Assorted items from tonight’s 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks -- the Devils' third consecutive victory:
**Devils coach Brent Sutter was concerned about Wednesday’s game because it was the team’s fifth in eight days. So, though, it wasn’t the prettiest of victories, he was pleased with the players’ effort.
“I was worried about the fact with the schedule of five games in eight nights,” Sutter said. “You don’t know how much gas you’re going to have in the tank after that. We found a way. Marty (Brodeur) made some big saves for us. We gave ourselves a chance to win.”
**Mike Rupp said he deflected Kyle McLaren’s second period shot that Brodeur reached up to knock away with the backhand side of his glove. “I hit it with my stick and it kind of went over and Marty made a crazy save,” Rupp said.
**Brodeur didn’t seem bothered by being jostled by Jeremy Roenick with 42.2 seconds left in the game. Brodeur made a pad stop on Patrick Marleau’s shot from the top of the left circle and covered the rebound. Roenick pried it free after the referee blew the whistle and knocked it into the net, prompting Brodeur to take a jab at him with his stick. Roenick bumped Brodeur back, starting a brief scuffle behind the net that Brodeur quickly extricated himself from. “He scored a second or so after the whistle,” Brodeur said. “Everyone needs a break, so when you do that, everyone relaxes a little bit. They called a timeout right after.”
**Sutter’s mother, Grace, wife, Connie, and daughter, Brooke, attended Wednesday’s game. It was Grace Sutter’s first trip to New Jersey to see the Devils play at Prudential Center. Grace helped out Chico Resch on his nightly feature “Chico Eats” during the second intermission and sampled some food from the Hobbies stand. Brent Sutter got a kick out of his mother dancing a little with Resch. “I don’t have to take her out to dinner tonight,” he joked. “She’s a dancer now, too. She always has been a great dancer, but I’m not so sure what Chico’s like.”
**Rupp wasn’t pleased with the contents of his warmup comments box tonight. “Most of them were about my haircut (it's real short),” he said. “The rest were the usual (expletives).” There were also some gum wrappers in there. Rupp said he was going to get rid of the box before the game, but his teammates convinced him to keep it.
TG, you should join Chico on Chico Eats sometime before the end of the season.
Posted by: FTC | February 20, 2008 at 11:13 PM
I second that, TG needs a spot on Chico eats! Make it happen!
Posted by: Brian | February 20, 2008 at 11:38 PM
TG, I was just wondering...I met former Devils radio play by play legend Mike Miller in 4th grade when he came to my elementary school and he was wearing a Devils 95 cup ring. Do the Devils give out cup rings to their beat writers, or better yet, will you be getting some of that bling bling if they go all the way this year?
Posted by: FTC | February 20, 2008 at 11:51 PM
If we offer Rupp's suggestion box along with Rupp in a trade, will that net Sundin?
Posted by: Dimer | February 20, 2008 at 11:55 PM
The Devils' radio and TV announcers are team employees and that's why they get rings. I do not work for the team.
Posted by: TG | February 20, 2008 at 11:57 PM
TG,
whats your sense regarding trade deadline players that lou might target, especially after talking with lou today? And how about any updates from gm meeting in florida?
Posted by: jss | February 21, 2008 at 12:01 AM
Used gum wrappers, huh? I wonder what kind. That's tame in comparison with what I was thinking.
Terrible that Brodeur wasn't voted at least the second or third star. I guess no-look saves are just par for the course with the best goalie in the NHL in net.
Posted by: jules | February 21, 2008 at 12:09 AM
Have you heard of any trade rumours TG? Keep us posted, thanks!
Posted by: John C. | February 21, 2008 at 12:24 AM
And congrats to Pando on his 200th point!
Posted by: jules | February 21, 2008 at 12:26 AM
TG I laughed so hard reading about what the players put in Rupp's box, please try and get your hands on the comments and post them on the website, we're mostly adults here.
Posted by: Pat D'Amico | February 21, 2008 at 01:30 AM
The Devils' gum of choice (and that of most NHL teams) is Double Bubble. It has great flavor initially, but fades pretty quickly.
Posted by: TG | February 21, 2008 at 01:38 AM
Almost everything about the trade deadline and the GM meetings that Lou Lamoriello said today is now posted above. It took me longer than I thought it would to go through all of it.
Posted by: TG | February 21, 2008 at 01:39 AM
I tuned in half way through the second, and I saw White was scratched for this game, but what happened with Clarkson? I didn't hear anything about him, and it didn't look like he played?
Posted by: e-max | February 21, 2008 at 09:08 AM
Hmm gum wrappers, I'd give dollars to donuts its Gionta. He seems to be always chewing on something.
Posted by: MoonDragn | February 21, 2008 at 09:21 AM
That was hilarious when Sutter made the joke about not having to take his mother out to dinner. The last thing I expected was for that press conference to end with the whole room in laughter.
Posted by: Mark Krulish | February 21, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Clarkson played. He was on the fourth line with Rupp and Asham. They played about 8:30 each. They weren't going to get on the ice much in a one-goal game late.
Posted by: TG | February 21, 2008 at 10:30 AM
TG,
Thanks for great work on the Lou interview.
We all enjoyed his cogent comments.
Big 'psyche' game coming up Sat. afternoon for the Devils.
Interesting to hear the Brylin interview on WFAN after last night's game when asked about the importance of the next game (Isles) and he didn't even know who the Devils were playing next!
That is some focus and it must permeate throughout this team.
Work hard today and not worry about tomorrow.
Posted by: Prokat | February 21, 2008 at 11:17 AM
It's nice to be winning and keeping things light in the clubhouse and press conference.
Posted by: JJ | February 21, 2008 at 11:23 AM
Did anyone who has Cablevision in Hudson county not get the game? It was on the overflow channel (14) but that silly TV guide channel recorded for 3 hours last night...
Posted by: Arteg | February 21, 2008 at 12:26 PM
TG, do you know if the Sharks announcers are team employees? For a change of pace, I watched this game on the Sharks' channel last night since neither the Devils or Sharks channels were in HD and the Sharks announcers are much more honest in their assessment of the game and various players on both teams. I didn't know that Doc and Chico were team employees, I guess that's why they never say anything bad about anyone. Is this standard in the NHL, it seems to me it would be a lot better system to have the announcers work for the TV channel, then they could give more honest opinions.
Posted by: Mike in Idaho | February 21, 2008 at 12:37 PM
on center ice they played the sharks broadcast. i noticed the same thing about their announcers. they were pretty good, but i think in the first period they kept calling #29 and 27 both johnny oduya.
Posted by: bob | February 21, 2008 at 01:04 PM
I believe all announcers are team employees.
Posted by: TG | February 21, 2008 at 01:25 PM
A clarification on what I wrote earlier. The Devils' radio announcers are team employees. Their TV announcers are employed by MSG/FSNY, but the Devils have to approve them.
Posted by: TG | February 21, 2008 at 05:22 PM
Thanks for the info TG! Now I wonder if Doc & Chico are just really nice people who hate to say anything bad about anyone and that's just who they are or if they are afraid of the Devils getting mad at them if they said anything bad. My money is on really nice people.
Posted by: Mike in Idaho | February 21, 2008 at 07:01 PM
TG, Do you know anything about what happened to the ref who took a hard fall on the ice just before the start of the 2nd period? I was there, but I didn't record the game last night, so I dont know if anyone mentioned it on the broadcast.
Posted by: Ben M. | February 21, 2008 at 07:42 PM