2022-23 - A Season to Remember | 40 YEARS WITH STAN

Right this minute, the New Jersey Devils can favorably be compared to the greatest teams ever to represent the Garden State in the National Hockey League.
By beating Buffalo on the Devs next to last season lifted them to the elite on top of elite status.
Just imagine this: Their record stands at an arresting 52-22-8 for 112 points. In a sense, this fact of hockey life belongs in the realm of awesome-plus.
It also -- and inevitably -- invites comparison to the 2008-09 juggernaut which finished 51-27-4 (1st in Atlantic) - Devils radio play-by-play broadcaster Matt Loughlin remembered them as well as he understands the current crew.
"This year's team is much faster and more offensively gifted than the '08-'09 team," Matt Laughlin, the Devils radio play-by-play announcer, told me. "And younger. The Devils then were blending older stars who had won Cups -- Elias, Brodeur, Madden, and others -- with rising stars such as Parise, Zajac, Greene, and Gionta.
"Now we have one of the youngest NHL teams with a roster than has just one player, Palat who's been on a Cup-winner. A similarity now is that both teams have/had players with outstanding seasons. Parise then; Hughes now. But when you throw in Bratt, Hamilton, Meier, and Mercer, this team wins the scoring title."
Then, toss in the 13-game winning streak -- yes, thirteen games - and one of the brightest superstars this side of Connor McDavid and you have a rare offensive blitz to blend with solid puck stopping.
Jack Hughes will finish the season with 99 points thanks to 43 red lights and 54 helpers. Vitek Vanecek was claimed by g.m. Tom Fitzgerald off the used-goalie lot. He emerged as a magnificent starter at 33-11-4 along with a 2.45 GAA and .911 %.

It's hard to imagine that just a year ago the golfing season had begun for the Devils. With a 27-46-9 (.384) finish, New Jersey was on the outside looking in; a non-playoff team for too many seasons. Finishing 28th overall in the standings, the Devils' two-season record was an unencouraging 46-76-16.
With that in mind, critics were in no hurry to believe that 2022-23 would be coming up roses for the Garden Staters. Our game's "bible," The Hockey News, predicted a seventh place finish in the Metropolitan Conference, one rung above the bottom-feeding Flyers.
There even was doubt that the club's 29th-rated defense would improve on its 3.68 goals against average. "Patience is running thin," wrote Hockey News' Devils analyst Steve Politii.
But patience was rewarded. Shazam! Something like positive lightning struck your team at The Rock.
After shaking off some opening-month rust, the Devils gave NHL analysts a collective case of lockjaw. Simply put, these new model Devils displayed a keen dislike for losing.
"One key factor," explained Loughlin, "has been Dougie Hamilton. He gives the team a top-flight scorer from the blue line which they haven't had since Scott Stevens. Not to mention Timo Meier who added to the offensive weapons."
Historian George Falkowski, who has followed the franchise from its inception, finds the current club defying credulity.
"This is a Devils team like none we've ever seen," said Falkowski, an Emmy Award winner who covered the team for News12 New Jersey.
As the wins mounted through fall and then the holiday season, the skeptics shook their heads in abject amazement. "Nobody thought the Devils would last as winners," said one out-of-town reporter. "We thought it was one of those early season spurts that would fade away by the new year."
But the vigorous, speed,y and crafty young Devils simply would not go away. With the experience gleaned from 2021-22, cornerstone centers Hughes and Hischier climbed to new heights while carrying their mates delightfully along with them.
A sure-fire candidate for general manager of the year, Tom Fitzgerald added key components to all strategic positions.
To wit:
\ Two-time Cup-winning left wing Ondrej Palat brought his two-way talent and championship pedigree from Tampa Bay to the Garden Staters.
* Leadership and grit were among the ingredients brought to the young lineup with center Erik Haula via Boston.
* Goaltending depth was added when Vitek Vanecek stepped in like a veteran while Akira Schmid did a reasonable facsimile of a backup looking like a starter. And let's not forget Mackenzie Blackwood, the still reliable puck fortress.
* Depth up front was vital and became apparent up and down the line. Among the most notable contributors included forwards Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, Yegor Sharangovich and Tomas Tatar.*
Then there was Fitzgerald's shining light from the trade deadline pot o' gold. Meier was acquired from San Jose while a half-dozen challenging general managers wrung their hands in disappointment.
Meier is a latter-day version of Jason Arnott (2000 Cup-winning goal scorer) in terms of size and skill but Meier has a better scoring touch.
This current remarkable franchise has finished the season a 52-22-8 team by amassing the most points, 112, -- not to mention the most wins - in franchise history.
As a result, the current wunderkinder invite further comparisons to the great New Jersey teams of yesteryear. The 2008-09 outfit was defensively superior but with a dependable offense. By contrast, the contemporary crew accents the offense but can handle the defending part well enough.
Loughlin: "On the defense side alone, these teams are pretty similar. They both have/had veterans mixed in with younger players. Andy Greene, for one, came into his own on the '08-'09 teams. Lately, Kevin Bahl started to exert some influence on the current club."
Up front in '08-'09, coach Brent Sutter had plenty of aces. Zach Parise led it in scoring followed by Patrik Elias, Jamie Langenbrunner, Brian Gionta, and Travis Zajac, just to name a few. The backline included Johnny Oduya, Colin White, Andy Greene, and Mike Mottau with Martin Brodeur in goal. Noteworthy: Parise had a breakout season just like Jack Hughes this term.
The record -- 51-27-4 for 106 points -- included an eight-game winning streak, with Parise leading in goals, assists, and points (45-49-94). Zajac's plus-33 was de luxe for a two-way center. Rare was the fact that the usually indomitable Martin Brodeur was sidelined for three months. No less surprising was a relative unknown, Scott Clemmenson stepping into the breach with a commendable 25-13-1 record and 2.39 GAA and .917 save percentage. The goal-scoring Murderer's Row began with Parise's 45 followed by Elias, 31, Langenbrunner, 29, Zajac and Gionta each with 20.
Remarkable as it was, the 2009-09 outfit also was a heartbreaker. The first round matchup with Carolina had all the trappings of a Devils triumph, but for two pivotal breakdowns. In Game Four, New Jersey wasted a dramatic comeback from a 3-0 deficit to allow the winning goal with 0.2 remaining. As a result, the Devs blew a chance to go up three games to one.
That paled in comparison to the disaster in Game Seven when New Jersey coughed up a 3-2 lead in Game Seven in the last 1:40 of regulation. Carolina scored again with 3.2 seconds left. Some critics called it the worst defeat in franchise history.
"We had been spoiled by the Cup-era Devils slamming the door when they had the lead," one NHL scout observed.
On a more pleasant note, that power-packed club featured Brodeur setting a record for NHL wins while Patrik Elias passed John MacLean's record as the franchise's all-time scoring lead. The spectacular events took place on the same night. At the glorious end, Marty cut away the goal net in celebration and Patty skated out for the Three-Star selection wearing a green St. Patrick's Day Leprechaun hat.
Then there was another grand group that I'll never forget, the 2000-01 defending Cup champions, an outfit which I believe deserved a second Cup in a row; but that's another tale for another day. That outfit was sprinkled with stars, starting with Brodeur and a defense comprised of Stevens, Niedermayer, Brian Rafalski, Colin White, and Ken Sutton.
Elias topped the scorers with 40 goals and 96 points. He was followed by the peripatetic Alex Mogilny the 43-goal lamplighter. Other notables included rugged Bobby Holik, clever Petr Sykora, speedy Scotty Gomez, utility ace Sergei Brylin, no-nonsense Randy McKay, and Cup-winning goal-scorer Jason Arnott. "Brylin was the most underrated -- and in many ways best -- of all our forwards," said Holik. They came within a game of winning a fourth Cup and, give or take a couple of bad calls, they could have repeated.
Under Larry Robinson's baton, the puck symphony finished with 111 points (48-19-12-3), leading the NHL in goals and fifth in goals against. Like the current Devils, it rode a 13-game winning streak. Brodeur was steady as they go (42-17-11) at 2.32 and .906 supported by nine shutouts. The supporting blitz -- Sykora 35 goals; Brylin, 23, McKay, 23, Madden, 23, and Arnott -- was as formidable as any g.m. Lou Lamoriello crafted.
Falkowski: "That 2001 club in some ways compares with the current club in terms of offense. It had two lines that could kill the opposition. Savvy vets like McKay and Holik were there to support the young guys the way Ondrej Palat and Erik Haula are doing these days to supplement the young guns."
A look at New Jersey's current lineup, as it completed this regular season, shows overall strength and balance up and down the line. But, significantly, it lacks Hall of Famers like Brodeur, Stevens, and Niedermayer from titlists past. When I asked Loughlin to directly assess Devils 2000-01 with Lindy Ruff's rapid wranglers, he put it this way:
"Both teams are/were equipped with incredible depth but the number of Hall of Famers for the 2001 team tips the scales until proven otherwise."
Yet, it is certainly conceivable that Young Turks such as Hischier, Hughes -- both Jack and Luke -- Mercer and Meier, et. al. all are possible HOF candidates if they grow at their present impressive pace.
Likewise, defenseman Dougie Hamilton's performance has overtones of Scott Niedermayer at his best. Blueliners such as John Marino, Kevin Bahl, and Jonas Siegenthaler have excelled yet have their most effective years still ahead of them. Ditto for Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid.
"As for Vanecek," noted Loughlin, "at the start of the season no one was certain how he'd handle being number one. But he's responded with a 30-plus win year. And he's only the second goalie in Devil's history to do so. Marty did it 14 times."
Continuing with further comparisons, Jesper Bratt has the potential that Petr Sykora had at the same point in his career. Likewise, Nico Hischier displays the talent, leadership and grit of Patrik Elias. I kid you not; I see Dawson Mercer as the second coming of Scott Gomez.
Simply put the potential here is enormous and - especially if Luke Hughes lives up to all scouting reports. Right now the sky appears to be the limit for the former Michigan star.
Looking back, I view the 2000 Cup winners as the most totally gifted of the three championship clubs. Lou Lamoriello's seemingly magical addition of rookies such as center Scott Gomez - 2001 Calder Cup-winner - defenseman Brian Rafalski and defensive pivot John Madden added to an already gifted lineup.
Interestingly, the original 1995 Cup winners differed from the two others in the meaningful realm of orchestration. Thanks to genius coach Jacques Lemaire. the 1995ers were tactically superior to any other Devils sextet. It was the precise reason why an underdog club easily took out heavily-favored Detroit in a four-straight sweep.
An area of similarity that I see between the gleaming 2023 model and the last of the three champs is in the coaching sphere. Lindy Ruff and Pat Burns were/are cut from the same coaching cloth.
Each arrived in New Jersey after a wealth of experience elsewhere. Their no-nonsense personalities invariably commanded respect. The fact that Burns had the guts to bench the previously unbenchable Ken Daneyko through the first six games of the 2003 Cup Final underlined that point.
If there's one mile-high difference between Ruff's reliables and the other big winners it's simply that there'll only be one Martin Brodeur!