redruM Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 Saw this in the sunday APP: Holik felt the '01 Devs were the best team he ever played on, even though they never gave more then 50 to 70%. He said one of the hardest things to accept is the fact that they did not win the CUP that year... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellOnICE Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 TRUE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risky Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 I still can't accept it. 295 Goal season and we can't put together the balls to win at home when we're up 3-2 in the series. Psssshhh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chort Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 i still can't shake off that game 6........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantaRay Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 295 Goals gave way to over confidence in the playoffs. In 2000 we played scared, focused and clamped down on the opposition. In 2001, the Devs just thought they were too good to lose and prolonged each series unneccessarily. I still remember chilling the champagne and getting the victory cigars together before game six in the parking lot and just leaving pissed that the AVs/ROY wanted it more than our boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek21 Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 He's right. That was the most talented Devils team I ever saw. Even better than the '94 team that gave the Rangers a good run. They essentially had two #1 lines that were lethal and the other two lines were very good. All year, they just turned it on and off when they wanted. It was their talent that almost got them a repeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 Can we please stop reliving the horror?!! I can't afford the therapy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerrydevil Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 That Game 6 loss.......ugh. By the way, was that the most undramatic seven-game series you've ever seen? The 2000 finals, even though it went six games, had a lot more tension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrQuotes Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 no, dont remind me. no stop! *flashback* *tears* *fetal position* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge18 Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 That was the only series that i remember where at points niether team looked like they wanted to win. Whoever lost a game was the teacm that didnt show up that day, and it rotated each game. SOOO bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devspage Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 Damn, I loved that team. That postseason was really special to me. I had three girlfriends who weren't into hockey learning the game and getting into it. It just made it resonate all the more. And ultimately all the harder when it ended as sh!ttily as it did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJayDevil Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 Never will see a better Devils team than that one. If Ray Pork wasn't on the Avs, we would be a dynasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'7' Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 To me, they are a close second to the 93-94 Devils team, that was the best Devils team I've ever seen. Even the great teams let some slip away, look at the Oilers against Calgary in 86, and nearly choking the Cup away to Philly in 87 after being up 3-1. The Islanders were nearly beat by the 75pt Pittsburgh Penguins in 82 and by the mediocre Rangers in 84. The Devils were shooting against the best goalie in hockey history at the top of his game while there own goalie was letting in soft 50 ft slap shots to Adam Foote and Ray Bourque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddDog Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 By the way, was that the most undramatic seven-game series you've ever seen? The 2000 finals, even though it went six games, had a lot more tension. 2000 finals was WAY better, if you disgard Belfruit's Nyquil episode in Game 1. The rest of the games were pretty exciting and often extremely close, either way. I think one big reason the 2001 finals were a downer is because the two teams basically took turns sucking . And that's another reason why I get pissed off over the fact we lost - the Avs were nothing hot that post-season either and just sucked ONE less game in the final to capture the Cup!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Devil Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 At least most of you weren't living in Colorado at the time!!!! Still, after watching game 1 at a friend's house (that hurt), I learned my lesson at watched the games at home. Games 1, 6 & 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddDog Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 The Devils were shooting against the best goalie in hockey history at the top of his game while there own goalie was letting in soft 50 ft slap shots to Adam Foote and Ray Bourque. To be fair, if you're going to hammer on Marty for bad goals.... Waaaah almost cost his team the entire thing with his royal SCREW UP trying to handle the puck in game 4, no??? Roy allowed other questionable goals, too, sorry. We won Game 5 but then completely blew it AS AN ENTIRE TEAM in Game 6, nothing much you can do. It also helped as we kept missing the net and shooting AT Waaah too I'll give the guy some credit, but we still often made it easy on him during those games we lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'7' Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 you can't help but shoot at Roy, the guy takes up the entire net with those couch cushions he wears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundstrom Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 2001 runner up was the best team we had. A-Line is best line in hockey (hands down) Gomez-Mogilny-Brylin scores 80+ goals Holik-McKay-Chimo did everything Madden-Pando-Stevenson best checking line in hockey 3 solid pairs of defensemen. Brodeur was weak in the finals and that's why we lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 Agreed sundstrom. He should've been able to win it when his offense was a no-show. True, he didn't outplay Roy, or come close. But neither did the Devils at any point show that they were ready to be Cup champs.. they were given the opportunity by Roy, who took it away again by being solid. The whole team didn't show up as a team. That's why they were dismantled, and why it was the right move. There's no excuse for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'7' Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 tweaking the lineup is fine, but dismantling them was the wrong move it came down to Roy stealing the last 2 games of the series, I don't believe they didn't want it, otherwise they wouldn't have come back from 3-2 against Toronto and completely dominated the Pens. They were just playing against the best goalie in hockey. the devils did draw first blood in game 6 but the gomez goal was taken away, then came the Foote goal from 50 ft out and that just deflated us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 You're right ^7^. That's why they lost 5-0 in Game 1. They wanted to win, but the Avs were just that good. The reason they came back against the Leafs was ONLY because of Tie Domi's elbow to Niedermayer. Without that, there is no way that team shows that kind of heart to come back. If you remember, this is the same team that blew a 4-1 and 5-2 lead in Game 2 against the Leafs. They then beat a punchless Pittsburgh squad who had a pouting Jagr. No heart, no ability to get it done when it counted.. no team, anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'7' Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 The Devils lost the game right after the Domi, so it wasn't just the elbow. Toronto was a confident, determined team that year but NJ had more heart, they wanted it more. that Pittsburgh team was anything but punchless, it had a great offense and the whole Mario story going for it, nobody wanted the Devils to win, but they did anyway and dominated same story with Colorado, Bourque going for a Cup, rallying around Forsberg, nobody wanted the Devils to win. Normally, they would win in this situation, but Roy was too much to overcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted November 20, 2002 Share Posted November 20, 2002 Believe what you want, ^7^. A Pittsburgh team with a no name goalie, awful defense, and a pouting Jagr, plus a Lemieux that hadn't played hockey in what, 4 years, playing into the middle of May? It was just the elbow. That gave them a reason to win. I know they lost the next game, probably because Toronto knew they were coming out with fire. The Devils wanted it more in the end, but you'll never convince me the Devils wanted it more in the first 4 games. Whatever. We've had this debate before. But considering your unbreakable affinity for the past, it's not surprising that you also think this team was great: it had the talent to be great, but not the will, or the heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exit_16w Posted November 20, 2002 Share Posted November 20, 2002 That whole finals series the devils got screwed over with penalties. The NHL just wanted it to be the Ray Bourque show. So they made the Devils out to be public enemy number 1, ESPN helped that by playing all of those sob stories bout him not winning the cup. As good as it was to see him get it....just not against the devils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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