their lives, one must not forget all of the good times that the Devils have given to the fans. Tony Soprano once said, ‘If you’re lucky, you’ll remember the moments that were good.’Luckily for fans, the Devils have had more than their share of good times.