Tough to say who the winner was in the Kakko/Borgen trade, but I think most people in the know would agree that the big loser is Steve Valiquette's integrity.
Devils discussion (news, notes and speculation) - part II
- Thread starter NJDevs26
- Start date
None Shall Pass
Dano moisturizes
JimEIV
Registered User
- Feb 19, 2003
- 67,969
- 31,058
I hope we can get to 25 or more wins by the half. Just need 4 of the next 8 for 25.
njdevils1982
Hell Toupée!!!
Andre Palot
Registered User
> Pepsi
Aka the soda you respond 'yeah that will have to do, I guess' whenever a place doesn't have Coca Cola.
John Belushi's famed one liner on SNL. "No Coke just Pepsi!"
Canadian thing vs US . Sounds so weird to me to hear Coke / etc. called soda . And I’m sure it’s just as weird for you guys to hear it referred to as pop instead of soda
Andre Palot
Registered User
Well if there was ever an expert on coke it was definitely John Belushi.
- Dec 20, 2018
- 23,055
- 52,108
It’s 4th, out of 20, on this The Devils Worst Trades list, from Corey Masisak *sob* in 2020.
There’s 25 on this because it was too hard to narrow down lol:
This one always makes me laugh. I went home for July 4th weekend and in those days my parents were still on dial up Internet, so I was relatively out of the loop. Eventually we went to my uncle's for a BBQ and I grabbed a newspaper to read while using the restroom and that's when I learned of this trade.
A few moments later I hear a commotion outside and my cousin starts knocking on the bathroom door imploring me to come out and help break up a verbal altercation between our moms. When things settled down, I turned to my cousin (Ducks fan) and told him that our teams made a big trade.
The Arnott trade was a stomach punch for me. I had decided that I would get my blank jersey customized with Arnott as a graduation present to myself in a few months. I was in a computer lab working on a group project and there was a thread saying Arnott got traded. In a pre-Twitter world there was some confusion as it just beat the actual deadline by minutes but there were some people saying they 'heard' that it didn't get submitted in time. It felt like forever but eventually the details were announced and I was crushed.
I felt bad for my lab partners because I probably spent the next 90 minutes refreshing for news instead of helping out.
Comically I remember thinking Langenbrunner was invisible when we had played Dallas in the 2000 SCF. Years later I'd learn that Langenbrunner got hurt late in the WCF and only dressed in one of the SCF games.
And I was early into following prospects at that point so I definitely overvalued giving up a late first in what was considered a below average draft.
Last edited:
Langs came here in 2002 midway through his career. Part or the Arnott/McKay for Niewendyk and Langs trade.
I’m not sure Mac will get a ring of honor spot. The older fans (45+) have a soft spot for him, but there are a lot of negatives with him. He got fed up with his role in ‘97 and demanded a trade the day of a game IIRC. Then in the offseason he signed with the Rangers. On top of all that you have his disaster stint as a coach. Who’s showing up for Johnny Mac night?
Similarly, I think signing with the Rangers prevents Driver from being a ring of honor guy.
- May 1, 2011
- 134,762
- 65,363
He left here on fairly bad terms after he publicly requested a trade. I think he was unhappy with his icetime his last year here, but my memory is a bit foggy on that. One thing I do remember is Lou said at the time he was traded that he would certainly be considered to be the first Devils number retirement in the history of the organization. At the time this wasn't outlandish at all, as Marty was only 25 years old and could have possibly spent most of his career elsewhere or god forbid pulled a Jim Carey and got bad and quit hockey before he was 30, like Jim Carey did right around that time.
Stevens had only been here 6 years, hadn't won the Conn Smythe yet, was already a hall of famer, but also had just tried to leave to St. Louis who got caught tampering only about 3 and a bit years earlier.
Daneyko was already a career Devil, much like MacLean was to that point, but I think his number retirement was still up in the air.
And Niedermayer was only 24 years old at that time.
Elias was 21 and in his second full season.
So MacLean at that point was probably the front runner for a number retirement.
He even came back as an assistant coach not even 5 years later when he retired. But by that point Stevens, Brodeur and Nieds all won another cup as Devils and were about to win another as players. Brodeur was already pacing to break all the goalie records and Stevens had the Conn Smythe and I don't think there was any way anyone was having their number retired by that point before Stevens was.
And by that point Jamie Langenbrunner was wearing his old number. And Langs become a very long tenured and captain here. And he was still here and still captain when MacLean had his disastrous head coaching tenure. I think a combination of Stevens being a Devil the rest of his career + two more cups and a Conn Smythe, Dano being a career Devil and Brodeur cementing his legacy as an all time great by the early 00s, as well as Nieds, Elias breaking MacLean's points record by 2009 along with Langs wearing his number all those years and MacLean's disastrous coaching stint coming after all that, that killed any chance of him getting his number retired.
He could be a ring of honor member, but I think it's gonna be Lou, Robinson and Burns for the next 3. If they induct more guys after that then MacLean would be the first logical choice IMO. I think you gotta put him in before guys like Gionta, Madden and god forbid Pandolfo, his name is thrown around a lot by posters in regards to the ring of honor.
- May 1, 2011
- 134,762
- 65,363
He only signed with the Rangers because he wanted to be near his kids. I think it came down to Toronto and the Rangers and his kids/family were still in New Jersey and have remained here.
I think Driver only signed there because back then Lou didn't give no trade clauses and the Rangers did. I remember that being the only reason he signed with them at the time. It was only several years later that every Tom, Dick and Harry was getting some kind of no trade from Lou.
I don't think signing with the Rangers should be held against either, nor do I think it is, as they were old by the time they went there and their best days were over. And his Rangers career was miserable, with him being banished to the IHL because he wasn't good enough anymore, before they were able to send him off to Dallas for what was left of his career.
If anything then yeah, the head coaching stint and the fact that he's been passed by on the nostalgia/memory chart probably hurts him. The way he left here in 97 was already forgotten about by 02 when he returned as an assistant coach.
And I can't think of what other player you would put in the ring of honor over him. Holik and Gomez probably wouldn't go in. Gionta? Pandolfo? Eh.
I think Madden and Pandolfo are ahead of Mac on any Ring of Honor list. 2 cups each vs 1 and each kind of ended better. A guy like Pandolfo is basically why a RoH is created.
- May 1, 2011
- 134,762
- 65,363
Good ole Kenny Sutton lol.
Funny seeing his name after how much we've been talking about Stan lately.
During the game 7 of the 2001 SCF post game on FSNY with Matt, the Maven and maybe Chico? They were talking about the pending free agents after dissecting what wrong in that series. I think Sean O'Donnell was one of them and Ken Sutton was another.
I don't think The Maven laid into O'Donnell too hard, but he was visibly and audibly not impressed with him. And said he shouldn't be back and that he'd bring Kenny Sutton back before him, despite the fact that Sutton was a bit older and already a borderline #6/#7.
The way he said ''I'd rather bring back Kenny Sutton'' was hilarious, and I've used that line here in regards to whatever player I don't wanna see back. I'm sure it either confuses people or goes over their heads.
I'll welcome you aboard on two conditions
1. You're not a 16 year old girl. We have an alarming number of teenage girls that have suddenly become Devils fans
2. Help bring Alex Tuch with you
- May 1, 2011
- 134,762
- 65,363
I think Pandolfo is the most overrated Devil in history. I mean, Kovalchuk is pretty overrated too, but it's mostly just people gushing about how incredible he was, more than anyone suggesting he's a ring of honor guy or Devils legend.
I think if he goes into the ROH they need to probably induct at least 5 or 6 more guys
MacLean, Zajac, Greene, Gomez, Holik, Rafalski, Zubrus, Madden, Gionta. All better players than Pandolfo. Some of them were here for a similar amount of time, he just won more cups here than a few of them. Maybe even Colin White also. You could even argue Langenbrunner, but he left probably uglier than anybody and he's never come back, outside of the 20th anniversary of the 2003 cup team and maybe even the 2000 team?
Yes, I know two of those guys will lose some kind of points for signing with the Rangers, but they both would go on to play here again before their NHL careers were over.
Honestly, I would think the ring of honor would be more for the guys I named before Pandolfo. Even if you shave the two guys who jumped ship to the Rangers in UFA.
Pandolfo: 13 seasons (pretty much his full career), 2 Cups and a Final, Major Award Finalist (Selke 2007).
To me the Ring of Honor is for long time Devils who contribute to team success but don’t rise to number retirement. Brylin is a good example and Pandolfo is in that same class.
Madden also has double digit season and a major award win (Selke 2001).
Colin White and Randy McKay are other player candidates.
The Grinder
No Respect
I still rock my Madden jersey at games so I would welcome him in the Ring of Honor. To me he was the prototypical Devil of that era. Lunch pale, hardworking, smart, and relentless. Still my favorite player all time.
Probably can’t do it because of logistics (both are active coaches), but put them in together.
njdevils1982
Hell Toupée!!!
All of the different brands in western NY and the Southern tier when I grew up were all simply called pop. The stores all had signs in their windows announcing they sold ice cold pop and beer. When I got to college and the downstate kids called it soda, we found it hilarious. They still call it pop when I go back to Rochester and visit what's left of both mine and my wife's families.
