Argo Online

By Ben Stolz

After a near encounter with the worst ever start to a season since the dawning of the Brodeur era, the Devils have established themselves as an NHL powerhouse yet again.

Haunted by a string of injuries early on, the boys from Jersey saw defensive duo Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya join forwards Patrik Elias, Rob Niedermayer, Jay Pandolfo, and most recently Dainus Zubrus on the IR. Phone calls to Lowell were starting to become routine for Devils’ GM Lou Lamoriello, whose son Christopher is stationed there as the general manager of the minor league affiliate.

But from the ashes of the Devils’ physical troubles has arisen an exciting new crop of talented prospects that has managed to keep its team high atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Big Mark Fraser, two-way speed demon Tyler Eckford, and first-round draft pick Matt Corrente are reminiscent of the Devil’s holy trinity of Ken Daneyko, Scott Niedermayer, and Scott Stevens, respectively. These three promising rookies aren’t afraid to pull the trigger in the offensive zone, with each having at least a shot on goal in their NHL debuts. Each of these young blueliners continues to vie for a spot on the powerplay unit as well as valuable ice time on the PK.

Swedish winger Nicklas Bergfors, too, has already established himself as a fan-favorite among members of the Devils’ Legion this season, scoring 14 points in his first 18 games. Former Lowell teammate Matt Halischuk looks to replicate Bergfors’ offensive success, as he will surely continue to log plenty of quality ice time.

Springfield Falcons alumnus Tim Sestito, gritty enforcer Pierre-Luc Letourneau Leblond, former Albany River Rat Ilkka Pikkarainen, and Russian lefty Vladimir Zharkov have also contributed to the Devil’s strong bounce-back from their 0-2 start.

The incredible chemistry between budding youngsters and seasoned veterans that has blossomed so quickly can be attributed to one man, a phenomenal leader and familiar face among Devils fans. Coach Jacques Lemaire’s style, often criticized as an extremely conservative yet effective approach to the game of ice hockey, left most NHL fans wanting to rip their eyeballs out in the mid-1990s, when his Devils dominated the league. The “neutral zone trap,” Lemaire’s defense-first system, helped them win low-scoring games at an incredibly consistent rate. After capturing several Atlantic Division titles and a Stanley Cup, the award-winning coach left the Devils in 1998 for the Minnesota Wild, becoming the new franchise’s first head coach.

The “boring” hockey that Lemaire brought to New Jersey is almost unheard of in this day and age. The post-lockout NHL is all about speed and finesse; dump-and-chase hockey has been replaced with non-stop dangling and shooting from end-to-end. Some fans even believe that the NHL approved certain rule changes following the cancellation of the 2004-2005 season in order to eradicate the success of so-called “Devils hockey”. Most prominent was the addition of the trapezoid, a designated area behind the net in which the goaltender may not handle the puck. The red quadrilateral that would soon become familiar to hockey fans was viewed as a way to handicap Martin Brodeur’s outstanding talent for utilizing his goal-stick outside of the crease. Even to this day the decorated netminder continues to defend his reasoning behind the implementation of the trapezoid, which has been dubbed “The Brodeur Rule” by hockey analysts and sports journalists around the globe.

But Martin Brodeur, undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever lace ’em up, continues to dazzle in net year in and year out. Contrary to popular belief, it was after the gradual decay of the Lemaire-led Devils dynasty that Brodeur solidified his place in hockey history, capturing back-to-back Vezina trophies in 2007 and 2008 and setting numerous records along the way.

It’s no wonder that Jacques Lemaire was so excited to re-claim his position behind the New Jersey bench for the 2009-2010 season; his defensive style that defined the Devils’ success during the organization’s hayday might finally make a strong comeback with the help of Brodeur, the league’s best goaltender, between the pipes.

After the Philidelphia Flyers silenced the Prudential Center on opening night, defeating New Jersey in a one-sided 5-2 game, Jacques Lemaire left the Devils bench with his head down. The Devils played horrendously; they failed to convert on an early five-on-three man advantage and allowed four goals before Brian Rolston finally put his team on the board with only ten minutes left on the clock. The legendary coach had every right to be upset with his squad.

Even after suffering a second consecutive loss to the New York Rangers, Lemaire insisted that the trap stay in Jersey despite its obvious failure so far. Assistant coaches Scott Stevens and Tommy Albelin, former Devils themselves, both agreed that defensive hockey was best for a team that was still recovering from the loss of some of its marquee forwards to trades and free agency.

Still, Lemaire knew that he needed to re-engineer his system and adapt it to today’s NHL. He noticed that the Devils’ main dilemma was rooted in the lack of quality shots on goal per game, especially during man advantages. Top pointman Brian Rolston, whose blistering slapshot is feared among even the toughest of goaltenders, was being tightly covered by opposing penalty killers; the return of Patrik Elias to the lineup and the outstanding passing skills of Dainus Zubrus has allowed Rolston to position himself closer to the net and put the biscuit top shelf.

The coaching staff also broke up the “ZZ Pops” line, which consisted of standout forwards Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, and Jamie Langenbrunner. Despite the fact that the trio was the team’s go-to scoring line last season, Lemaire wanted to disperse individual talent more evenly between the team’s top scoring lines, which he still juggles from game to game, mixing and matching players of all shapes and sizes.

The New Jersey Devils have become the NHL’s top team once again, silently winning nine straight games on the road and thirteen of fifteen in the first quarter of their season. They have the lowest GAA (goals against average) of any team in the National Hockey League through twenty-four games, and they continue to grow stronger even as their list of injured players grows longer.

It’s as if Lemaire has picked up right where he left off, building a storied franchise on his incredible knowledge of good old-fashioned hockey and unparalleled work ethic. It’s no wonder that players and staff have joined excited Devils fans in giving a big “Welcome back, Jacques!” to the man who’s back in the Garden State for good.