Carnevale joined the Devils in 1984, one person in the organization besides Daneyko who can say she predates Lou Lamoriello. Her duties are plentiful and varied. They include handling any of the club’s immigration issues, filing transactions and contracts with the league and more. She has a part in the team’s travel plans, practice and game schedules and coordinates all sorts of logistics for players and staff members.
“I remember the first day I arrived as a kid out of college, I didn’t have a social security number,” Madden said. “Marie put me in her car and took me down to get a social security number. And made sure everything was set up at the hotel. She did all of those types of things. And she made sure that anything you needed was a simple phone call away.”
Carnevale has assisted nearly 500 players in her time with the Devils, not to mention the coaches, management and support staff. She coordinates travel arrangements, lodging and visas for training camps and developments camps.
“She’s kind of been the rock there for like … forever,” added Schneider. “Anytime you need anything done official or any plans to be made or something to figure out, she always runs point on those types of things. She’s kind of like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain, making everything happen in a good way.”
Beyond keeping track of immigration and contract statuses, booking last-minute hotels, replacing lost driver’s licenses and putting out whatever fires are needed, she’s also been a significant part of the team’s off-ice culture. Schneider noted that she always asks about family members and pets. Madden said he saw her at the 2000 championship reunion and she was just as critical getting everyone’s plans coordinated for that celebration.
“Nobody has been as loyal,” Daneyko said. “She has been taking care of the young guys forever. She’s been a total team player and kind of a jack-of-all-trades who has been there almost from Day 1. She’s kind of been a caretaker for the young players, someone who helps them get settled and feel comfortable. That’s such a huge thing when you’re 18, 19, 20 years old.”
