IAmCanadian27 Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 Brothers Force Mother to Pick a Cup Winner May 26, 2003 By JASON DIAMOS WEST ORANGE, N.J., May 25 - With her two sons about to become the first brothers to play against each other in the Stanley Cup finals since 1946, what is Carol Niedermayer to do? What's fair is fair: Carol Niedermayer said today that she hoped her older son, Scott, a 29-year-old defenseman who has already won two Stanley Cup championships with the Devils, shared with his younger brother, Rob, a 28-year-old forward for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. "I'm proud of both of their accomplishments," Carol said on a conference call arranged by the Devils. "But Scottie has won two and Robbie hasn't won one. Although I will be rooting for both of them to do well on the ice, ultimately I would like to see the Ducks win the Stanley Cup." That should put Scott in line for a little ribbing from his teammates, not to mention what it will do for his mother. When the series is in East Rutherford, N.J. - Games 1 and 2 are set for Continental Arena on Tuesday and Thursday nights - Carol will stay with Scott, his wife, Lisa, and their sons, Logan and Jackson, at their home in northern New Jersey. "I might see my bags packed and out the door before supper tonight," Carol said with a laugh. "No. I've talked it over with Scott and he totally understands. So I think I'll be here for a while." She paused, then asked, "Do any of you have an extra room?" That will probably not be necessary. As defenseman Ken Daneyko said of Scott, his roommate on the road for almost a decade, "He's probably one of the best brought up kids I've ever seen." Daneyko thought about his choice of words for a second, before correcting himself. "'Kids?" the 39-year-old Daneyko said with a laugh. "He was a kid when I started rooming with him." The brothers grew up in Cranbrook, British Columbia. Rob was the best man at Scott's wedding, and Scott said they remained best friends. Scott said he and his brother phoned each other as often as several times a week during the season. Scott said the two had talked frequently during the playoffs and spoke again Saturday night, wishing each other luck. "But I might have to put that on hold for a while," Scott said with a laugh. "We probably won't talk during the series too much." Scott added, "We'll be brothers for however long after that." Rob said in a leaguewide conference call before the start of the conference finals that he followed Scott, who is 16 months older, into hockey. Both boys were helped considerably by their mother, Rob said. "She took a lot of time,'' he said. "She was always there for us. We went and skated on the ponds after school. She took us down to the ice rink at noon hour. I think that was all we really concentrated on growing up, hockey. In a small town, that was kind of the only thing to do there." These days, Scott is the big brother only by chronology; Scott is listed at 6 feet 1 and 200 pounds. Rob is listed at 6-2 and 205 pounds. But that was not always the case. "He was a lot smaller until he was 14 or 15 - then we stopped fighting," Scott said of his brother. Scott also said he and Rob rarely played on opposing teams. "I can honestly say we never thought about playing in the Stanley Cup against each other while we were growing up," Scott said. "We dreamed about making the N.H.L. and winning a Stanley Cup." Both brothers were first-round draft choices. Scott was picked by the Devils with the third overall selection in the 1991 draft and Rob by Florida with the fifth overall selection in 1993. Scott has been a mainstay on the Devils' defense since the 1992-93 season. This will be his fourth appearance in the Stanley Cup finals with the Devils, who won the Cup in 1995 and 2000. Rob appeared in the 1996 finals with Florida, which was swept in four games by Colorado. In June 2001, Rob was traded to Calgary, where his career languished until Darryl Sutter (one of six Sutter brothers who played in the N.H.L., but never against one another in the finals) took over as the Flames' coach midway through this season. Anaheim obtained Rob at the March 11 trading deadline this season, and he has been one of the Ducks' most valuable players in the postseason. Thus far, however, only Scott has experienced the brothers' dream of winning the Stanley Cup, one reason his mother feels conflicted about watching her sons play against each other now. "Robbie was traded from a team that wasn't in the playoffs, so this is sort of totally unexpected," she said. "It's sort of an unbelievable thing for both of them to be in the final together." Ken and Terry Reardon were the last brothers to do so, Ken playing for Montreal and Terry playing for Boston in 1946. "I try to tell her to not worry too much about it," Scott said. "It's just hockey. We're still brothers." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHICO IS GOD Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 Can't Rob win one some other time? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Puddy Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 I'd like to see Rob in a Devils sweater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamode Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 What's fair is fair: Carol Niedermayer said today that shehoped her older son, Scott, a 29-year-old defenseman who has already won two Stanley Cup championships with the Devils, shared with his younger brother, Rob, a 28-year-old forward for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. "I'm proud of both of their accomplishments," Carol said on a conference call arranged by the Devils. "But Scottie has won two and Robbie hasn't won one. Although I will be rooting for both of them to do well on the ice, ultimately I would like to see the Ducks win the Stanley Cup." Tough luck, mommy! We ain't talking bout sharing crayons here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 "I try to tell her to not worry too much about it," Scottsaid. "It's just hockey. We're still brothers." Family. It transcends hockey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHICO IS GOD Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 Blood is not thicker than Stanley, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizDevil30 Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 They'll always be brothers but the chance to win the Cup doesn't come around too often. But Rob will have to wait! LETS GO DEVILS! FOUR MORE WINS: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerky Leclerc Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 Weren't the Devils making a play for Rob Niedermayer at the deadline? I heard Lou wanted Niedermayer but the Ducks swooped in and offered Commodore and Damphousse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHICO IS GOD Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 Lou made a offer but the Ducks "outbid" him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsadvocate Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 Sometimes I wonder if having Rob as a teammate would motivate Scott to "come to play" more often. I think Rob would look good in a Devils' jersey... but I am very grateful we have OUR Niedermayer for this series! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.