Chuck the Duck

Me too. This virus is nothing but random in how it attacks people. I'm in my early 40's and it felt like a bad cold to me with my symptoms only lasting a very short period of time. I know people in their late 40's and early 50's that are in shape and otherwise in good health who have had to be hospitalized from it. I'm sure Blackwood will come through it fine, but it's still scary stuff.

I don't know what the NHL's COVID protocol is for returning to play for players that test COVID positive. I thought the 3-5-7 testing was for players coming into the the team from outside (like Bratt), not necessarily for someone in Blackwood's situation. They test these guys pretty regularly, and obviously want to prevent spread amongst teammates, so it's possible that is what the league will require. I just know that the CDC requires you to quarantine for 10-14 days from the onset of symptoms before you can resume normal activities.

If he had COVID and has tested positive (good assumption and most likely scenario at this point), it will take around 10 days from the onset of his symptoms for it to clear out of his system to the point where he will test negative again. I had COVID along with my wife and son a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I had to learn way more about this disease than I ever wanted to, although we were lucky that our symptoms were very minor and it ended up being no worse than a common cold for us.

Unless Dolan get MAJOR government funding to build the new arena AND gets to continue to own the new place without paying any local or state tax on the property, the same way he does with MSG now, this is not going to happen. They just put close to $1 billion in private funding into a massive renovation of the current MSG, to which they no doubt have debt service that will continue on for years. To have to build a new one, in midtown, as part of this project, will easily cost $1.5 billion. I just don't see what is in it for Dolan as part of that plan.

That lineup is bad. Nico, Jesper and Vatanen can't get cleared to play soon enough. Don't really understand why they kept Foote up and exposed Merkeley to waivers. Seems like Merkley would have been a good extra forward this season, and Foote would be better served playing with the Newark Binghamton Devils of the RWJ Barnabas Health Hockey House, but what do I know. Hopefully they find a backup G on the waiver wire because Wedgewood isn't going to cut it.

You'd be surprised. There are plenty of self loathing people in this country that (if they took a look at the roster/makeup of the team) would find a way to root against them because they were not socially diverse, or play a rich, white man's sport. Not a joke. I know people that think hockey should be banned from publically owned facilites because there is not enough minority representation in the sport. I also know some assinine people that rooted against the US Women's National Soccer team during the last Women's World Cup because some of their players were taking a knee during the national anthem. The stupidity cuts both ways here. We are a horribly divided nation.

I get what you're saying but, honestly, very few people in this country knew about the US winning the WJC, and even fewer cared about it. It's an event that barely registers on the sports radar here (sadly since it is a great event).

I'm with you on this. Playing the same 7 teams 8 times, without playing the other teams in the league, is monotonous at best. To top it off, the Division is brutal, while the West and Central look weak. I get why they are doing it this way and having 7 Canadian teams in the League with the closed border makes it nearly impossible to do what the NFL, MLB, and NBA are doing, but I have never been less excited for an NHL season to start. It will be nice to have something to watch on TV, but I'm just not invested in this season and can't really take it seriously under this format.

I remember loving Sean Burke's first painted mask with the Devils. That thing was sweet back in the day. As an 11 year old, I remember painting my Mylec Street Hockey mask to match it as best I could.

I'm not a fan of the black cage on helmets or black catchers, blockers, and pads on goalies, but Crawford's new mask is pretty sick.

And it won't be long before the rinks look like this ... Jesus ... what a mess. Talk about sensory overload at European hockey games. People in the US can't track the puck on TV as it is, can you image how bad it would be if this was the ice surface at NHL rinks?

Once that door opens, it will never shut and only get worse. It will start with helmets, then ads on the back hem line of the game jerseys, then front shoulder, then we end up with this ...

Team USA winning the 1996 World Cup of Hockey over Canada. I was in college and let's just say it was a great night all around. The 2010 Gold Medal game between the US and Canada. That was some intense hockey with the US tying the game late to force OT. Just a really good, hard fought hockey game. The Blackhawks winning the Cup in 2010 over the Flyers. I've always liked the Blackhawks as my second team - probably because I liked their jerseys from when I was a little kid and always played with them in NHL 94 growing up (Belfour, Chelios, Roenick, and Larmer was as good as it got in that game). The added benefit of them beating the Flyers, in Philly in front of that crowd of degenerates made it all the more special.

So then it looks like one of our normal game jerseys, except its made for a bunch of jabroni's to wear.

It's not terrible, but it looks busy and disproportionate with the crest sitting so low and all of the striping (I always found that annoying about the Christmas Tree red jerseys in the past). It's very blah to me. I have the same opinion about most of the jerseys released today. Some of the other teams jerseys are nice (Kings, Ottawa), some look almost the same as before to me (NYI), but a lot of these are just hideous (Dallas, Arizona, Anaheim, Winnipeg, etc.). If Detroit didn't have a great logo, I would include them in the hideous category too. At least I can say we are somewhere in the middle and they didn't do something stupid like trying to change the crest.

I can't agree with this more. The franchise moved from KC to Colorado and then to NJ. It completely rebranded each time. It makes no sense to me to honor KC or Colorado here in NJ with a throwback to those cities that few, if any of us, actually care about.

So many of my favorite memories from my childhood had Doc on the call. I only had the chance to meet him once (on the upper level concourse at the Rock a few years back), but I felt like I knew him forever. For me, I will always remember him for his line at the end of Game 4 of the SCF vs. Detroit - "The Championship to New Jersey. The Devils win the Stanley Cup!" I was at the game live, and only heard the call Doc made that night sometime thereafter. But it still brings chills and a flood of great memories of going to games with my father that I will cherish the rest of my life. Thank you Doc for everything you've provided to the sport of hockey and us Devils fans over the years. Simply the best is the only way to describe you and your broadcasting career.

This is a very good trade. Murray will be a nice replacement for Andy Greene when is is healthy and in the lineup. Nice job by Fitz here using our cap space to fill a need on the cheap.

Torey Krug is a left shot D-man. He's on the smaller side, but is definitely a play driver and puck mover. I wouldn't give him more than 5 years, but am fine with a higher AAV as long as the term doesn't exceed that.

If we take Askarov at 7, I will be disappointed. If Askarov is there at 18 or 20 and we don't take him, I will be pissed.

Happy for Coleman. He was a great pickup by Tampa and was a contributor to their success in the playoffs. As others have said, the Devils need to make that trade with where we are at (or not at depending on how you look at it) with our rebuild. Hopefully Foote and pick #20 are building blocks and core pieces to get us where Tampa is now a few years down the road.

Hell yeah!!!!

Probably because his defensemen are crap.

This is very true. Without COVID shutting down Harvard hockey and likely all college sports until 2021, Walsh goes back for his senior season and is probably a 50/50 bet to sign his ELC with the Devils. I'm sure his contract with the Devils will include a provision providing money for him to return to Harvard to complete his degree in the offseason. Hell, with the online classes Harvard will be offering students in the fall semester coupled with the fact that there is no way the NHL/AHL seasons start before December, he likely will be able to continue his schooling and graduate on time in the spring of 2021.

This is what I'd want. I would not reach that high for a goalie. I know he's been compared to Price, but my philosophy would be to wait until that 3rd 1st round pick and, if Askarov is still there, then its a huge win for us and you take the kid. If not, you move on and grab another goalie in the 4 or 5th round.