Building A Team
I only got to watch the last ten minutes of the Devils-Rangers playoff game last night. Parise was already sporting a toothless grin, the Devils had fumbled a double minor power play, and things were desperate. Until the last two minutes of the game, I was struck by a new thought: This team isn’t very likeable. There are some wonderful, nice guys on the team, and they donate freely of their time, equipment, energy and access, but as a team, it’s hard to get excited. The Penguins have Malkin and Crosby and some veterans like Roberts. The Rangers are awash in their young “D” and the traitorous free agents. Even the Flyers have managed to adopt Joffrey Lupul and make him fit. The Devils have Travis Zajac, who went from promising star to fourth liner. We have Sergei Brylin, whom I adore, just adore, but is clearly in the back nine of his career. As a team, it’s hard to find something to get excited about.
I don’t blame Sutter, or the players. I blame Lou, and worse than that, I blame the owners. Owning a professional sports team is not like running a Wall Street business; it’s not about money and power. It’s about building something that lets the fans feel loved and have something, some idea, some crest and colors, worth loving. It’s about making sure you’re competitive, and creating excitement to fill a building. It’s about being able to put a face (or a number or a signature move) on a team and call it your own. I’ll summarize the Devils-Rangers series this way: Asham and Brylin both raised their arms as if they’d scored goals in Game 1, when they only hit pipe. If that’s our signature move, it’s not a good sign for prolonged interest.
So — Devils ownership — stop thinking about CDOs and other fine messes that were created on Wall Street. This isn’t something that happens on paper; it’s not a balance sheet transaction; it’s a people business. Do something, starting July 1, to make the Devils a team. A people-led, people-facing, people-loving, people-loved team. That’s how fan bases are built; that’s how long-term ticket sales are driven; that’s the spirit behind FUBU (For Us By Us) as a branding effort. Here’s the telling fact: although I couldn’t watch the first two and a half periods of the game, a playoff game, I wasn’t that upset by it. And for someone who has not missed a game recap, a score, or a comment on a game in the past ten seasons, that’s a bad leading indicator.
Specifically: Get some defenseman who can keep pace in the post-lockout NHL. Get some speed up front, where Elias and Parise can finish plays. Get Brodeur some help, some real help, in net. Draft picks and other team development depth were dealt away seasons ago to deal with a cap crunch; now you have to deal talent to get some new energy. The cupboard is bare up in Lowell; they had a very tough season and Kleinendorst did the best he could with what he was dealt. But without some team momentum — not just in the game, but around the whole organization — the Devils will become the Rangers of the late 90s.