Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 2.35

www.afootinthecrease.com

When I proclaimed the Devils would beat the Senators in their second round playoff match up on last week’s program, I made sure I added the caveat that in a series like this, it is virtually impossible for us to predict without being swayed by the bias against the Senators that sits in the head of every Leaf fan, just as that very same bias against the Leafs is prevalent for Sens fans. For us to predict and expect success from the Senators, it would mean going against everything that seems normal to us. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love for a Canadian team to finally get their hands but on the Stanley Cup but not if it’s Ottawa. Because Ottawa fans would never cheer for the Leafs in a similar situation, I can’t bring myself to root on the Sens.

The fact is though; the team that went up against the Senators in the second round was not the same Devils team of old, in fact far from it. In the past, New Jersey derived their success from air tight defense anchored by the likes of Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko. For Martin Brodeur, playing goal behind these fellows is a lot different than playing goal behind the current Devils defense, a group that is clearly a shadow of its former self. Brodeur himself, is a few years older than the last time he held a Stanley Cup, surely not quite as quick as he once was. Throw in a few young forwards who needed to find out the difference between regular season and playoff hockey and you certainly don’t have the same playoff savvy bunch that won three Cups between 1995 and 2003.

You could say this season; New Jersey was a team in transition, a rebuilding year if you will. But they went to the second round you say? Well that’s how great franchises rebuild. Adapt and change their game but never become totally uncompetitive. Always a tough team to beat in the post season, Ottawa certainly got the Devils when they were ripe for the picking. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.