Julien: "We don't need to finish first. We hope to."

Finally!!! :clap:

Claude Julien admitted he wants the titles he's insisted they weren't chasing. "If we don't have any intention of doing that, what's the point of playing this game?" "We don't need to finish first. We hope to."

Extremely important quote that sets the tone & theme for the stretch run towards the playoffs. Julien knows & now publicly admits the importance of home ice & getting the last line change. I would have prefered a player to step up and say this, as there was a very ambiguous quote recently from a certain player downplaying the importance of this subject.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/03112007/sports/devils/sabre__rattle_devils_mark_everson.htm

Man Muttley you are reaching...your tirade against Elias's quote was hilarious because most people here actually agree with him. Would you rather the team play like crap going into the playoffs and finish first? Or would you rather see them play well going into the playoffs and finish second.

I prefer the latter, it's what we did in 2000. (oops I'm sorry I forgot that our memories were supposed to be wiped of everything before the lockout, sorry!)

Man Muttley you are reaching...your tirade against Elias's quote was hilarious because most people here actually agree with him. Would you rather the team play like crap going into the playoffs and finish first? Or would you rather see them play well going into the playoffs and finish second.

I prefer the latter, it's what we did in 2000. (oops I'm sorry I forgot that our memories were supposed to be wiped of everything before the lockout, sorry!)

Very true..it's just not that big of a deal..Elias was exactly right in his comments..

Very true..it's just not that big of a deal..Elias was exactly right in his comments..
Plus the quotes following a loss and following a big win are going to be completely different.

I think Julien means that if the Devils win the conference, great. If they don't, well, oh well. They won't lose sleep over it or go into the playoffs feeling like they didn't accomplish something they were trying hard to do.

It's the right attitude and consistent with Elias' comments.

I hope we finish first too, there's no harm in hoping. But as Julien says, we don't need to finish first. What we need to do is get our game in gear so that we're playing the best hockey we can when the playoffs come.

I hope we finish first too, there's no harm in hoping.

And it probably will happen too. :handclap:

They have gained ground, even though Marty has been making uncharacteristc mistakes & playing below average over his last handful of games, yet has closed the door when necesssary. (stopping all 3 Pens shooters in the SO for example)
Brodeur continues to show why he is the Hart MVP, and it helps that Crosby has fallen off the radar scope over the last 2-3 weeks and the Pens are learning how to win as a unit despite him. Can't say this about the Devils & Brodeur.:sarcasm:

In my honest opinion, I'd rather not take first in the conference. It's not very often the top team actually makes it to the finals. Look at Buffalo last year, they came in and just annihilated Ottawa in 5 games. They were all 1 goal games, but still. To me theres a comfort in not being the top team because it's added incentive. The underdog always puts up a better fight than the team that thinks they deserve to be there regardless and didn't need the last game to decide they're in.

Surely it could be argued both ways, and home ice is important but odds are we're not going to win the Presidents trophy, and the likelihood that if we finish 2nd we end up playing the 1 seed in the finals is really not that high. So we could easily ride the 2nd seed to the conference finals and let Buffalo get upset in the first round (which it looks like they might if they can't get healthy.)

Bottom line is, if we finish first we're going to have to play either Toronto, NY, or Carolina. Toronto has some added incentive to beat us now, and that will carry over for seasons, not just this one, beating NY isn't out of the question but something I think is better to avoid until a later round this time because we get "hangovers" from those games, and Carolina mostly has our number during the playoffs. I think we could beat all of those teams, but I think those are still tough series' to have for the first round.

Right now we'd play the Islanders...and I'm pretty content with that matchup because the rivalry isn't the same as the rest, and we've had their number all year long. To me it's less about the seed and more about whats the best road to the Finals.

I want the Devils to win the next 30 games.

Right now we'd play the Islanders...and I'm pretty content with that matchup because the rivalry isn't the same as the rest, and we've had their number all year long. To me it's less about the seed and more about whats the best road to the Finals.

After the 02' playoffs when I hoped we'd get the Canes and we did (and then lost), I no longer look to the possible match-ups. We play who we play, and the best team should win 4 games.

Yeah but did we shutout Carolina 3 out of our 5 wins over them?

In my honest opinion, I'd rather not take first in the conference. It's not very often the top team actually makes it to the finals. Look at Buffalo last year, they came in and just annihilated Ottawa in 5 games. They were all 1 goal games, but still. To me theres a comfort in not being the top team because it's added incentive. The underdog always puts up a better fight than the team that thinks they deserve to be there regardless and didn't need the last game to decide they're in.

Surely it could be argued both ways, and home ice is important but odds are we're not going to win the Presidents trophy, and the likelihood that if we finish 2nd we end up playing the 1 seed in the finals is really not that high. So we could easily ride the 2nd seed to the conference finals and let Buffalo get upset in the first round (which it looks like they might if they can't get healthy.)

Bottom line is, if we finish first we're going to have to play either Toronto, NY, or Carolina. Toronto has some added incentive to beat us now, and that will carry over for seasons, not just this one, beating NY isn't out of the question but something I think is better to avoid until a later round this time because we get "hangovers" from those games, and Carolina mostly has our number during the playoffs. I think we could beat all of those teams, but I think those are still tough series' to have for the first round.

Right now we'd play the Islanders...and I'm pretty content with that matchup because the rivalry isn't the same as the rest, and we've had their number all year long. To me it's less about the seed and more about whats the best road to the Finals.

Or if we do finish #1 in the Conference, and the NYR stay where they are now, I'd like our odds against them than any of the other 6 playoff teams we could potentially face, especially Carolina or Atlanta.

Despite our dominating the NYI, I think they will be loose and and have nothing to lose. We already beat the NYR last year and got the playoff monkey off of our back with them last season, so the pressure will be on them-much different than it was for us in 1992, 1994 1997 & even last season. Even with that monumental collapse against them in November when the scored 3 goals in 90 seconds against Brodeur and went 3-0 against us, we still recovered from that and smothered them for the remainder of the season series.

There's really nothing more that I'd like better in this world is to meet them in the 1st round again and pick them apart & smother them like last year. That would be the next best thing you can get to winning a Stanley Cup. Imagine, keeping Lundqvist winless and 0-8 in his playoff career & the NYR team not winning a playoff game for exactly 10 years.

Is that asking for too much? Perhaps, as they might get 1 win or 2.

Man, If we swept them again, that franchise would come apart at the seams and I will be there to watch the ship sink and smile as it goes down.

I don't care who we play.

Yeah but did we shutout Carolina 3 out of our 5 wins over them?

Please, no Carolina! Not the RBC Center in the month of April, especially in OT. I can't stand the thought of those two bothers in those iditoic Dumb & Dumber neon day-glo tuxedos and top hats celebrating many an OT win against us!

I don't care who we play.

Q-F-T <--- why doesn't this show up when normally typed?

While this team may stumble sometimes, they can tangle with any team and win.

We are probably one of the most feared teams in the league when it comes to playoffs. Hell... we shouldn't be worried about who we play... everyone else should be worried about playing us.

Or if we do finish #1 in the Conference, and the NYR stay where they are now, I'd like our odds against them than any of the other 6 playoff teams we could potentially face, especially Carolina or Atlanta.

Despite our dominating the NYI, I think they will be loose and and have nothing to lose. We already beat the NYR last year and got the playoff monkey off of our back with them last season, so the pressure will be on them-much different than it was for us in 1992, 1994 1997 & even last season. Even with that monumental collapse against them in November when the scored 3 goals in 90 seconds against Brodeur and went 3-0 against us, we still recovered from that and smothered them for the remainder of the season series.

There's really nothing more that I'd like better in this world is to meet them in the 1st round again and pick them apart & smother them like last year. That would be the next best thing you can get to winning a Stanley Cup. Imagine, keeping Lundqvist winless and 0-8 in his playoff career & the NYR team not winning a playoff game for exactly 10 years.

Is that asking for too much? Perhaps, as they might get 1 win or 2.

Man, If we swept them again, that franchise would come apart at the seams and I will be there to watch the ship sink and smile as it goes down.

I definitely see what you're saying but I don't agree. Why wouldn't NY play with reckless abandon or "loose" as you put it they have the same problem the Islanders do except worse? I think they will learn from last year with all the mistakes they made, and contrary to how we cleaned up against them we still won all relatively close games.

Like I said, as well, when we play NY with these big emotional games the team just seems to be flat for the next game or so, which between that and the time off I think really worked to our disadvantage last season against Carolina.

It's just what I think, that doesn't make it right but the playoffs are very long, and having a highly emotional and physical series like that against the Rangers right off the bat just doesn't prove well for longevity. At least with the Islanders there isn't an abundance of animosity between the two teams and the fan-bases and what not. It's there but not quite on that level, which to me makes them the more preferable NY team.

I think this years playoffs are going to be great though, theres a lot of good teams out there.

Q-F-T <--- why doesn't this show up when normally typed?

While this team may stumble sometimes, they can tangle with any team and win.

We are probably one of the most feared teams in the league when it comes to playoffs. Hell... we shouldn't be worried about who we play... everyone else should be worried about playing us.

I'd like to have the same confidence, but don't forget 1998. Anything can happen.

I'd like to have the same confidence, but don't forget 1998. Anything can happen.
Indeed.

I'd like to have the same confidence, but don't forget 1998. Anything can happen.

And 1999...

yeah I forgot about losing to Pittsburgh

yeah I forgot about losing to Pittsburgh

We ran into Jagr at Houlihan's in Secaucus the night before he destroyed us in Game 7 of that series. He was sitting at a booth with 2 blondes. He would always remember us from all the years that we would seek out players near those hotels & restaurants in order to sign our trading cards, back when they were all the rage in the early 1990's. He would talk to you for like 10 or 15 minutes and especially love to read about himself when you point out that there was a blurb written about him in SI about himself. From what I hear, players are less approachable then they were 15 years ago. But it's a different world now.

We ran into Jagr at Houlihan's in Secaucus the night before he destroyed us in Game 7 of that series. He was sitting at a booth with 2 blondes. He would always remember us from all the years that we would seek out players near those hotels & restaurants in order to sign our trading cards, back when they were all the rage in the early 1990's. He would talk to you for like 10 or 15 minutes and especially love to read about himself when you point out that there was a blurb written about him in SI about himself. From what I hear, players are less approachable then they were 15 years ago. But it's a different world now.



My cousins husband used to the the head chef at that Houlihans.. He said he met so many pro athletes and some used to invite him to go out with them later.. He mentioned that hockey players were always the nicest and most polite . A bunch of the Devils players went there all the time in the 90's..He said Daneyko and whoever went with him would always get the same table and chat with everyone... Also pointed out that Tiger Woods was the biggest ass and didn't even tip a penny

We suck when we're first in the playoffs. I'm all for 2nd place.

My cousins husband used to the the head chef at that Houlihans.. He said he met so many pro athletes and some used to invite him to go out with them later.. He mentioned that hockey players were always the nicest and most polite . A bunch of the Devils players went there all the time in the 90's..He said Daneyko and whoever went with him would always get the same table and chat with everyone... Also pointed out that Tiger Woods was the biggest ass and didn't even tip a penny

Yeah, they'd be players all over the place: At the 2 movie theatres, Bazooka's, (I got to see Randy McKay & Dave Barr there when they where still playing for the Wings) that pool hall, what was then a Red Robin Inn which I think now is the Cheeseburger in Paradise., etc. They would also walk out of the hotel and take cabs to the racetrack. We were never turned down for autographs by anyobdy on at least 12 NHL teams. (except for Tom Barrasso & Kevin Stevens who IMJO were the meanest of all the NHL players I've seen) If it was a weekend and their was Nets & Devils game on the same day, you'd get to see the visiting NBA teams as well.

But now with cellphones, laptops & the internet and many other distractions, most players stay in their rooms for feer of stalkers, crime, robbery etc.