Snowman On Fire

All sharp objects, boxes of Girl Scout Cookies, blunt instruments, and other possible inflictors of pain and suffering have been removed from my immediate vicinity.

Watching the Devils is painful. Not as painful as jamming a pencil into the roof of my mouth, G. Gordon Liddy style, but painful. It doesn’t help that Elias and Madden are in pain, suffering from groins pulled on the lame ice surface at the Meadowlands.

Am I the only one who hopes that entire building sinks into the swamp, to never be seen, heard, or endured again? It’s one thing that it is a nightmare to park there. It’s another thing that the concourse was designed for perhaps four people walking side by side (maybe the designers had prescience of the latter-days attendance numbers?) It’s not just that the food service is horrible, expensive and anti-customer (I’ve started taking the small containers of Heinz sauces, emptying them into the trash can, and then refilling them with ketchup because the food service employees refuse to give out adequate ketchup holders). It’s the complete package, from anti-fan to anti-visitor to anti-player, with the ice contributing to at least three team injuries this year.

Here’s an idea: why not have the ever-friendly lunch ladies stare down the ice sheet after the Zamboni is done, using their frosty glances and icy personalities for something useful?

But if the Devils don’t start scoring some goals, all of my whining is for naught. How can they let a Division lead slip away like this? For about twenty seconds I felt empathy for Rangers fans. And then I realized that life could always be worse.

How about this for a hat trick: three Tiger tales in the March 13 issue of The Hockey News?

Former Princeton captain, Washington capitals leader, one-time Wall Street Journal human interest subject and current Dallas Stars center Jeff Halpern gets the nod (and picture) as pivot on the checking line, while on the opposite side of the centerfold Jersey guy, former NJ Devils Youth player, Princeton captain and big boy George Parros receives props for putting the “mighty” back in the Ducks moniker.

Completing the third reference from the fourth estate is a blurb in the ECHL coverage of Scott Bertoli’s 500th point with the Trenton Titans, a team he now captains and has been integral to pretty such since its inception down the road from Baker Rink.

There’s even more good news, this time of Princeton present rather than Princetoniana: The Tigers hosted their first ECAC playoff series at home since the guys noted above were undergraduates. This year’s seniors saw their team go 3-20 during their freshman year, but yet they finished with home ice advantage and a first-round win. Setting good, solid, but achievable goals is always tough, but this year’s results showed that hard work and step-by-step improvement do generate results. It must be hard for this year’s seniors to know they’re leaving with only the knowledge that they brought the program this far, but that’s part of the beauty of a 261-year old institution — each generation builds for the next. I’m sure I’ll see various Princeton hockey related names in print, if not in the Hockey News then elsewhere above the fold.

Not the prissy ballet movie.

“Turning point” as in I can see into spring hockey from here. The Star-Ledger today proclaims that the Devils win also thrusts them into crisis, with Lukowich suffering from a possible concussion, White nursing a hand injury suffered during pre-game and Gionta still limping around with a groin pull.

Last night’s game against the Penguins gave me hope that the Devils can make a deep run into the playoffs, because when it came down to stopping some of the most difficult players in the shootout, Brodeur was anti-hat-trick perfect: 0-for-3. Going the other way, Elias potted his second shootout goal of the year (in 10 tries) by showing that he’s truly a student of the game. He went so wide as to force Fleury to the side of the net, and then as Elias skated across the crease Fleury had to shuffle-step to maintain his square position. Elias smoked him, 5-hole, in between steps. It’s one of those spectacular Elias moves we see every now and then (remember the puck kick off the skate heel during last year’s Rangers playoff sweep?)

But there are oh so many questions as well.

Does Scott Gomez want to go hunting for a new team next year? Don’t get me wrong, I love Scott Gomez, I’ve played golf with Scott Gomez, I have a jersey autographed by Scott Gomez, an I’m not Scott Gomez, but even I can smell a brain fart from Pittsburhg. A bad turnover on the power play led to the Pens’ short-handed goal and his ugly semi-pass, semi-flop put the puck onto Malkin’s stick to start the game-tying play. Not smart hockey from a guy who is usually pretty heads up.

With White and Lukowich in the press box, the Devils need another defenseman. Too bad David Hale is in Calgary. Maybe Matvichuk can be signed, at only a slight premium over Lukowich’s salary, or perhaps it’s time to bring Dan McGillis back from Lowell. Before you chuckle, consider that McGillis is the 2nd leading scorer for the Lowell Devils, he’s +11 and he has nine power play goals. Why not re-integrate him into the club as one of the points on the power play, particularly if ESPN.com is right about Rafalski being pursued by Edmontom in the off season? Wonder how McGillis made the transition from non-player to play-maker? He got simple. Doing the basic things, staying at home and playing defense. Kurt Kleinendorst (Lowell’s head coach) is a master of making things simple, which, as Charles Mingus once pointed out, is the mark of true genius.

Barring the M&M team arriving in the swamp, how about bringing Olli Marmivaara up (technically, down from Lowell, but we’re talking leagues and not compass points)? He’s just plain huge, at 6-7, he’s a tough 27 year old, and he’s played nearly every game for Lowell this year. A workhorse. A big workhorse. And think how much Doc and Chico could have butchering his name every third shift.

Finally, the NHL made a big deal out of suspending Chris Simon indefinitely for his clothesline hit on Ryan Hollweg. Fair echoes of Bertuzzi’s hit on Steve Moore lead to more repercussions. However, it seems like punishments are meted out somewhat randomly. Cam Janssen got a 3-game suspension when no penalty was called on his flattening of the Leafs’ Kaberle, but when Lukowich clearly takes an elbow to the head during last night’s game, not only is there no call but there’s no follow-up from the league.

Fifteen games to go, 30 points on the line, a bunched up pack of teams near the top of the Eastern Conference. The turning point puts us in the season’s homestretch.