Optional morning skate again

The Devils are holiding only an an optional morning skate again today at Bell Centre.

There's a slightly bigger group of players than Thursday in Philadelphia. Bobby Holik, Brian Rolston, David Clarkson, Mike Rupp, Sheldon Brookbank and goaltender Kevin Weekes are participating.

Devils coach Brent Sutter and assistants John Maclean and Tommy Albelin are out there, too.

Holik will make his return tonight after missing 18 games with a broken right pinky.

Goaltender Scott Clemmensen is expected to start his fifth game in a row tonight against the Canadiens.

Colin White is here too, but is not skating.

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I should have word soon on whether right wing Barry Tallackson cleared waivers. The deadline is at noon.

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Here's some more information on Martin Brodeur's streak against the Canadiens, which will come to an end tonight because he is out with a torn left biceps tendon. As we discussed Friday, Brodeur last missed a game against the Candadiens on Feb. 1, 1997 in Montreal, when Jacques Lemaire thought Brodeur was tired from being out late the night before and started Mike Dunham instead in a game that ended in 4-4 tie.

Since then, Brodeur has started 41 consecutive Devils' games against the Canadiens, including 21 straight at Bell Centre. He went 27-10-4 in those 41 games.

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They have electric-powered Zambonis at Bell Centre. These are first I've seen. Most, including the ones at Prudential Center, run on gasoline. One day earlier this season I was them carrying in the two-gallon gasoline cans they used to fill up the Zambonis. There's no gas tank on site (there was one at the Meadowlands), so they have to go to a gas station and fill up a bunch of cans and bring them back to The Rock to fill up the Zambonis.

The Devils should get these electric-powered Zambonis. They're kind of cool. They have a fake plug on the front of them that's pretty big. they must be fake. If they were real, they would need a pretty big outlet.

Comments

[Scott E]

Are they really Zamboni brand, or is it some other manufacturer of ice-resurfacing machine? I've seen them before, but it had a name other than Zamboni on the front (I forget what it was).

For anyone who wants to see them without heading all the way up to Montreal, you can find them in use in the ice arena at Princeton University. Might as well take in a game, too, while you're there.

(A bunch of arena workers in their white jumpsuits lining up at the local Gulf station [do they still sponsor the Devils?] with red gas cans in tow to fill up the Zambonis. That must be a sight to see!)