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Patrik Elias’ # 26 raised to the rafters |
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By Gilles Moncour
Over sixteen thousand squeezed into a sold-out Prudential center Saturday night to watch the Devils play a key Metro division match against the New York Islanders, with new acquisition Michael Grabner debuting for New Jersey as they tried to halt a two-game home losing streak. But really, the night was all about Patrik Elias, as the Czech became the first forward in Devils history to have his number retired.
A consummate pro and the thinking man’s hockey player, Elias was not always the Devils best player, but was consistently the squad’s most creative influence in a 20-year career, leading the team in scoring a total of eight times between the years of 1999 and 2013. Elias had a big chance to see how green the grass was on the other side of the Hudson as a free agent in 2006, courted by Glen Sather after chafing against the iron fist of Uncle Lou for a decade… but in the end, “Patty” cemented his place in club history by staying with the Devils another ten seasons to become only the second player in the salary-cap era (with Nicklas Lidstrom) to play his entire career with one team while scoring 1000 points.
As for the ceremony itself, it was not quite as polished and well-produced as previous efforts for luminaries Daneyko, Stevens, Niedermayer, and Brodeur — it was a bit lengthy at nearly 90 minutes and featured a few too many speakers saying the same thing. That said, it was perhaps the most emotional of all the Devil’s banner-raising ceremonies, and when Patty’s voice broke as he addressed his parents in Czech, there was nary a dry eye in the house.
In the end, it was a magnificent celebration of a player who had overcome adversity many times: held back in the late 1990’s by the Devil’s cautious approach under Lemaire, shackled under the constrained style of Pat Burns in the early 2000’s, losing half a season and some physicality after contracting Hepatitis B during the 2005 lockout, stripped of the captaincy by the joyless autocrat Brent Sutter in 2007 and, finally, having his denouement cut sort by a knee injury that led to his retirement.
Through it all, he was the conduit by which the Devil’s offense flowed, combining with the likes of Sykora, Arnott, Gomez, Gionta, Parise and Kovalchuk. He became a role model and the voice of the offense on a team that was built from the goalie and defense out. From his start under the Lemaire trap to his peak under Larry Robinson’s (sadly missing the ceremony through illness) flowing teams, through to his final game playing with Pavel Zacha, Elias gave his all for his teammates, the organization, and the fans.
As the multitudes chanted as his speech concluded, “Thank you Patty.”
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As for the game itself, as frequently happens in these situations, the home team came out flat after the extended and emotional ceremonies. Yes, Jersey had a respectable eleven shots on goal, but nothing really looked all that dangerous and Halak just had to play his angles right to keep the score 0-0.
The second period started and the break did not seem to help the Devils’ cohesion: the rushes looked as disjointed as they had all season and the line adjustments made by Coach Hynes to incorporate Grabner had the team totally lacking in cohesion. Elias had implored the current team to find their own identity during his remarks, but unless that identity involved throwing passes into skates or aimlessly off the boards, it was not to be found on this night. When Eberly knocked home a tap in for the Islanders four minutes into the second period, Hynes started tinkering with the lines to find something that could lead to sustained pressure. The Hall-Hischier-Bratt line had a good run in mid-season, but the expiration date has surely been hit for a trio of players with too-similar styles and something different is needed.
Palmieri, who had looked much better while firing seven shots on goal in Thursday’s loss to the Wild, was reunited with Hall as Coach Hynes made a logical switch back to the lines that had worked fairly well for the past two weeks. Against the Isles, the New Jersey native’s passion and industry was finally rewarded as he snapped a wrister past Halak and then deflected a Vatanen point shot into the net five minutes later. Palmieri and Hall may not be the best players to pair together, but it appears to be the best option for now and the Devils hope that Palmieri’s goals can boost his confidence for the stretch drive.
The Devils are in a good position in the standings, but got only two points on a three-game home stand. This week sees New Jersey on a three game road trip to first face the streaking Penguins, then two of the teams trying to catch them: Florida and Carolina. With number one goalie Corey Schneider hopeful to return during the trip, the Devils will be counting on least a couple more points in the bank when they face the Vegas Golden Nights for the first time at home next Sunday.
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