Devils and Lamoriello should be kicked from the league

[TedZep]

Has a more boring hockey team ever existed?

Icing, icing, grabbing, clutching, icing.

It's only 4 minutes in, but cheezus.

[Samifan]

I wonder how many of those "Devils Fans" are attending their first game ever? I am used to seeing 5,000 people pack the rock, lots of bandwagoners tonight.

[TedZep]

I'm glad the Kings gave those first time fans a nice introduction to playoff Hockey.

The game did get better, I guess I'll put it down to jitters.

[radoran]

Please. If you want to complain about a team, fine. But you cannot argue with RESULTS.

I would argue that the "penalty" on the Kovalchuk contract is a joke and that's where to look at Lamoriello and the League.

Not that they will EVER do anything, but there was a RULED violation of INTENT to circumvent the CBA and the penalty was... they get to give up a #1 draft pick when they go to the Cup Finals.

We;ll played, NHL. By which I mean "you got played."

[terp]

Has a more boring hockey team ever existed?

Icing, icing, grabbing, clutching, icing.

It's only 4 minutes in, but cheezus.

I did notice the Devils defenseman more than any others getting away with holding up the forechecker.

[Flyersfan71]

I wonder how many of those "Devils Fans" are attending their first game ever? I am used to seeing 5,000 people pack the rock, lots of bandwagoners tonight.

Totally agree ive been working in Newark the last month and i have seen a total of 1 devils jersey and 2 Devils car decals. Complete fraudulent fan base that celebrates Stanley Cup

parades in their parking lot.

[Dynamo 47]

Totally agree ive been working in Newark the last month and i have seen a total of 1 devils jersey and 2 Devils car decals. Complete fraudulent fan base that celebrates Stanley Cup

parades in their parking lot.

I am honestly shocked they have lasted as long as they have. Their fan base support has been historically low and if you watch any of their regular season games on TV it looks like the stands are only about 40% full. This in a new state of the art area in scenic Newark that was supposed to bring them out in droves.

I cannot stand the team although I do have to respect their success as an organization but I still laugh that their "Stanley Cup Parade" was around a stadium in a swamp.

I just hope they are sold and moved to a place where the fans will appreciate the team and support them during the regular season and not just the playoffs.

[BobDailey]

coming out from hiding for this

they dont deserve to exist they are 177 million in the hole and having issues with being able to meet an $80,000,000 payment due soon. the league loaned them $10,000,000 to make payroll this season

The same thing for the Yotes, 2 teams the league are keeping afloat that are not financially viable

Yes fans, the money you pay for your teams stuff goes to keep the loser franchises afloat

If they had a parade in Newark you would have to wear surgical gloves and carry an automatic weapon to attend

[Phillygrump]

Isn't it funny how teams that were once popular struggle on the verge of bankruptcy only to go to the SCF the next season?

Its such a coincidence how that works.

[radoran]

coming out from hiding for this

they dont deserve to exist they are 177 million in the hole and having issues with being able to meet an $80,000,000 payment due soon. the league loaned them $10,000,000 to make payroll this season

The same thing for the Yotes, 2 teams the league are keeping afloat that are not financially viable

Yes fans, the money you pay for your teams stuff goes to keep the loser franchises afloat

If they had a parade in Newark you would have to wear surgical gloves and carry an automatic weapon to attend

Interesting that the "loser" franchises were half of the Final Four and one is playing for it's fourth Stanley Cup...

[Green Man]

The thing that bugs me is the New Jersey label when they play outside NYC and have a pretty exculsive North Jersey fan base. Every other team that plays in that area calls themselves New York, so should the the Devils, IMO. I grew up in south jersey 20 mins from Philly and when I went to college in North Jersey people would actually give me grief for being a Flyer fan because I was "from NJ". Didn't matter that they played 2 hours from my house, were never on tv and the Spectrum was 20 minutes from where I grew up. I lived up there for seven years and never really liked it.

Most Devils fans I know are ok, but a lot are certainly a bit of a spoiled fan base who all "hate the Flyers". Not sure why they all hate us so much, seems they have won every important series against the Flyers and 3 Stanley Cups in the past 10 years or so. Flyers are called "dirty" when it seems I remember their premier defensemen nearly killing Lindros, who was never the same after the hit, when he did not need to lay him out as bad as he did.

Not our fault we have to show up and help them sell out their building when the Flyers play up there, but I guess that is reason enough to hate another fan base as they all hate us. They're just a really spoiled fan base who would be completely non-existent if they never employed the worst hockey strategy/scheme ever invented (trap),Brodeur and the cups they brought them.

[mojo1917]

I did notice the Devils defenseman more than any others getting away with holding up the forechecker.

i wanted to not see that particular play over and over, but i have in each devils game i've watched. rather than turning to chase the puck the defender hits the forechecker... okay, and then either A wrestles him to the boards... or B greco romans the forechecker to the ice. i think that's called interference. i think, and i see the devils defense make that play 6 times a game.

i've also noticed that dianus zubris cannot make a check while staying on his skates and never ever receives contact from which he isn't gravely injured for a minute then miraculously recovers when there is no whistle.

now i remember why i hated that team so much.

[terp]

i wanted to not see that particular play over and over

Non calls on holding up the forechecker are integral to the Devils' success: even if you execute well enough to get out of your end and through the neutral zone, you are out of luck because you are going to get tackled before you can get in on the forecheck. The NHL needs to think about whether it really wants the Devils to win another Cup playing this "crime against hockey" style.

[Bakanekimiwa]

Totally agree ive been working in Newark the last month and i have seen a total of 1 devils jersey and 2 Devils car decals. Complete fraudulent fan base that celebrates Stanley Cup

parades in their parking lot.

fraudulent fanbase!? come on! my cousin is a Debbie's fan and he had to interrupt his soccer game a few times the other night!

[Vanflyer]

I did notice the Devils defenseman more than any others getting away with holding up the forechecker.

But that impedence has been creeping back into the game for a long time and as the SC playoffs have progressed, it has been let go more and more, for the most part.

[doom88]

But that impedence has been creeping back into the game for a long time and as the SC playoffs have progressed, it has been let go more and more, for the most part.

It's a big part of why Philly looked so slow.

[Polaris922]

But that impedence has been creeping back into the game for a long time and as the SC playoffs have progressed, it has been let go more and more, for the most part.

It's once again dragging a great fast paced game into the sludge. And correct its not just the Devils getting away with it. I do think the officials allow less talented rosters more leeway with it though...

[Vanflyer]

It's a big part of why Philly looked so slow.

While I agree somewhat, I also think the Devils are very well coached in coverage. I was watching yesterday (and gamen one) and they RARELY blow their coverage asignments AND they are not the mud in mollasses slow team I thought they were in catching game 7 against Florida.

[Vanflyer]

It's once again dragging a great fast paced game into the sludge. And correct its not just the Devils getting away with it. I do think the officials allow less talented rosters more leeway with it though...

The bummer is that if you are a casual fan that tuned into the first round of the playoffs (which I thought was one of the most entertaining rounds in quite a while across the board) and then tuned into the quaters, semis and now finals, You are lost and scratching your head trying to understand the game.

In some regards, I jokingly think that the NHL has a game day memo that is put on the refs white board prior to the game: today we are going to call these three things. The three things rotates game to game.

Remember post lockout, teams wanted to be built like the Sabres pre lock out. Smallish but lightning quick. The whole reason for removing the two line pass was to open it up and let the speedsters go unimpeded. Now it coming right back in. Its more blatant on the defensive side, but still occurs with the forwards in the neutral zone as well.

I don't mind the nature of the beast in competition, but if you are going to promote a sport and try to escalate it, try and figure out the style that you are going to promote and stay consistent with it.

I hate to say it, but its almost as if all the publicity with the concussions has removed the focus of the interference (hooking, holding, rub outs without the puck stuff) that was a mandate call 4 years ago.

[Polaris922]

The bummer is that if you are a casual fan that tuned into the first round of the playoffs (which I thought was one of the most entertaining rounds in quite a while across the board) and then tuned into the quaters, semis and now finals, You are lost and scratching your head trying to understand the game.

In some regards, I jokingly think that the NHL has a game day memo that is put on the refs white board prior to the game: today we are going to call these three things. The three things rotates game to game.

Remember post lockout, teams wanted to be built like the Sabres pre lock out. Smallish but lightning quick. The whole reason for removing the two line pass was to open it up and let the speedsters go unimpeded. Now it coming right back in. Its more blatant on the defensive side, but still occurs with the forwards in the neutral zone as well.

I don't mind the nature of the beast in competition, but if you are going to promote a sport and try to escalate it, try and figure out the style that you are going to promote and stay consistent with it.

I hate to say it, but its almost as if all the publicity with the concussions has removed the focus of the interference (hooking, holding, rub outs without the puck stuff) that was a mandate call 4 years ago.

A prime example is the dump & chase. For awhile there any attempt by a defenseman to slow the chasing forward after he dumps the puck was deemed interference. Now you'd be hard pressed to find one where there is no impeding by the defenseman.

[Dynamo 47]

I thought this was interesting. It kind of reinforces a theory that I have long had for the NHL and that is the league does better when the higher market teams are successful and in the hunt.

This year, the finals have been equally electrifying (both Games 1 and 2 were decided in overtime), but the series between the Devils and the Los Angeles Kings does not involve big-name clubs from places with deep hockey traditions. Not surprisingly, television ratings in the United States are down, as is interest among hockey fans in general. Unless the Devils can mount a comeback, these finals may be the least watched in the past five years.

While Games 1 and 2 drew good ratings in New York and Los Angeles, according to figures provided by NBC, across the rest of the United States, overnight ratings for Game 1 were off 25 percent from last year’s Boston-Vancouver opener, and Game 2 was down 12 percent from last year.

[OH1FlyersFan]

Icing, icing, grabbing, clutching, icing.

Careful now, that could be us! Hahaha.

[TedZep]

I noticed the Devils' rampant obstruction big time in Game 3. Not a whole lot, and any call would be considered ticky-tack. But the aggregate is one whole bunch of snooze. I'm glad the Kings punished them for it, despite the officials handing the Devils a whopping power play advantage for the game.

[Spinorama]

Has a more boring hockey team ever existed?

Icing, icing, grabbing, clutching, icing.

It's only 4 minutes in, but cheezus.

I liked that one season where the refs were trying to get the league to get used to no more clutching and grabbing and called everything under the sun that was even remotely close to a clutch or grab.

NO, I didn't like the parade to the penalty box. I did like that they called everything and were consistent about making a rule and actually calling it every time it happened.

I'm not really sure why they've allowed clutching and grabbing to creep back into the game though. Nothing made me happier then when they announced they were abolishing it.

Can't speak to what happened in the game which you refer though, I refuse to watch these games.

[Vanflyer]

I thought this was interesting. It kind of reinforces a theory that I have long had for the NHL and that is the league does better when the higher market teams are successful and in the hunt.

This year, the finals have been equally electrifying (both Games 1 and 2 were decided in overtime), but the series between the Devils and the Los Angeles Kings does not involve big-name clubs from places with deep hockey traditions. Not surprisingly, television ratings in the United States are down, as is interest among hockey fans in general. Unless the Devils can mount a comeback, these finals may be the least watched in the past five years.

While Games 1 and 2 drew good ratings in New York and Los Angeles, according to figures provided by NBC, across the rest of the United States, overnight ratings for Game 1 were off 25 percent from last year’s Boston-Vancouver opener, and Game 2 was down 12 percent from last year.

I just think it is a regional thing. Even allot of Philly fans have checked out of the finals. Say what you want, but the Devils have LONG been associated with bland / boring hockey. Even with their style changing somewhat, the stigma sticks. With LA, nobody in the NE region US / Eastern region Canada really knows much about them (aside from glimpses of Doughty, Kopitar, Brown, Richards and Quick). This again aligns to very little identity. People will not tune in, even if they are a strong hockey fan, if there is not something there for them to identify with and interest them.