SportsTalkRadio

Can the Devils do it again? By ERIC DUHATSCHEK Globe and Mail East Rutherford, N.J.

Columnist Terry Frei of the Denver Post writes in his most recent column that a Devils early exit would be good for the league. Here is the note in his story: * The New Jersey Devils are ousted early. That not only would increase Toronto or Ottawa's chances of making the Finals, but it would prevent the Devils from, in effect, slipping the Finals a lingering dose of tranquilizers.

Amen! Well put.

I disagree...while it is true that he will always take a certain level of comfort knowing that his checking account is very healthy...there HAS to be more to play for as a professional athlete...particularly for a guy like Holik, who if we believe him to be a "team player"...oh he's hurting deep inside...in fact, outside too, his commentary concerning his Rangers tenure is full of disgust after two VERY LONG seasons...unlike which he was ever exposed to at anytime in his career prior. Suffer Bobby...SUFFER!!!

To just know that Holik is continuosly kicking himself int he ass for donning Rangers blue...for selling his soul to the Devil (pardon the pun)...for being the ultimate Benedict Arnold...watching the Devils move into first place yet again tonight, a Marty shutout, a team coming together for another run at the Cup...OUR Coach getting his 500th career win...all the while Holik sits on the Rangers bench with the seconds counting down on the clock seeming instead like hours...knowing that he's been making plans for another early off-season for weeks now... Like I say...It "Hurts" Soooooooo GOOD!

No explanation needed here...right?

As far as I am concerned with this news today he's already on the team. Get him a jersey!

I want Philadelphia badly in round 1. Since they defeated the Devils several games ago they have tanked and Esche looks like the Esche we all knew and loved before he was annointed the next "great" goaltender by Thorne and Levy, and Clement and Pang...and anyone at ESPN/ABC. The Devils (who I have been continuing to say have their best hockey in front of them) are peaking right now, Stevens WILL be back, so will Rafalksi AND likely Parise to create an additional spark...as I have maintained...the Devs are STILL the team to beat in the East...and I want Philly round # 1. FOUR (4) Cups In TEN Years. Still a very real scenario.

Nice post Z-Man...the one about Gomez excelling as a youngster...

UNREAL! How about Stevens, Rafalski AND Parise? Would you take that scenario? Good grief!

Come on guys...give me a break with this thinking that they risk having him play at Albany NEXT season if he plays with the Devils THIS season. This isn't part of the equation here. Just maybe Lamoriello wants to win another cup...maybe the Devils are serious about repeating? Parise will be here...this is good.

How about that Kevin Allen, eh?

Some points to consider Ten issues to ponder in the final days of the regular season: 1. As the Nashville Predators battle aggressively to prove they are worthy of a playoff spot, the hockey world might be scrutinizing Nashville's fans to see if they are worthy of having an NHL franchise. Although there are no plans, or even discussions, about this franchise being relocated, there is clearly disappointment around the league that fans haven't been overly supportive of a team that has been in contention since the season began. The club is six games over .500 and in the midst of what is clearly an exciting race. However, Tuesday night they drew 15,900 for a home game against Anaheim. Earlier this month after back-to-back wins, they played in front of a crowd of only 10,576 for an important game against Chicago. Their attendance average is about 13,000 this season, and they posted crowds under 10,000 earlier in the season. It's fair to say that the hockey world will be very curious to see how the city of Nashville will respond if the Predators make the playoffs. It's almost as if the Predators' fans still have probationary status. 2. Teams in the Western Conference are privately hoping to avoid playing the Calgary Flames in the first round. Overall, the Flames are simply agonizing to face, and Miikka Kiprusoff might be the best goaltender in the Western Conference right now. 3. Although there are reasons to like the Philadelphia Flyers, the return of Keith Primeau from injury might be crucial to their hopes of postseason success. Based on how he played early in the season, Primeau could be for the Flyers what Bobby Holik used to be for the New Jersey Devils in the postseason. 4. The Devils have long been patient with their draft picks, but there is speculation in the hockey world that they are pondering whether to try to sign North Dakota standout Zach Parise, who was the leading scorer at the World Junior Championships. The consensus is that Parise, son of former NHL player J.P. Parise, isn't quite ready yet, but he is very skilled and he knows how to play defense. It might be fun to have him around for the playoffs. Wisconsin defenseman Ryan Suter (Nashville Predators) could also be a candidate to be signed after his team is through with the NCAA tournament. 5. Curtis Joseph's latest ankle injury adds another twist to the Detroit Red Wings' goaltending soap opera. Before Joseph was sidelined again, the presumption was that Joseph would start the playoffs, but the Red Wings wouldn't hesitate to use Manny Legace if Joseph wasn't sharp. It's now plausible that Legace could start the postseason. At the start of the season, GM Ken Holland told Legace that he needed to show the Red Wings he was ready to be a No. 1. At the time, Holland was thinking about next season because he was planning to trade Joseph and he didn't know if Dominik Hasek would return in 2004-05. 6. The San Jose Sharks haven't received enough credit. Part of the reason might be that there is an impression around the league that the team lacks confidence heading to the playoffs. But goalie Evgeni Nabokov is viewed as the kind of athlete who can play well enough to turn a series. 7. The majority of players in the NHL are still Canadian, and there is tremendous pride in their country's hockey heritage. That's why, with the possible exception of the teams jockeying for position at the bottom of the Western Conference, there is plenty of rooting going on for the Edmonton Oilers. Many in the hockey world love to see all six Canadian teams in the playoffs for the first time in recent history. As of Friday morning, the Oilers were on the bubble and Vancouver and Calgary were in the top eight. In the East, Toronto and Ottawa have clinched spots and Montreal is closing in. 8. After GM Kevin Lowe had been on the job for only a short period in Edmonton, his rivals began to say he could quickly become one of the league's better executives. He showed that at the trade deadline. The consensus around the league at that point was that the Oilers were essentially out of contention and probably should be a seller. Instead, Lowe made a significant trade with the Rangers

I realize that I am probably in the extreme minority with this admission...however, with all of the "fishstick" lingo in regard to "that" previous Islanders sweater...I actually liked it and thought it was a good looking jersey. The fact that the uniform temporarily replaced the "dynasty" jersey and logo was where the problem was in my opinion. As I have made mention of to others in talking about that particular uniform - had the Isles been an expansion team coming into the league the exact year they dressed in those suits, with no previous history to them...I think the uniform would have been well accepted. Yes, I know I'm in the minority...so go ahead and blast away!

No, that was the exact logo they were going to use - although I'll admit the quality of the image is less than good.