Between saying goodbye to Doc Emrick, to Zach Parise's new contract, to Dave Barr coming on board as an assistance coach, it's almost hard to believe the New Jersey Devils were in the news as much as they were in just a week's span. Quite the Lou Lamoriello antithesis.
If you're a fan of this team, you have to be delighted Parise and Co. avoided arbitration. Arbitration is just too slippery a slope to travel on -- and feelings of players often get hurt at these hearings as ownership often looks to get away with as much as possible.
So that he was given $1 million more than last year's waste of a season, Parise should be happy -- and this should bode well for upcoming contract extension negotiations. And let's be real here -- wouldn't it be great if a deal could be worked out before the season starts, let alone ends?
It's also good to see ole Dave Barr back here. He played two seasons with the team -- and was the second in the two-player award to the Devils when Detroit signed Troy Crowder back in the early '90s. The other player: Randy McKay.As for Doc's departure, I'm still very curious to see who gets the gig. Seth Everett, in my mind, is a logical choice -- and I am hoping he gets some consideration here. Here's my list of other choices -- but remember to eliminate Goldie and Randy Moller, neither of whom are coming.
Odds & Ends
-- Something tells me tickets are not going to be easy to come by this season. With more than 1,700 new season-ticket holders, and an 85-percent renewal rate, expect quite a few 17,625 box-scores.
-- It hasn't been mentioned yet, but could Doc's departure mean the same for Chico Resch? I hope not, but whomever the replacement, he or she will need to work well with Chico -- and that cannot be an easy task. (I mean that in the nicest of ways, too).
-- The big Long Island vote for the Coliseum is tomorrow. Both Lamoriello and Rangers GM Glen Sather have voiced their support of the measure. I really hope it passes -- it would be a shame to see the Islanders become Les Islanders.
-- Umpiring in Major League Baseball has reminded me: The officiating in the NHL is superb, especially in comparison to baseball and some other sports.
That's all for now -- until next time!
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