Ten years ago today, the game that saw Adam Henrique score the overtime winner to eliminate the New York Rangers is most likely the greatest game ever to be played at the Rock.
During the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Devils got by the Florida Panthers in the first round and then beat the Philadelphia Flyers to march to the Eastern Conference Finals to face their bitter rivals across the Hudson River.
This series had all the hype and drama. Martin Brodeur just turned 40 years old and this was his last legitimate chance to get four Stanley Cup rings. The line brawl at Madison Square Garden which featured heavyweights from both teams duking it out while coaches Peter DeBoer and John Tortorella jawed at each other in disgust. Neither team was going to give an inch as the series became a see-saw battle.
But, when the Devils won Game 5 and took the series lead 3-2, Rangers fans were quick to bring back memories of the lucky Messier guarantee and that the series was far from over. It was the dark cloud hanging over every Devils fan’s head. Yet somehow on that morning of May 25th, as a Devils fan, you knew the game would be memorable no matter what the outcome.
The arena was electric and Devils fans returned the favor by taunting Henrik Lundqvist loudly, especially during TV stoppages. It was relentless and in unison throughout the entire night. The Devils built a 2-0 lead after the tic-tac-toe goal from Ilya Kovalchuk but, the Rangers were able to remain composed and tied up the game in the second period. The game was deadlocked in the third period and headed into overtime.
Van Halen’s “Right Now” played at the start of overtime and there was nervous excitement building from both fan bases. But, when Alexei Ponikarovsky threw the puck on net, there was a desperate scramble by both teams. Adam Henrique put the puck into the net, the crowd exploded into excitement. Doc Emrick’s call “Henrique! It’s over!” will forever live and be part of Devils history.
Come On Devils Social Media!
It is the ten year anniversary of Henrique goal. No mentions on their social media accounts as of today 1:45pm ET? Are they asleep at the wheel?
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Sam Woo is co-host and executive producer of the Let's Go Devils Podcast which can be heard live every Sunday at 9pm ET and Wednesday at 8:30pm ET.
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