New Jersey Devils: Time To Sit Back And Enjoy The Ride
The NHL trade deadline has come and gone and as usual, it was not boring. Regardless of where a team sits in the standings, hope springs eternal. For the buyers, it’s a chance to bring in that missing piece for a long Stanley Cup run. For the sellers, it’s a chance to add pieces for the future. Any way you slice it, the deadline is an exciting day with most hockey fans viewing it as an unofficial holiday. That is unless you are a fan of the New Jersey Devils.
For the Garden State faithful, it’s another opportunity to publicly bash, trash and shred a team they supposedly supported regardless of where they sit in the standings. Obviously, this season has been especially frustrating, but the sheer level of angst emanating from the fan base has been nothing short of disgraceful and for the most part, the outrage has been nothing more than wasted hot air.
Interim General Manager Tom Fitzgerald did a bang-up job turning lemons into lemonade. He turned expiring contracts and spare parts into a collection of draft picks and valuable prospects. What more could he have done to satisfy an unsatisfiable fan base? If the outgoing talent was so valuable, the Devils wouldn’t find themselves chasing another lottery pick again – would they?
Nevermind the product on the ice. It’s irrelevant to be concerned with wins and losses for a team wallowing near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. From here on out, it’s more about player development and the longterm future. Rinse and repeat.
Still, to say this wasn’t entertaining, that would be a flat-out lie. From top to bottom, the entire organization has provided months and months of palpable enjoyment for both the diehard fanatics and the regular NHL fan. The social media meltdowns and relentless badgering of team employees are all just icing in the cake.
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New Jersey went from being a possible NHL darling to a constant source of content for this blog and others for too many bad reasons to count. Since October, New Jersey has traded away its marquee player, fired its coach, fired the general manager, traded the captain and shipped off a beloved “character guy.” Its been a season-long fire sale of biblical proportions – so to speak, BUT it’s been entertaining.
A large portion of the team’s “fans” have even threatened to hand in their fan cards for greener pastures. The social media uproar has been comical. No, it’s been more than that. It has been a complete and total farce with forced levels of outrage trumped-up by a generation of fans seeking like-minded approval online. It’s all…dare I say… fake news! (pun fully intended) This fan base excels at being miserable. It’s become a way of life – win, lose or draw. It’s exhausting and it’s time to change that.
For years the red and black faithful have longed for media relevance and for outsiders to take notice of the tri-state areas third wheel. Every bit of the Devils’ season has been well chronicled and pontificated about, beginning with the draft lottery win up to and including every bit of the ensuing dumpster fire.
As the great gladiator Maximus once asked, “Are you not entertained?” Simple answer; yes. Yes you are.
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That’s why I challenge each and every one of you reading this to change the narrative and find the entertainment value in both the on-ice and off-ice product. Embrace the youth movement. Try to enjoy each and every bump on this rough ride. It’s okay to be proud of the organization’s past, but it’s pointless to live in that past. The heyday went the way of the neutral-zone-trap. Marty, Scotty, and Patty aren’t coming back.
If this trade deadline did anything, it should have solidified confidence in this organization’s commitment to its own long-term success. So next time you’re about to click send on that negative tweet or comment remind yourself that these baby Devils must learn to crawl before you walk.