Nearly half the Devils wins have come by shutout [Archive]

Unthinkable

01-01-2004, 10:03 AM

http://tinylink.com/?VMvEwLIKrY

2003 was a Devil of a year
Thursday, January 1, 2004

By TOM GULITTI
STAFF WRITER

But in the NHL, the only thing that matters is winning the Stanley Cup, which the Devils did for the third time in nine years.

"For me, hockey-wise, really all I can remember is championships," Stevens said Wednesday. "I can't remember anything else about if we had a great year here or there or I had a special year. All I remember is 1995, 2000, and 2003. Like they always say, everybody remembers the winner."

The Devils open 2004 today in Washington holding second place in the Atlantic Division with a 19-6-8-1 record and 47 points. They trail Philadelphia by four points, but have two games in hand.

Other than losing three times to the Islanders over a 12-game span in which no other team could beat them (7-2-2-1), there was little about the way the Devils closed out 2003 that indicated they won't have more success in 2004.

"We're playing some good hockey," Brodeur said. "Definitely losing three games in a row to the same team was kind of tough. Hopefully, we'll be able to adjust a little better than that. But having nine shutouts as a team so far, we have to be excited about that. We have 19 wins and nine of them were shutouts."
.
.
.

Unthinkable

01-01-2004, 10:04 AM

.
.
.
Before moving on to 2004, here's a quick look at some of the Devils' other significant happenings of 2003.

DANO'S FAREWELL: The Devils' 3-0 victory over Anaheim in Game 7 on June 9 turned out to be Daneyko's final NHL game. Daneyko, who was drafted in the Devils' first draft in 1982, was a healthy scratch for the first six games of the Finals, but head coach Pat Burns decided to put him back in the lineup for an emotional lift. Daneyko knew it was his last game, but didn't make his retirement official until a news conference July 11. He played in a club-record 1,283 regular-season games, all with the Devils, and won three Stanley Cups.

GREAT SCOTT: Stevens played in his 1,616th NHL game Nov. 26 in Anaheim to pass former Washington teammate Larry Murphy and become the league's all-time leader in games played among defensemen. With 1,641 games now under his belt, Stevens trails only Gordie Howe (1,767), Mark Messier (1,715), and Ron Francis (1,688) on the NHL's all-time games played list.

MARTY'S PARTY: Brodeur became the first goalie in NHL history to post four 40-win seasons with a 6-0 victory over the Islanders on March 30. He capped 2002-03 by being awarded his first Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender. He led the NHL with 41 wins and nine shutouts.

GAME OF THE YEAR: Everything appeared to be going against the Devils when they returned to Ottawa for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals May 23. A 3-1 series lead had vanished, the team bus broke down, and the trainers were in a car accident on the way to the arena. Joe Nieuwendyk was able to play only two shifts because of a torn oblique muscle. Still, the Devils found a way, with Jeff Friesen scoring with only 2:14 left to give them a 3-2 victory.

TRADITION CONTINUES: After saying goodbye to Daneyko, the Devils welcomed their next generation of defensemen when rookies Paul Martin and David Hale made the team in their first NHL training camp. The Devils also signed three-time Cup winner Igor Larionov, the NHL's oldest player at 43, to help fill the void created by Nieuwendyk's departure.


	HFBoards > NHL Eastern Conference > Atlantic Division > New Jersey Devils > Nearly half the Devils wins have come by shutout PDA Nearly half the Devils wins have come by shutout Unthinkable 01-01-2004, 10:03 AM http://tinylink.com/?VMvEwLIKrY 2003 was a Devil of a year Thursday, January 1, 2004 By TOM GULITTI STAFF WRITER But in the NHL, the only thing that matters is winning the Stanley Cup, which the Devils did for the third time in nine years. "For me, hockey-wise, really all I can remember is championships," Stevens said Wednesday. "I can't remember anything else about if we had a great year here or there or I had a special year. All I remember is 1995, 2000, and 2003. Like they always say, everybody remembers the winner." The Devils open 2004 today in Washington holding second place in the Atlantic Division with a 19-6-8-1 record and 47 points. They trail Philadelphia by four points, but have two games in hand. Other than losing three times to the Islanders over a 12-game span in which no other team could beat them (7-2-2-1), there was little about the way the Devils closed out 2003 that indicated they won't have more success in 2004. "We're playing some good hockey," Brodeur said. "Definitely losing three games in a row to the same team was kind of tough. Hopefully, we'll be able to adjust a little better than that. But having nine shutouts as a team so far, we have to be excited about that. We have 19 wins and nine of them were shutouts." . . . Unthinkable 01-01-2004, 10:04 AM . . . Before moving on to 2004, here's a quick look at some of the Devils' other significant happenings of 2003. DANO'S FAREWELL: The Devils' 3-0 victory over Anaheim in Game 7 on June 9 turned out to be Daneyko's final NHL game. Daneyko, who was drafted in the Devils' first draft in 1982, was a healthy scratch for the first six games of the Finals, but head coach Pat Burns decided to put him back in the lineup for an emotional lift. Daneyko knew it was his last game, but didn't make his retirement official until a news conference July 11. He played in a club-record 1,283 regular-season games, all with the Devils, and won three Stanley Cups. GREAT SCOTT: Stevens played in his 1,616th NHL game Nov. 26 in Anaheim to pass former Washington teammate Larry Murphy and become the league's all-time leader in games played among defensemen. With 1,641 games now under his belt, Stevens trails only Gordie Howe (1,767), Mark Messier (1,715), and Ron Francis (1,688) on the NHL's all-time games played list. MARTY'S PARTY: Brodeur became the first goalie in NHL history to post four 40-win seasons with a 6-0 victory over the Islanders on March 30. He capped 2002-03 by being awarded his first Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender. He led the NHL with 41 wins and nine shutouts. GAME OF THE YEAR: Everything appeared to be going against the Devils when they returned to Ottawa for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals May 23. A 3-1 series lead had vanished, the team bus broke down, and the trainers were in a car accident on the way to the arena. Joe Nieuwendyk was able to play only two shifts because of a torn oblique muscle. Still, the Devils found a way, with Jeff Friesen scoring with only 2:14 left to give them a 3-2 victory. TRADITION CONTINUES: After saying goodbye to Daneyko, the Devils welcomed their next generation of defensemen when rookies Paul Martin and David Hale made the team in their first NHL training camp. The Devils also signed three-time Cup winner Igor Larionov, the NHL's oldest player at 43, to help fill the void created by Nieuwendyk's departure.