DevsMan84 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 2 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said: He was able to get away with a lot as long as the team remained competitive (and as we know, it did for a long long time)...once the playoff appearances stopped, to many he became a humorless out-of-touch stick-in-the-mud who couldn't adapt (or simply refused to). I think in some ways he tried to, but lack of homegrown talent forced him to start going through channels he wasn't comfortable with, and he just got so far away from his MO that I think he simply no longer had any real plan in place. The organization always seemed to take on his best and worst traits while he was here: lots of on-ice success, but the organization itself often felt cold and distant, and completely indifferent to its fanbase. The team threatening to leave NJ during its first Cup run kind of said it all. The tandem of McMullen and Lou wasn't exactly full of warm-and-fuzzies. At any rate, I like that things have changed, and that the organization seems to be much more accessible now. Wouldn't trade the past for anything (it was awesome), but the present just "feels" right, factoring in everything...when the team isn't making the playoffs (and is a tough watch, as this team has been in recent seasons), the franchise trying to find ways to improve the overall fan experience is important. They've tried to do that...they've had clear missteps here and there (the initial goal-song goof reeked of stuffed suits not really knowing much about its fanbase and making a by-the-numbers decision), but on the whole I think they've tried hard to make this transition period less painful that it could have been. Thing is not sure why Lou thought treating the Devils like a secret organization would lead to results on the ice. A lot of other teams were and are continuing to win cups while still allowing fans to have pretty close access to the team. Hell even back in the 90's almost every other team was more open to the fans than the Devils and those teams were winning cups too. I get that he is set in his ways and it worked for many years and that's fine. However just some of the policies cannot be rationally explained and the rise of social media really put a spotlight on it where secrets were not really kept well anymore. Even with that Chico story he has of him with Parise just showed how unnecessary and cold these rules could be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevsMan84 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 1 hour ago, Jerzey said: I think people like me (or a young me) might have ruined it for you guys. I used to go to SMA when they had open practices and bother the players for autographs afterwards. Now something like the rookie camp is a little different but I'm guessing that has a lot to do with Lou's open practice policies. I don't think the autographs did it. If it wasn't for SMA not being owned by the Devils they probably would have kept those private regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wensink Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Thought he'd be 44 but nice to have a high end #9 on the team again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 23 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said: Thing is not sure why Lou thought treating the Devils like a secret organization would lead to results on the ice. A lot of other teams were and are continuing to win cups while still allowing fans to have pretty close access to the team. Hell even back in the 90's almost every other team was more open to the fans than the Devils and those teams were winning cups too. I get that he is set in his ways and it worked for many years and that's fine. However just some of the policies cannot be rationally explained and the rise of social media really put a spotlight on it where secrets were not really kept well anymore. Even with that Chico story he has of him with Parise just showed how unnecessary and cold these rules could be. You pretty much summed it up in the bolded. Even if the winning had absolutely nothing to do with the uber-secrecy approach, Lou had his ways and they obviously weren't a detriment, from a results standpoint...probably had him believing that there was something to it. But as many have said...that stuff gets hard to take very quickly when the team goes south. An overall MO like Lou's is so prickly that he almost HAS to keep putting winners on the ice for people to continue to believe in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zubie#8 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Just got home. Here are my final thoughts...McLeod: Blew away my expectations. I thought he would struggle in the 3 on 3 since it was on the small ice with no open ice but boy I was wrong. His possession is incredible and he is very hard to push off the puck and he is extremely elusive along the boards. He made a few players look stupid. The kid has the talent, the IQ and most importantly the drive. You can tell he gives it his all. He was the best player on the ice today and it was not even close. I might say he is our best prospect because you can tell he can be a true center unlike Zacha.Bratt: Impressed me, super elusive, amazing hands, very strong on his feet. He knocked down a couple of players. Keep an eye on this one.Gignac: Very very good hands on this one.Avuitu: I am not saying he will be a Rafalski but his skating style and the way he handles the puck look exactly like Rafalskis style. Very smooth skater, good hands. Was impressed with him.Bastian: The kid is HUGE and I was surprised how good of a skater he is. He can be a good power forward.Kujawinski: Stepped up his game, looked like a Kalinin out there. Still potential there for a 4th liner.Lappin: Did not impress me today, looked very one dimensional. Every time he had the puck he just shot it. Not saying thats bad. I need to see more of him.Santini: Man amongst boys, enough said.Anderson: MehBlackwood: The kid is HUGE, great positioning. He has NHL goalie written all over him.Wood: Fast as hell, and strong. Look out for him to be competing for a roster spot. Jacobs: Very smart, great skater. Looks promising.Speers: All about that shot, his release is absolutely ridiculous.JQ: One of the best out there, when he has the puck he shows his hands and he scored a nifty goal. I can see him winning that 3C. He also looks stronger.I have never ever been this excited about our prospect pool. The future looks promising folks. Its a fun time to be a Devils fan.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilMinder Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Great observations thanks Zubie. I hope Santini can really step up, we need a D man with his nastiness on the roster. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zubie#8 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 There's a reason why management gave Auvitu a really low number, they have to be high on him. He has the tools to be a solid NHL defenseman. He really stood out.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted July 13, 2016 Author Share Posted July 13, 2016 He should stand out when he's playing against guys who are mostly 18-20 years old. Thanks for the observations; very excited to see McLeod, hopefully he gets into a preseason game this year. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zubie#8 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 He should stand out when he's playing against guys who are mostly 18-20 years old. Thanks for the observations; very excited to see McLeod, hopefully he gets into a preseason game this year. You would have been drooling over McLeod if you were there today. The guy is going to be a play driving monster which I know you will love. Obviously it was basically pond hockey on the small ice so don't take my write up too seriously but what I saw today was encouraging. The players that you wanted to stand out definitely stood out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommonDreads Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Gonna try to make my way to the 5-on-5 scrimmage on Saturday, the 5-on-5's are always a good barometer for how these players handle in game situations and I liked going last year to watch the prospects play. Zacha impressed me last year with how strong he was and the speed he had for a player his size, hope McLeod can show me some of his speed with some zone entries on Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vadvlfan Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Nice update Zubie, are you going to the scrimmage later in the week as well? Were there any stand-outs among the "invited" players. I'm guessing Mcginnis went undrafted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SterioDesign Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Wood just did a live facebook interview thing and his fav team is the flyers and Giroux. this will have to change lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SterioDesign Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 geez that Quenenville kid can certainly pull off that between the leg shot easily and in all situationa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 I'm going to be going Saturday, need my hockey fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zubie#8 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Nice update Zubie, are you going to the scrimmage later in the week as well? Were there any stand-outs among the "invited" players. I'm guessing Mcginnis went undrafted? Cockerill, the Northeastern defenseman had a good scrimmage.And no, unfortunately can't make it Saturday.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Here's today's 3-on-3 'championship' (Team Stevens vs. Team Brodeur [emoji482][emoji106]): 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOLLYWOOD Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 Curious, anyone shine some light on why this forward? Starting to rack up the numbers: Alex D’Aoust http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0010302016.html Alexis D'Aoust Position: RWBirthdate: Apr 03, 1996From: Trois-Rivières, QC; Canada Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 I'm excited to get a fix of some Devils hockey today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBallofHate Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 On 7/13/2016 at 2:02 PM, SterioDesign said: Wood just did a live facebook interview thing and his fav team is the flyers and Giroux. this will have to change lol At the Youth Hockey Clinic the other day, Santini was miked and chatting with one of the kids and said "It's not cool - you like the Flyers... that's not cool!" Maybe Santini should give Wood a "talking" to... (Found it - at 42 seconds in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt2rmNGMrU0 ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 McLeod just scored a sweet goal, 1-0 red team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 McLeod is by far the most impressive offensive player out there. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaffleFries Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 I'm sure everyone has heard enough that McLeod is fast but sweet Jesus seeing it in person is different experience. Looks to have good hands as well and I have seen a few nice setups he has dished out to others. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 Matt Morris is absolutely horrible lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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