To Hell With The Trap

Sometimes I can’t help but think that the hockey media hasn’t watched a Devils game since 1997. I’ve learned over the years to take what the media says with a grain of salt because more often than not, their comments are a combination of the accepted stereotype about a certain team and the recycled remains of another analyst’s comments. It’s an unfortunate cycle which never seems to break, and for this I feel bad for said media, for if they could look outside their fishbowl they’d see the potential that the New Jersey Devils circa 2009 have.

The 2008-09 Devils are being hailed—by those who don’t refuse to admit that the Devils don’t trap anymore—as the best incarnation of Lou’s Crew since 2001, when the Devils racked up 111 points and were one game away from becoming repeat Stanley Cup champs. Looking at the makeup of this year’s team, it’s hard to argue.

The addition of three veterans (and former Devils) by Lou Lamoriello has been bashed by some, but give credit to Lamoriello. He not only realized that our prospects are not yet ready to crack the lineup, he also plugged the team’s holes with proven players who bring boatloads of veteran experience and locker room presence. I admit that I didn’t like the signing of Bobby Holik at first, but as time went on, I began to recall several instances where his kind of personality—sarcastic and brutally honest—was necessary for a team who needed the occasional kick in the rear.

Brian Rolston and Brendan Shanahan have also provided the team with remarkable depth at forward, enough that Jay Pandolfo has become the odd-man out on a team which has historically had so little depth up front that players like Arron Asham were signed to fill out a lineup. And let’s not forget the play of Scott Clemmensen, who has more than held down the fort while Martin Brodeur recovers from elbow surgery. Brodeur will return rested and raring to go, and the two will make a formidable goaltending duo in the months ahead.

It’s hard to compare pre and post-lockout teams, since so much about hockey and the NHL has changed since then, so for comparison’s sake, here is a brief statistical breakdown since the lockout. Perhaps the most telling statistic in hockey is Goal Differential, or Goals For – Goals Against. It’s a pretty safe bet that the result will strongly coincide with where a team resides in the standings.

2005-06: 233-225 = +8
2006-07: 206-193 = +13
2007-08: 198-193 = +5
2008-09: 153-123 = +30

This stat speaks volumes to me about why this year’s team is different. We score goals! Yes, you heard me, media, the Devils score goals, and lots of them! Brent Sutter earns my praise as the best Devils coach since Jacques Lemaire for this very reason. He’s created a team that has typical Devils success, maintaining a solid defensive foundation, but layered a great deal of offensive prowess on top of that foundation. I’d put him on the short list of candidates for the Jack Adams this year.

Every hole that seemed to plague the Devils last season appears to have been filled this year. The reason the Devils are in the midst of another prolonged winning streak is because every player has a role on this team, and every player is executing their role to perfection. From the goal scorers like Parise and Elias all the way down to the grinders like Rupp and Clarkson, one thing that has never changed about the Devils is that they are a team in every sense of the word.

As of today, having completed 50 games of 82, the Devils are a solid 8 points ahead of where they stood at the 50-game mark last season. And like it or not, world, this may just be the beginning.