Fri 7 Sep 2007
After what feels like years - but was actually only six weeks or so - we have news! Things of which to discuss! Devils-related and all! Huzzah!
It seems like every other team in the NHL has made a big to-do over their new jerseys. Some have been good, most have been bad, and a few have been downright destructive to the retinas of hockey fans everywhere. But it’s safe to say that we have a pretty good bead on just about everyone’s new duds. That is, of course, except one - well, two if you count the Avalanche, but I don’t.
So where is the new New Jersey jersey? (I’ve been dying to say that for months) According to the grand poobah Louie Lams, we aren’t seeing it ’til the boys step on the ice for the first pre-season game, September 17th against the Flyers in Trenton. No press conference, no glitzy unveiling at the arena or a local mall (though how New Jersey would that have been?), no weird John From Cincinnati-esque photos of Colin White on the beach in his pretty new jersey like a certain Islander (link opens in new window).
This really shoud come as no shock, seeing as The Rock is not complete so there is no real logical gathering point of a fan-rally type event (and seeing as how this IS the Devils we’re talking about here). So I guess we wait just a little longer, though it’s unlikely much will change visually with the jerseys. As Lou said: “Our jersey will still be our jersey.”
That’s my Lou!
Lou must have been feeling rather frisky of late, as the usually tight-lipped chief also stated to Mr. Tom Gulitti that it’s still “an open subject” on whether or not unrestricted free agents Jim Dowd and Eric Rasmussen would return this season.
I know it’s been said before, but I don’t see how either fit into the Devils circa ‘07-’08 at this point. Give Rass a shot at training camp and see if he surprises (presuming no one picks up on him sooner), and offer Jimmy Dowd a cushy PR job with the team. There’s no reason Mr. Dowd should be on the ice for the Devils this year but there’s also no reason he should be anywhere else.
I expect to see Jimmy hand-delivering Devils jerseys to lucky lower-level fans during the first TV time-out at The Rock come late October and beyond.
September 7th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
Hey Guys and Gal,
I really hope you’re going to do some pre-season write-ups or something to get this season going. It’s been too long without talking Devils hockey. When does training camp open? What does Zach Parise eat for breakfast? I need info!!
September 7th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
Dave –
Things have been slow the past few weeks, but we’re gearing up for another great season at 2MA. Don’t you worry, we’ll be back in full force before ya know it!
/end cheesy rally cry
September 8th, 2007 at 6:41 am
Is there anything on a new goal song??
September 8th, 2007 at 7:55 am
We don’t need Rass OR Dowd, we have plenty of guys to replace them (Viukhola, Rupp, Clarson, Pelley, Janssen, Marshall). Most of the those guys (except Janssen) can provide more offense the ER or JD. Time for the Devils to move on
September 8th, 2007 at 8:30 am
Jimmy who? Eric who? Oh those guys that used to play for us. Yeah, they had good runs when they were here, but they’re expandable. I liked Jimmy Dowd, played well on the pk. Eric didn’t do a lot.
We only got about 30 more days until the season opens. That’s nothing. We’ve waited this long. Another month is easy.
September 8th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
Looking forward to that November game where my boys can disappoint the Prudential Center home crowd. May the games begin…
I hear Gomez and his family were told to stay home that night?
tdr
September 11th, 2007 at 5:30 am
No Dowd or Ras for us this year.
Bergen Record:
Jim Dowd will be playing close to home again this season, but the Brick native won’t be back with the Devils.
The 38-year-old center said Monday that he has agreed to go to training camp with the Philadelphia Flyers as an unrestricted free agent tryout.
“I’m fired up,” he said. “I’ve been talking to the Flyers all summer. It’s pretty much the same thing [as playing for the Devils]. They practice in Voorhees.”
Dowd said he also had conversations with the Islanders and Nashville this summer. The Flyers do not have the salary cap room to sign Dowd to a contract right now, so he will be attending camp as a tryout.
Dowd was in a similar situation a year ago when the Devils had no salary cap room, but brought him in as a tryout while he recovered from off-season shoulder surgery and he didn’t officially sign with the team until Nov. 2.
He was drafted 149th overall by the Devils in 1987 and played three seasons in New Jersey before being traded in 1995.
The Devils, who open training camp Friday, were unwilling to offer Dowd a contract or guarantee him a roster spot after signing Arron Asham on Aug. 7 and also wanting to leave room for rookies Rod Pelley and David Clarkson to make the team.
“If Jimmy wanted to come to camp, he could have, but I could not make any guarantees,” Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said.
Lamoriello said he also gave unrestricted free agent center Erik Rasmussen the option of coming to training camp without a contract or guaranteed roster spot. It appears Rasmussen won’t be taking him up on that offer, though.
September 11th, 2007 at 7:35 am
according to this morning’s Star-Ledger, Jersey Jim is off to Philly, they’ve invited him to training camp. Lou stated that he wouldn’t offer an invite nor a contract to either Dowd or Rasmussen, as he wants the young guys (Pelley,Clarkson) to get a chance to make the team
September 16th, 2007 at 7:39 am
What ever happened to Rassmussen anyway? He like disappeared or whatever… I think the “new uniforms” are merely the same ol’ devils uniform only with an NHL patch in the neck area… –;
but we’ll see on Monday (1st pre-season game) to know for sure.
Feel better Jamie!
September 22nd, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Congrats Josh on winning this week’s Blog Of The Week…keep up the great work.