Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunnger confirmed after tonight's devastating 4-3 Game 7 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes that he had arthroscopic surgery on April 18 to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
He was skating six days later and back in the lineup eight days later. He scored a goal tonight, but was on the ice when the Hurricanes scored the tying goal with 1:20 left.
Of his knee, Langenbrunner said, "It felt relatively good, considering."
The rest of him was hurting pretty bad, though, after the game.
"It's shocking to be honest with you," Langenbrunner said. "It hasn't really sunk in. I can't believe it just the way it ended like that. We did so many good things for almost the entire game and to not finish was tough."
Devils left wing Jay Pandolfo was a member of the 2001 team that lost to Colorado in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, but said this defeat topped that.
"This has got to be the worst," Pandolfo said. "We had the game won. It's a Game 7. It's going to hurt for a long time. I'll tell you that."
Stunned Devils coach Brent Sutter agreed.
"Right now, there is nothing to say," Sutter said. "I think everyone is pretty disappointed. It's as tough a loss as you can possibly have. It's unexplainable."
I'll have more later after I'm done writing for the newspaper.
;valksdjfsad;kjaklsdj;fksdjfaklsdfjamscd/,jfgrbgtjnwefa gahhhhh
Posted by: WTF | April 28, 2009 at 11:09 PM
Just got back from the game - DUMP WHITE. It is enough already with him being constantly out of position !!!
Posted by: devils95 | April 28, 2009 at 11:09 PM
See you guys in September. Enjoy your summer.
Posted by: TG is the one they call Dr. Feelgood [Salvatore from Garfield] | April 28, 2009 at 11:10 PM
omg that is obsurd
Posted by: RG9 | April 28, 2009 at 11:11 PM
gutsy guy not sure if he is a great captain but a heck of a player thanks jamie bye john madden , nik havelid, holik, shanny, mottau and if we can dump white if you want a slow defenseman sign me.... i can do what white does for 1/100 th of his salary
Posted by: dan from western ny | April 28, 2009 at 11:11 PM
agreed that he goes for the out of position hit way too often, but dont dump him hes the man!
Posted by: Andrew | April 28, 2009 at 11:11 PM
can someone please take the Stall family for a boat ride this summer and sink the freaking ship?
Posted by: Scratch28 | April 28, 2009 at 11:12 PM
Tell Sutter to go back to coaching Junior if he is just gonna go belly up in the playoffs and go against everything he has been preaching all year (hard forechecking/aggressive play) to start matching lines all game agsin. b
Posted by: dannyd | April 28, 2009 at 11:12 PM
Colin White needs to go. He should have cleared about 15 pucks tonight.
Posted by: GG | April 28, 2009 at 11:13 PM
Weirdest timing for a post ever.
I'm sorry, I'm bitter right now. Things are not too good in Hoboken, friends. The shocking power of tonight's game radiates through every bone in my body.
I still love hockey, and I'll watch every series until someone wins the cup, but you really do have to cherish those cups we win. That's the hardest goddamn trophy to win in all of sports and man does it sting when you lose.
Can't leave it up to one game, this is what can happen. I kept saying after game 4, just be glad that wasn't game 7--and it actually happened, something almost as bad.
Thanks to TG for the unflinching coverage, I'll see you all during the summer, Let's go Mets.
Posted by: Jeff in Hoboken | April 28, 2009 at 11:13 PM
build the D first this off season and work wit the offense but mainly the D....AND RESIGN CLEMMENSON!!!!!! split the games between marty and clemmy
Posted by: SS | April 28, 2009 at 11:15 PM
This was probably the worst way this game could have possibly ended. Marty looked great at moments but he let in some soft goals, he was not exceptional. The last 3 minutes we horrible, by the whole team. Why, oh why can't they ever play a full game??
I am still in denial, I cannot believe this is the end...
Posted by: Scratch28 | April 28, 2009 at 11:15 PM
it might be time to fire sutter, he is a good coach but he obviously is not getting through to this team.
Posted by: Jim B | April 28, 2009 at 11:17 PM
I meant Staal family...too upset to spell
Posted by: Scratch28 | April 28, 2009 at 11:17 PM
I hate the Hurricanes, I hate them as much as the freaking Rags, I want them to get crushed by the Bruins, would have been sweeter if we had done it, but since that didn't happen Boston must do it. Please Bruins, make these a-holes curl into the fetal position and cry!
Posted by: Scratch28 | April 28, 2009 at 11:19 PM
thanks tom good to hear the guys thoughts
this really is shocking and heart breaking
Posted by: rob | April 28, 2009 at 11:20 PM
yeah it hasn't really sunk in with me either. but also, you have to look at game 6 closely. They basically didn't show up for a playoff game. They had moments like that all year when they didn't show up to play. Throughout the year they were constantly not playing sixty minutes of hockey. Honestly, i really don't know what to think about sutter.
Posted by: lets go devils! | April 28, 2009 at 11:20 PM
yeah we're all pissed, players, fans and random people...but at least we still got a banner and won the Atlantic...I think this all goes back to that article TG wrote where Langenbrunner said "Anything short of a cup this year will be disappointing" (paraphrasing much) but after that we just fell, and fell hard...
Posted by: SS | April 28, 2009 at 11:20 PM
I heard Rolston after the game, saying that he takes his hat off to the Canes, and I know he had a goal tonight, but I wish he would pack up his overpaid bags and go join them. The guy made just as many bad moves as usual tonight, and I'm not turning a blind eye on it just because he finally got one puck in the net...Go away Rolston, you're just taking up cap space...
Posted by: Scratch28 | April 28, 2009 at 11:24 PM
Fire Lou. Fire Brent. Burn the Rock down. This is a travesty. Gut the team. Send Rolston to the minors. One slapper doesn't justify $5M. Bye bye Madden. Demote Pando. See ya Shanny. Brodeur better take up Tim Thomas' yoga instructor. This blows. F the world.
Posted by: Pat | April 28, 2009 at 11:26 PM
Can't do anything with White, but I say keep Shannahan, Zajac, Gionta. I'd like to keep Clemmer but you know he deserves better. Maybe with Montreal.
Posted by: Matt | April 28, 2009 at 11:26 PM
Time on Ice:
Jay Pandolfo- 17:43
Patrik Elias- 14:27
Sutter really? please explain!!!!
Posted by: rob | April 28, 2009 at 11:27 PM
Oh yeah, screw Oduya, let Martin walk if he won't resign for less $ next year. Resign Greene for $600k and sign someone who will clear the friggin net and punish someone who comes near it.
Posted by: Pat | April 28, 2009 at 11:27 PM
Well, we should have a decent amount of cap space to work with come July 1st
Posted by: Mike O. | April 28, 2009 at 11:28 PM
With the experience on this team, this should not have happened. It was embarrassing to be a Devils fan tonight. I have honestly never said that, but tonight was really embarrassing.
White, Havelid, Mottau, Holik are all must goes. It is time to consider a new coach. The upbeat system worked, but the players did not execute it and Sutter has not been able to get through to them.
Posted by: This game has made me listen to EMO music | April 28, 2009 at 11:29 PM