Snowman On Fire

According to the Devils team website, Elias is wearing the “A” again this season, along with John Madden. I can’t remember seeing a formal announcement of this, so perhaps it’s a subtle entree to a season in which predictions of the Devils’ demise are so frequent they go past the point of Clemensy. Perhaps it’s Sutter’s implicit call on Patrik to return to the winger of years past. Or maybe it’s just time for Patrik to be the Czech point among himself, Holik and Vrana. According to that ancient Sports Illustrated piece, we know what the “A” resolves to for Holik - and I, for one, can’t wait to see it resolve in person.

Under 48 hours, 2 days of work, and one Jewish Holiday to go.

Game One of the Hudson Hate-Fest starts in 15 minutes. Tom Guilitti’s Fire and Ice blog has some great commentary, including a stream of reader comments. Tom wants predictions, and I can’t resist being an armchair broadcaster, coach and screaming fan:

This is going to be a grind it out, long series. My predictions: it goes at least 5 games, probably 6. Rangers win one in the Rock, but the Devils humble the Rangers at least once and depose King Henrik. With all of the talk of playoff experience, doesn’t anyone remember Lundqvist’s first playoff experience against the Devils?

Patrik Elias has gone from “A” to “C” to a more simply lettered sweater, with Jamie Langenbrunner named the new Devils captain. There have been dozens of online column inches written about the nationalities of various NHL captains, and how that has or has not translated into success in the post-season (if there is any correlation at all). With Paul Martin wearing an “A”, two of the three Devils captains are Minnesota natives. Good luck and congratulations to Jamie. I’ve only had two interactions with him — I played in a golf tournament in which he was in the foursome ahead of me (and he signed a handful of autographs before and after playing), and he signed some swag that was forwarded through a chain of custody involving more friends of friends than a Facebook group.

Elias never really seemed comfortable with the “C”, offering the usual post-game comments and serving as public recipient of coaching delivered through the New Jersey sports writers, but not stepping up vocally in public. I’m sorry to see Patty unlettered, because I think he’s been a leader on this team since the 99-00 season when he was so integral to the disposal of the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Championship series. On the other hand, if removing the mantle of leadership means he can go back to playing with comfort, comedy and courage, then it’s a good move.

And for all six readers who may have wondered where I went, I completely stopped blogging for about a month, both about hockey and work. It wasn’t intentional; I have about ten half-written blogs and thoughts on various pieces of scrap paper, napkins and Mac stickies. But work, travel, a week of vacation, some youth hockey, and insane travel schedules all conspired to create something of a writer’s block. Writing is like exercising, as it gets progressively harder to start again once you start using the elliptical machine to display holiday cards.

It’s time for Devils fans to put on the foil. If you’re a Slapshot fan you get the reference, otherwise put some foil on your knuckles, pull your favorite comfy chair in front of the big screen, and start hollering for the good guys in red and black to score some goals.

Hard to believe it’s been three weeks since I’ve written. In that time the Devils gave us hope, with a nice dismissal of Tampa Bay, some solid defense and a whopper of a Gomer-goal. Then they watched it slip away due to shoddy defense, strange bounces and a general lack of attack.

Here’s what I think.

I think Gomez proves he wants to stay in NJ. He’s playing hard, coming up with big shots (and sometimes even a goal) when it counts, and if he could keep from turning the puck over, the Devils would have a chance. I hope Lou remembers this, win or lose, in July.

I think Rafalski is pricing homes in Edmonton. Turnovers? Lack of pressure? He looks like he’s mailing it in half of the time. Not to put all of the blame on Rafalski, as White looks just as sleepy, and Lukowitch is responsible for more bad icing than a Shop Rite bakery’s remaindered goods department. Hello, defense? Hit somebody. Move the puck. CLear the low slot. Stay at home, and make it count. As the Under Armour ads say, “Protect this house.” Or else Saturday will be the last hockey game that house sees.

I think Jamie Langenbrunner might be the next Claude Lemieux. I hope he gets the angry veins popping out of his neck, there goes the quiet Minnesota boy kind of fire in his butt that he can convey to the rest of the team. He’s John Belushi in Animal House crossed with the weird Jimmy kid who made the killer shots in Hoosiers.

I think Patrik Elias needs to show why he’s wearing the “C”. C’mon, Patty, one goal in nine games? Assists are good, but after eight — yes, eight — shots in Game 4, there wasn’t a single goal to show for it. Don’t be so fancy, just fire the puck at the net. As we tell our teenage baseball pitchers, don’t aim, just fire it in there.

In a possible bad combination of superstition, karma, and swag, I’ll be on a plane to Japan while the game is in progress, and won’t know if the season continues until the wee hours of Sunday morning. But I’ll have on the lucky t-shirt at 35,000 feet while the Bubba will be there to cheer in person. Maybe I’ll even put on the foil, if I can convince the Japan Air Lines flight attendants that it’s not a weird American thing. Well, it is, but it’s what I think that counts.

Poor Patty. He notches three assists in tonight’s shootout loss to the Predators, including flipping the puck to Gionta for the tying goal with 11 seconds left. In the shootout, after Erat scored the lone goal for the Preds, Patty dropped the puck, recovered enough to get a shot off but left it in the goalie’s pads.

I’m not worried, at least not with Patty playing on the second line with Zajac and Gunner (Lipper, Langs, Jamie Langenbrunner, pick your nick). He has 7 points in 7 games, enough to put him on an 80-85 point season. The goals will come, especially when he continues to take as many shots per game as he’s been rifling toward the net. But sometimes you need a goal, you want to will a goal to happen, and the little rubber biscuit just bounces around the wrong way.

Free agency season is here. With the salary cap in the NHL, teams are faced with paying their best players market value, limited by the other players who demand market value. In theory, this prevents the escalating salaries that got various teams into financial trouble in the past few years, but it has a chilling effect on those of us who have favorite players. The upside to salary caps and free agency is that it’s a controlled market. Unfortunately, sometimes it works as well as a Soviet-era planned economy.

We are die-hard Patrik Elias fans in our house. We have a Czech phrasebook so we can cheer in his native language. We have Czech Olympic and Russian league jerseys, in addition to Devils wear of all shapes and sizes. My son lives in his Ceska Hokey hat, autographed by Patrik. The last thing we want is for Elias to end up somewhere other than in a Devils sweater in the upcoming season.

The questions, then, are what matters more: market value or home value? Turn up as a free agent in a new market, and there’s no assurance of fan loyalty: you’re representing salary cap space that could have been used for someone else if you go into a slump. Count the number of times you can read Elias’ name in the Meadowlands; he’s well represented on the backs of the fans who do come to the games. What’s the team chemistry? Who will feed you the puck, and who’s there for the other end of the pass? Is there a local Italian place where you and your fiancee can enjoy good gnocchi? Will you miss your golf friends and your social circles? The home team discount isn’t about being nice to the guys who have been paying you; it’s about valuing what counts as home for nine months of the year enough to turn down the price on another housing market.

We’re all waiting to see what Lou can do with Patrik and Jamie Langenbrunner, as well as a host of restricted free agents. Take all of the first-round draft picks you want, I’d rather keep Gomez. And keep him on a line with Elias.

I won’t give up until the fat lady sings, or in our case, Arlette stops singing at the Meadowlands.

But it’s really close. The Devils could be done in time for Mother’s Day.

Heads up to Matvichuk, Lukowich, Klee and Albelin: hope you enjoyed New Jersey. Fast, young, aggressive skaters who get to the puck and clear the zone are the new rule in the new rules of the NHL. Dumpy veterans who dump the puck into the high slot so it turns into a goal against are on the way out, literally. When I start picking out the defensive mistakes, it’s bad.

I hope Langenbrunner didn’t upset Lou too much tonight. Jamie’s a good guy and a good skater. Sergei Brylin might need to be worried, and the Devils might become the one of the only NHL teams without a Russian skater.

Attention all spouses of Devils fans: Expect this behavior for at least two more days, possibly until September.

Two and a half hours to puck drop. An hour until we leave for the great swamp. I’m pulling out all of the stops, all of the swag, everything I can think of, do, or conjure up to send luck to the boys in red and black tonight. We’ll be there in person, look for us to the right of Brodeur, about one section over and 6 rows back of the net. We’re the ones asking the goal judge to only hit the magic red button during the second period (when the Devils are shooting toward us).

Pre-game lucky checklist:

T-Shirt: Czech. Pun intended. The proper undergarment is the foundation upon which all luck builds. Although I’m going to riffle through the Minnesota, North Dakota, and Team USA hockey shirts, just to send a little reiki energy to Mssrs Langenbrunner, Parise, Martin, Gomez and Gionta.

Sneakers: NikeID Frees, in red and black. I don’t care if it drizzles and my feet swim home, as long as we’re singing happily in the rain.

Cheer gear: Czech (flag). A small remainder from the 2003 playoffs. It has been waved, moved, furled, unfurled, lost, found, and stored in a mojo-protected energy-sealed area for three years. As Rafiki would say, “It is time.”

Chair of power: Power creates slapshots. Slapshots break sticks. Broken sticks make a nice Adirondack chair. I sit, and contemplate my navel, then discover it’s gotten harder to get up. Must lay off of the Little League snack bar treats.

Evil Eye Avoidance: Hockey News cover shot of Elias and Klee is turned over, avoiding all ken-klee-a-horas.

Sharpie Kingdom: Scribed goodies from Pandolfo, Gionta, Gomez, Langenbrunner, Parise and Madden, neatly arranged around the Adirondack chair of power. Or something like that. I touch them like hockey mezuzot and hope I don’t get hit by lightning for such thoughts.

Food: The official Meadowlands dinner of chicken fingers, french fries, and soda, washed down with ice cream and a pretzel. It’s 38 steps from our seats to the concourse, so we’re getting some minimal exercise to balance out the calories.

Jersey: 1999 vintage Koho Devils red jersey, washed so many times the embroidery is starting to warp and pucker. As long as it fits after the required lucky eating regimen, I’m wearing it.

As I go in search of socks, I check out the Madden signed page from ESPN: The Magazine and realize it’s a picture of Mad Dog chipping away at the Carolina goalie, in a game the Devils won. At home. Hugely coincidental. Hugely prognostic. I’m not turning away any reasonable semblance of luck or good feelings right now. The word “fan” is a diminutive of the more SAT-caliber “fanatic”. How appropriate.

There are brooms on Broadway tonight and it’s not for a ticker tape parade in honor of the Rangers. The $10 bet I placed for a certain friend (sorry, Big D) was good money after bad hockey. Never been so happy to lose a Hamilton.

Devils 4, Rangers 2. Devils win the series 4-0, and are the only NHL team to sweep their first round opponents. Patrik Elias now leads all scorers with 11 points. I’m happy that I don’t need my tickets for home games 3 and 4 for this one. I’m happy that we’re looking at a few days off. I’m so happy I might buy the Sunday Star Ledger tomorrow.

Here’s what I wish:

Sharks-Devils, folks. You read it here first. You think Scott McNealy retired if the Sharks aren’t going four rounds?

What an end to the Devils’ regular season. After being 19 points behind the Rangers, they win the Atlantic Division title in the last game of the year, in the 3rd period, coming back from a 3-goal deficit. The Rangers lost, the Flyers didn’t matter, and the Devils are given their due: their 6th division title of the last decade.

The game was full of delicious moments, like Gionta netting goals 47 and 48, squarely giving him the Devils record for most goals in a season. Then there was Patrik Elias, putting in the game-tying goal as the clock wound down. And Jamie Langenbrunner put in the game winner, 82 full games after the season started and fans were calling for Lou to trade Lags due to his slow start.

Here’s my recap of predictions, ruminations and commentary:

At this point, the first 82 games are just table stakes. What counts now are momentum and fun. The Devils (and Sharks) have both. The Flyers and Rangers have neither. I’m secretly hoping for a New Jersey-San Jose Stanley Cup, so I have a shot at seeing all of the games in the correct time zone given my work schedule.