Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur have crossed swords many times during their respective National League hockey careers, most notably in the 2001 Stanley Cup Final, and while they now occupy important positions off the ice, their rivalry has continued this season with all might have been resumed.
The New York Islanders' hiring of Roy as head coach last month obviously brought “Casseau” back into Bettman's circles, but more importantly, it brought him significantly closer to Brodeur, the New Jersey Devils' vice president of hockey operations. It should be noted that the two renowned former goalkeepers now work in the Metropolitan Section and the New York region.
• Also read: Blue Jackets fire general manager
• Also read: A game between the Red Wings and the Blue Jackets at the Ohio State Buckeyes stadium?
Who will be the best in the race for the playoffs? The racing promises to be intense until the end of the regular calendar. In ninth place in the Eastern Conference, the Devils are two points behind the Detroit Red Wings, who hold the last pass. They are also one point ahead of the Islanders. Both clubs still have 30 games left to play and continue to hope to achieve their goals.
“I feel a lot more comfortable than I did three weeks ago when we were running everywhere,” Brodeur told NHL.com, clearly encouraged by the team's two wins on Monday and Tuesday. It's a matter of life or death. If we don't get consecutive wins it will become increasingly difficult to qualify. We still have a long way to go in the rankings.”
But regardless of the outcome of the fight, which ends in mid-April, the experience gained by the core of the club will remain valuable in the long term.
“We want to make the playoffs, there’s no doubt about that. Still, these games we play on the track matter to our youth. “The more you accumulate each year, the more they will get used to developing in an environment like this,” said the former No. 30.
An instructor who calms you down
Since the start of the campaign, operations at the organization's infirmary have been running at a hellish pace. Luckily for them, driver Lindy Ruff managed to keep the boat afloat despite the temporary absence of key members such as Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Nico Hischier and Dougie Hamilton, with the latter still absent.
“Lindy had a complicated hand, especially with this year's expectations and last season's results. […] “He did a good job adjusting certain player goals and our style of play,” Brodeur explained. We are very happy with Lindy because everything is so important to him. He places high demands on the players and I think people don't see that enough. He’s a father figure and a good guy, but he has a clear idea of what the team needs.”
The Devils had a meeting with the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday in Newark.