How quickly the tide has turned

Oh how I love sports.

 

Here we are, a little under two months into the NHL season, and already there are tales of our New Jersey Devils that are polar opposites.

 

The first portion, we'd all rather forget. And yet, during that very time, we heard about how it was time to fire Peter DeBoer and make sweeping changes. We were all lamenting over how when the Devils finished with the league's worst record, we'd likely have to forfeit the no. 1 draft pick in 2014. Jeez, some even called for Lou Lamoriello to be canned.

 

Now, just a few weeks later, here were are -- sitting in playoff position were the season to end today -- and it's radically different from what we experienced in October.

 

And perhaps the most remarkable part of it all -- much of the team's recent successes can be attributed to two pretty old men -- Jaromir Jagr and Marty Brodeur.

 

So now the question remains -- and I am not sure the answer just yet -- which is the real team? October or November?

 

Is this team the one every pundit predicted to finish in the bottom of the league? Or, is this the team that surprises and shuts them all up by making the playoffs, and perhaps going on some kind of unexpectedly special run like 2012?

 

I so want it to be the latter. But I am not ready to crown them the surprise of the Metropolitan Division just yet.

 

But as someone who was really ready to just write off this as a lost season, I am certainly more than pleased by what we've seen the last few weeks. But forgive me if I am not sold JUSYT yet.

 

Tell ya what though -- I was worried our team would be playing a very meaningless game in the Bronx come January. For now, at least, looks like I was dead wrong.