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5 Things I Learned in Hartford
With more NHL games canceled it was time to make my way to another AHL game. Last month I went to the Times Union Center in Albany to watch the Devils at home, so this time I decided to head into enemy territory – Hartford, Connecticut. Here are a few things I learned from the XL Center and the Connecticut Whale.
1. Corner seats are pretty amazing.
Since AHL tickets are more affordable then tickets to any NHL game, I’ve been taking advantage and sitting right on the glass. I know, I know, you can’t see a thing that close but I rarely have a chance to sit in these seats at the Prudential Center so I’m going for it while I can. For this game I tried corner seats and they were awesome! You get to be right up there for all the corner battles and big hits. You can hear the puck sliding along the boards at your feet and come face to face with pucks that are shot wide. I may or may not have jumped up a couple times thanks to high flying pucks.
Taking Our Talents to Albany
As some of you who follow us on Twitter know, I had the privilege of attending the Albany Devils home game on Friday, October 19th. We watched as our AHL Devils took on the Syracuse Crunch (the Tampa Bay Lightning farm team). It was an exciting road trip for me, having never been to the Times Union Center in Albany AND having never attended an AHL game before.
What was interesting about being in Albany is that it is very much like being at an NHL Devils game. Much of the arena culture is just like being home, but on a smaller scale. For instance, the team used many of the same warm up songs that we do at home and when a goal is scored by the A-Devils, the song is also Rock and Roll Part II (or the “Hey Song” as some would call it). For those curious, yes, some of the home fans use the same chant following the song that the crowd does in Newark.
Devils Army (Re)United
I’ve learned over the last couple of years that when you come to love hockey and follow a team closely, sometimes it’s hard to occupy yourself in the off season. After coming down off the roller coaster ride of excitement, I start to get slightly depressed thinking about how much I miss the atmosphere of game day and being with all the great people I’ve become friends with throughout the season (and now, years!).
After experiencing my first playoff run to the Stanley Cup Finals as a fan, it was especially awesome knowing there were people around me who understood the various emotions bursting out. I never imagined I could get so overly emotional over a GAME. Having experienced it first hand NOW, I think I’ll handle myself better in the future, but at the time it was all raw, new and exciting. The upside of all of it is that the bonds I formed with my friends are stronger than ever before, and THIS summer we all made it our mission to see each other more often to ease the boredom and depressing aspect of waiting.
Devils Generals Take a Trip to Albany
A few Devils Army Generals took a trip up to Albany on Saturday, March 3rd to watch the Albany Devils take on the Adirondack Phantoms. We got a chance to meet with the PR and Marketing department of the Albany Devils at the Times Union Center to get a glance at life as an Albany Devils employee and how they use social media. At five o’clock it was game time! We made sure to pick up the giveaway that night, a Devil Dawg piggy bank (Seth already has coins in it), and bought a couple mystery pucks that were signed by current Albany and New Jersey Devils players. Seth got lucky with a Zach Parise autographed puck and Kevin got a Travis Zajac autograph. Albany unfortunately lost to the Phantoms but Kevin won a pretty nice prize pack from playing Devils Trivia – and that’s all that matters, right?
New York! The Empire State! ... Where's Time Square?!
Um, snow?
Taking in the sites of Albany
Times Union Center
Got lucky with this Mystery Puck!
Hey, we know him.
Keith Kinkaid
Albany Devils starting line up during anthem
Kevin answering Devils Trivia
Oh, tough one!
Awesome Albany Devils prize pack!
Just hanging out with Eric Gelinas after the game
Successful road trip!
This post was a group effort with contributions from Seth Plotnick, Allyson Wilcox and Kevin Lankey.
Game 62 Preview: Our Hudson River Rivals vs. The Good Guys – New Jersey Devils
New York Rangers (39-15-6, 84 points) vs. New Jersey Devils (35-22-4, 74 points)
7:30 PM E.T.
TV: NBC Sports Network
Radio: WFAN 660 AM
Matchup:
Tonight will renew one of the best rivalries in the NHL. The Devils and Rangers always produce exciting games. The Devils own the all-time series lead, and lead this season’s series, 2-1 so far. A Devils win tonight would mark the first time any NHL team defeated the Rangers three times this season. The Rangers won the first game of the season between the two teams at Prudential Center, 4-1 on December 20th. The Devils tried to cling to a 1-0 lead for most of the game after Travis Zajac scored his first of the season, but the Rangers scored three straight goals, plus an empty netter, all of which came in the late second period and third period. The Devils won the second meeting against the Rangers in a shootout on January 31st. Zach Parise scored in that game, and while trailing 2-1 and 3-2, Ilya Kovalchuk and David Clarkson both scored game-tying goals against Martin Biron in the final 5 minutes before winning in a shootout. The Devils also won the most recent meeting, 1-0 at Madison Square Garden. David Clarkson’s first period power play goal was the difference, and Martin Brodeur recorded his first shutout of the season.
So, what will tonight’s chapter of the Hudson River Rivalry give us?
Bump in the road:
After a 9-1-1 run out of the All-Star break, the Devils suffered their first back-to-back losses in regulation this past weekend, after falling 2-1 to Vancouver and 4-3 to Tampa Bay. The Devils didn’t play poorly on Friday against the Canucks, but they couldn’t produce enough offense at the right time. Cory Schneider also robbed the Devils of a second goal in that game. Yesterday was a more frustrating day for the Devils. Adam Larsson struggled in his first game back from injury, and Marek Zidlicky made his Devils debut, but they fell to the Lightning. Martin St. Louis was too much for the Devils to contain. He factored in the scoring of all four Tampa Bay goals, including his sixth career hat trick. The Devils have now surrendered hat tricks to Toronto’s Joffrey Lupul and St. Louis this season. Ilya Kovalchuk has the Devils’ lone hat trick this season.
Still, the Devils jumped out to a 5-0 record post-All-Star break before dropping games to St. Louis in a shootout and Florida. They followed that up by winning four straight games before their most recent hiccup. They’ve also gone 12-2-1 over their past 15 road games, despite struggling at home recently. The Devils are 9-3-1 since the All-Star break overall. Due to the Flyers and Penguins both winning their games over the weekend, the Devils fell to 6th in the Eastern Conference, but remain three points back of 4th place.
Carrying the weight:
Martin Brodeur saw his work load reduced at the beginning of the season, which was also partially due to minor injuries, but he’s carried most of the load recently. Brodeur started Friday, as well as yesterday, and he starts again tonight at MSG. This will be the first time Brodeur has started back-to-back games all season. He’s three wins shy of 650 for his career, which would obviously be a new record, as he’s already the all-time wins leader.
The Devils have limited the opposition’s chances in recent games. Brodeur only made 14 saves on Friday and 16 on Sunday. Brodeur allowed 4 goals on Sunday, which was the first time he had given up more than 3 in a game since January 4th against the Boston Bruins, when he gave up 6 goals. It was only the second time Brodeur gave up more than 3 goals in a game since November 30th, 2011.
Offensive depth:
The Devils are proving to be a very deep team this season. They have three solid lines that can match up against most opposing lines and three lines that can produce offense at any given time. Consider their third line right now (nicknamed “The Momentum Line” by Pete DeBoer and the “600-pound line” by Alexei Ponikarovsky): Ponikarovsky-Dainius Zubrus-Steve Bernier. Although Bernier only has 4 points with the Devils, including the primary assist on Petr Sykora’s goal on Sunday, he’s helped the third line become a dominating puck possession line. Zubrus has also recorded 12 points in the 13 games since the break. Ponikarovsky has put up 5 goals and 6 assists in 15 games as a Devil. That depth scoring has carried the Devils, as their top line has cooled off recently.
Although he continues to log assists, Ilya Kovalchuk has gone five straight games without a goal, following his first hat trick as a Devil. He hasn’t scored a goal on his last 23 shots. Zach Parise, who had plenty of scoring chances against Tampa Bay on Sunday, did connect with the final shot he took. He hadn’t scored on his past 20 shots. Parise and Kovalchuk’s center, Adam Henrique, has hit a bit of a wall over his last couple games, going pointless and taking a minus-2 rating over the last two games. Meanwhile, Patrik Elias has also cooled off. He hasn’t scored a goal in seven games. His 58 points are second on the team to Kovalchuk’s 60. Petr Sykora has gotten back on track, recording seven points in his last eight games.
Rangers latest:
The Rangers continue to lead the Eastern Conference, yet much of the past few weeks have featured some significant trade rumors surrounding the Rangers. The most prominent name linked to New York has been Columbus captain Rick Nash. Ranger fans infamously mocked Nash after he scored a goal to tie the Blue Jackets-Rangers game in the dying seconds, chanting “We don’t want you.” Well, by the time this preview is up, the trade deadline will have passed, and barring something very dramatic, Nash won’t be traded to the Rangers.
Marian Gaborik leads the Rangers in goals (29) and points (53) this season. His goal production has cooled off over the past few weeks. At one point in December, he was tied with Steven Stamkos for the league lead in goals, but Stamkos now has 43, which is 14 more than Gaborik’s 29. The Rangers have also gotten plenty of offensive support from their defensemen, as Michael Del Zotto, Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi all have 20 points or more this season (in comparison, the Devils’ highest scoring defenseman, Adam Larsson, has 16 points this season).
The Devils rank 12th in goals for, while the Rangers are right behind in 14th. The difference is, while the Devils rank 12th in goals against, the Rangers are the best defensive team in hockey, thanks to the previously mentioned defensemen plus Marc Staal, and perhaps the best goaltender on the planet right now: Henrik Lundqvist. It seems almost factual that Lundqvist will be this year’s Vezina winner. The Devils will have their hands full, as always, trying to beat him.
New Jersey Devils’ projected lineup (barring a last minute trade):
Parise – Henrique – Kovalchuk
Sykora – Elias – Clarkson
Ponikarovsky – Zubrus – Bernier
Carter – Josefson – Boulton
Salvador – Larsson
Greene – Fayne
Volchenkov – Zidlicky
Brodeur, Hedberg
New York Rangers’ projected lineup:
Anisimov – Stepan – Gaborik
Hagelin – Richards – Callahan
Dubinsky – Boyle – Prust
Fedotenko – Mitchell – Rupp
McDonagh – Girardi
Del Zotto – Stralman
Staal – Bickell
Lundqvist, Biron
Join the Devils Army Generals at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza tonight to watch the game!
New Jersey Devils Viewing Party Schedule
The Devils Generals are traveling all over New Jersey to watch some Devils hockey and you all should come with us! We’ve hosted a few viewing parties in our day and they’re always a good time. We’ve got trivia, giveaways, Devils alumni appearances, photo-ops, drink specials and a Devils hockey game – how could you go wrong? If you’ve hung out with us before, you know how awesome it is. If you haven’t, get to one! We’re making sure to hit bars and restaurants from Paramus to Brielle and everything in between. Find one closest to you and join us.
JAN 7, 2012 – Saturday
NJD at Pittsburgh @ 7PM
Simkos Grill
430 Higgins Ave, Brielle, NJ
FEB 7, 2012 – Tuesday
NJD at Rangers @ 7PM
Texas-Arizona
76 River Street, Hoboken, NJ
FEB 27, 2012 – Monday
NJD at Rangers @ 7:30PM
Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza
80 Parsonage Road, Edison, NJ
MAR 1, 2012 – Thursday
NJD at Boston @ 7PM
Orange Lantern
15 Firehouse Lane, Paramus, NJ
MAR 19, 2012 – Monday
NJD at Rangers @ 7:30PM
Hell’s Kitchen Lounge
150 Lafayette Street, Newark, NJ
APR 5, 2012 - Thursday
NJD at Detroit @ 7:30PM
Bar-A
703 16th Ave, Lake Como, NJ
Follow the Devils Army Generals on Facebook and on Twitter for the latest viewing party details!
State Of The Devils Army Generals – One Year
Mr. Vanderbeek, Mr. Lamoriello, Mr. Krezwick, members of the third floor, my fellow Generals.
Today, I have the honor (which I gave myself) of reporting to you on the State of the Generals.
It’s hard to believe that the Devils Generals program has been around for over a year now. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were all in a room, not quite sure of what we were doing there or what to expect from the awesome opportunity that was being given to us. As the Generals program was something no other sports franchise had done, we were all new to this. However, every person in that room was excited.
It was no surprise (okay, maybe it was a bit surprising) that the team, after a 9-22-5 start to last season, began a 22-5 run on the day our Generals Twitter account was created and finished the season 27-13. They were as excited about this as we were!
From the launch of Mission Control on February 16th of last year, right up to our latest giveaway on Twitter and everything we have done in between, it has all been a tremendous, and sometimes surprising, success.
My fellow Devils fans, I blog before you today to report that the state of our program is strong.
I’d like to briefly review our first year and then talk a little bit about what can be expected from us going forward.
As with any great, original idea, there have been some bumps in the road during our first year. We don’t always see eye to eye on every issue. We have seen some people go, and there have been some new people added.
What we all agree on is that we are all fans, and we want to be the voice of other fans who can’t be in Mission Control with us. We all bring the voice of the fan, as a whole, to the team.
Make no mistake, if you ever bring an idea to us, whether it’s through Twitter, Facebook, this blog, or in person, it will be brought to the team. We are always listening and are always looking for new ways to improve the fan experience.
Our first successful project was the start of the #Devils1stGoal guesses on Twitter (something I can proudly say I started… with a little help from the Islanders and their first goal guess idea).
Through the first goal guess contest on Twitter, we have gone from a handful of guesses a game to over 200 guesses for each game. The correct guessers have gone from receiving shoutouts, to getting some cool prizes, including game tickets!
We’ve sent prizes out to all corners of the US. It’s only a matter of time before we send out prizes to some members of the Devils Army overseas, fans that interact with us on a daily basis.
We have put together and hosted quite a few viewing parties throughout New Jersey during our first year, the latest one being at Simko’s Grill in Brielle last weekend. They have all been quite successful, with each one growing as we’ve gone along. Special guests have included Ken Daneyko, Jim Dowd, Grant Marshall and others.
We’ve had some great giveaways at these events and as they grow, so to will the giveaways, prizes, and guests.
Our next viewing party will take place on February 7th at Texas-Arizona in Hoboken. We then return to Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza in Edison on February 27th for our second viewing party at that location this season.
These viewing parties are only successful if fans attend and enjoy them. Everyone is welcome to attend any of the viewing parties and, as always, is free to suggest a location and bring ideas and suggestions to us.
This blog has grown tremendously since our first post. You can find game previews, recaps, player profiles, and stories on breaking news. We have conducted interviews with WFAN statistician JohnCarl Ziegler, the Zam Crew, the Diablos 122, Ken Daneyko and others. Oh, I almost forgot… there was also the time General Chrissy Baptista got to interview Zach Parise.
Our Devils Generals Facebook page has also grown quickly, with 618 likes as of today.
We have set up Satellite Mission Control at the Digital Zone behind section 17 at The Rock. At every home game, you can find a few of the Generals manning the Twitter and Facebook accounts from there. Anyone is welcome to come and see what we do at any time.
During our first year, we have been written about in ESPN, Huffington Post, ClickZ, Simply Zesty, NY Times, USA Today and many others. A recent article in the Sports Business Journal highlighted how Mission Control has brought in a new kind of revenue for the team.
Mission Control was also selected as a finalist for the PRWeek “Arts, Entertainment & Media Campaign of the Year” award.
Now, what we have planned going forward.
Besides our planned and yet-to-be-planned viewing parties (we’ll be setting up playoff ones, of course), our next big event is our road trip to Long Island. This will be the first time the Generals get a group of the Devils Army together for a road game. If it’s as successful as we think it will be (there are only a few tickets left!), then others will definitely be planned.
We have some other exclusive interviews lined up. As our JohnCarl Ziegler and Zam Crew interviews have shown, we’ll be bringing you some things you’re not likely to find anywhere else. We enjoy giving you a look at some of the people who may be overlooked, but make game day a great experience.
We will also be at the AHL All-Star weekend for some updates!
Being at the AHL All-Star game, along with bringing some of our viewing parties to south Jersey, are some of the ways the Generals are bringing an awareness to everything our state, along with our hockey team, has to offer.
The Generals come from all over the state (and some from out-of-state). While we are all New Jersey Devils fans and this program concentrates on the team and what we can do to bring all of the fans closer together, we’re also committed to highlighting the great things the organization does throughout New Jersey.
You’ll find us talking about other events at Prudential Center. You’ll probably also find us posting about events that we feel are important to the city of Newark and the State of New Jersey.
We look forward to many more years of interacting with the best fans in the world and, more importantly, we look forward to hearing from you as to what we can do to make things even better!
LET’S GO DEVILS!
Devils Army at Bridgestone Arena, Nashville
As many of you following the blog are aware, fellow General, Jaime organized a group trip to Nashville so we could watch the Devils take on the Predators. If you ever have the opportunity to go, Nashville is a great destination for hockey!
The Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators, is a beautiful, huge arena, with a great view from any seat. When you buy tickets, you can even choose a package that includes an all-you-can-eat buffet of arena food. With a variety of options such as soda, pretzels, peanuts, popcorn, hotdogs and nachos there’s sure to be something for everybody. If you are part of the 21 and over set, they also offer an “adult” option which includes beer. The staff there are friendly and helpful, directed us when we were lost or just said hello and welcomed us to their city as we passed by.
As if all of that isn’t enough, the atmosphere during game time is incredibly fun. I am not certain if it is only an opening night event, or part of every game, but there was a live band playing all night. For opening night introductions, their cheerleaders skated out with a giant Nashville Predators flag, and danced and cheered. Gnash, the predators Saber-tooth tiger mascot, dropped in from the ceiling and the players all entered the ice through a giant Saber-tooth Tiger head!
The crowd knows how to have a good time, and they are loud and proud of it. Bring your sense of humor to Nashville (aka “Smashville”) because they do taunt the visiting team- loudly and in unison. All of it is in good humor though, and as a Nashville fan told me “Sure, we’ll tease you, but we’ll take you out for drinks afterward.” I definitely got teased, but everyone was smiling and pursuing friendly conversation. Many of the Predators fans we met were amazed we drove 15 hours for a hockey game, and all of them welcomed us to their city and hoped we were having an enjoyable visit.
Enjoy we did, as the Devils gave us a great performance, overcoming a 2 goal deficit to win in the shoot out. After listening to the arena taunt our players throughout the game, it felt great to see them fight back for the win! We had a big celebration up in our section with high fives, cheers of “MOOOOOOOOSE!”, “KO-VY!”, “Captain Zach” and “Let’s Go Devils” that I’m told could be heard on the telecast!
All of that just describes our game day experience. As you know if you followed Jaime or myself on Twitter, there was a lot of great sight seeing and activity within Tennessee. I was fortunate enough to fit in a visit to the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, which gives free walking tours to the public, and a visit to downtown Nashville where there are tons of places to eat, and live performances of country music to enjoy. Right next to the arena is the Country Music Hall of Fame as well, which offers a look at the history of country music and displays hundreds – probably thousands – of items from the genre’s greatest artists.
If you drive from New Jersey, the scenery is gorgeous, and we were fortunate to have sunny, temperate weather during our visit. If you ever get a chance to go, I highly recommend the trip. I would return in a heart beat!
This is the third arena outside of New Jersey that I have visited. I have a long way to go to catch up to Jaime, but I’m open to suggestions for my next trip!
So, Devils Army, where have you gone and what was your favorite part about your trip? Let us know in the comments!
One-on-One with Zach Parise
I have lived the ultimate Devils fan dream. I got to interview Zach Parise. One on one, Zach and me… and a few camera guys. It was awesome! Zach was at the Prudential Center with a bunch of other big name hockey players the NHL Media Tour filming commercial spots and taking promo photos. They managed to squeeze some time in for me to ask him a few questions on behalf of the Devils Army.
With the help of the other Generals, I came up with a list of questions I would ask Zach. I shook off the nerves, tried to tame the excitement and went for it. Check out our quick Q&A, you might be surprised at some of his answers.
Devils Generals Fantasy Hockey League
With the start of the season upon us, some of the Generals decided it was time to prove which one would be best at giving Lou Lamoriello a run for his money as best GM in hockey. Since there weren’t 20 teams willing to let a bunch of random people take over General Manager duties, we decided to start a fantasy hockey league instead.
On Sunday, September 25th, the Generals conducted their draft. There was already some trash-talking during the draft and that is sure to continue as the season gets under way.
The league consists of 20 teams, with 16 starters (3 C, 3 LW, 3 RW, 5 D, 2G) per team. There are six bench players per team.
Each week teams will go head-to-head against each other. There are four divisions – the Brodeur, Stevens, Daneyko and Niedermayer divisions – and the four division winners plus four wild-card teams will make the playoffs. Playoffs take place during the last three weeks of the season.
There were quite a few surprises during the draft (Hedberg going in the 2nd round, 28th overall… a full round before Brodeur) and, of course, Devils players were taken quickly. Adam Henrique was taken before Rick Nash, Patrick Sharp, Matt Duchene, John Tavares, Danny Briere and 388 other players.
Overall, every team seems to have its strengths and weaknesses. Some teams should rack up points in the offensive categories (G, A, +/-, PIM, PP Points, SH Points, SOG, Faceoff Wins, Hits, Blocked Shots), while others should dominate the goalie categories (W, GAA, Saves, S%, SO).
Below is a list of all the teams and their rosters. You can comment below to let us know who you feel will win it all. Who knows… the supporters of the winning team may be rewarded at the end of the season!
You can also follow the generals involved on Twitter, as trash-talking on there should escalate as the wins and losses pile up.
To view the standings and what division each team is in, go to the league page here:
http://hockey.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/devilsgenerals
