Speculation: Is it me, or ...

[NJDevilsZG]

... is this league showing some love for it's redheaded stepchild ???
Not that we crave for it, but still - draft, open-air game ... Hell, even Devil on EA game seems to be happening

Click to read more...

 

[Rob Nieds work ethic]

Circumstantial

 

[DatBoyJPP]

Or maybe the league doesn't hate to begin with...

 

[devilsblood]

... is this league showing some love for it's redheaded stepchild ???
Not that we crave for it, but still - draft, open-air game ... Hell, even Devil on EA game seems to be happening

Draft and open air game coming so close together do suggest the league giving the Dev's some love it has not previously.

Not surprising they come on the heels of the Cup run and the strong fan support that accompanied it. Also says something about the development of the area surrounding the Rock.

I don't think the Martin on EA thing has anything to do with it given EA is not the NHL and the fans are doing the voting. Still an interesting coincidence.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Thermite cover voting

 

[SKNJD9]

The league doing what they can for the team to make some money.

 

[EliasFTW]

I think ... the dot dot dot crap is annoying and the league doesnt hate any team thats marketable.

 

[glenwo2]

Speculation : Is it me, or.....is it you? Hmmm....



Seriously, though, I think it's just a coincidence that the Devils seem like they're getting respect.

 

[The Wumpus]

I'm sure that fans of at least 20 teams think their team is the redheaded stepchild/black sheep of the NHL, as they see all of the perceived slights that no one else is paying attention to.

 

[AfroThunder396]

We've actually gone through a decent re-branding in the post-MacLean era. A lot of people realize we don't play the trap anymore and have a lot of character on our team. We have marketable players like Kovy, Marty, Patty, Henrique, Larsson, etc.

Our reputation didn't change from 1995-2010. Now some people are starting to change their opinion of us.

 

[OpethNJD]

It came with us actually selling tickets last year...I personally like it but I do NOT want us to be one of the NHL's favored teams...it's so much sweeter to troll the league when we win as underdogs.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Or maybe the league doesn't hate to begin with...

Yeah.

Not sure why so many Devils fans are convinced that the league has a vendetta.

 

[Cowbell232]

Or maybe the league doesn't hate to begin with...

10000000 times this.

Every single team thinks the NHL hates them. Or the refs hate them. Or some other crazy thing.

You know what I hate? This thread.

 

[glenwo2]

We've actually gone through a decent re-branding in the post-MacLean era. A lot of people realize we don't play the trap anymore and have a lot of character on our team. We have marketable players like Kovy, Marty, Patty, Henrique, Larsson, etc.

Our reputation didn't change from 1995-2010. Now some people are starting to change their opinion of us.

I bet people started changing their opinion when we were no longer a threat to winning a cup every year. Each year we were successful and were effective in the postseason, you would hear the same old "devils play boring hockey" song-and-dance by the masses.

Now that other teams have become successful and the masses(that love to chop successful teams down) have turned their attention to them, we are all of a sudden.....tolerable. Imagine that.

 

[Sgt Brylin]

Yeah.

Not sure why so many Devils fans are convinced that the league has a vendetta.

Kovy contract.

 

[NJDevs26]

Kovy contract.

And the trapezoid.

 

[Sgt Brylin]

And the trapezoid.

Exactly! They HATE us!

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

I'll always think, in the very very back of my mind, that the Devils won the draft lottery in 2011 because Lou called up Bettman and was like "THIS is the thanks I get from you after all the support? And the '05 lockout? You may want your interns starting your car for the next 10 years..."


Although I always saw Lou as more of the personal "cement shoes" kinda guy.

 

[gomek]

Here’s the thing; on one end you have what is accepted NHL favoritism of its marketable stars and franchises (i.e. why Sidney Crosby will play in 5 winter classics before the Phoenix Coyotes will ever be considered for one) and on the other side is many people’s paranoid theories about their favorite team being conspired against. I believe the truth is somewhere in between.

 

[Status Quo*]

It came with us actually selling tickets last year...I personally like it but I do NOT want us to be one of the NHL's favored teams...it's so much sweeter to troll the league when we win as underdogs.

Oh god, this. I love when the Devils piss the rest of the league off.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Kovy contract.

We pushed the envelope too far. It was going to happen. Unfortunate it was us, but that's no evidence of an NHL vendetta against the Devils.

 

[MartyOwns]

We pushed the envelope too far. It was going to happen. Unfortunate it was us, but that's no evidence of an NHL vendetta against the Devils.

we did not push the envelope far enough to warrant the penalties we received.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

we did not push the envelope far enough to warrant the penalties we received.

The NHL was trying to send a message. You might be right that it was too harsh, but that had nothing to do with us being the Devils and not the Flyers, Bruins, or Canucks.

 

[MartyOwns]

no i didnt mean to say that the league hated us and imposed the penalty. in general terms, the punishment was far too harsh considering past contracts which were approved with nary a word about possible upcoming restrictions and forthcoming penalties. i really dont care what their reasoning was, it was way over the line. thats my take

 

[gomek]

Here’s the thing I’ve always said about the Kovy punishment. Punishments like that are designed for Teams which cheat; circumventing the rules through under the table negotiations and back door deals. The Devils were not trying to hide anything; there were no secret payments or out of contract promises. The contact was submitted in accordance with the league for them to accept or reject. That is the reason these contracts need to be submitted in the first place. The league was in their rights to reject it, but to assets any penalty, let alone a harsh one, was way, way, out of line.