NHL Trades

As a native of the Tri-State Area, I follow all local sports teams. It's the hardest market to follow, because there are nine teams across four leagues to keep track of, but the natural rivalries are the best part of it. Devils-Rangers, Devils-Islanders, Rangers-Islanders, Nets-Knicks, Mets-Yankees, Giants-Jets. And while I'm a Devils-Mets-Nets-Giants fan, there are plenty of Knicks-Mets-Jets-Rangers fans, or Islanders-Yankees-Giants-Knicks fans. In short, very few people agree on all their favorite teams. What I want to discuss today is my second favorite rivalry: the Devils-Rangers rivalry.

I first became fully aware of the NHL in 1994, the year of the Rangers, one year before the year of the downfall of the Devils. Echoes of "Matteau, Matteau!" still ring in my ears when I watch Rangers-Devils games, and I take satisfaction in the fact that the Rangers haven't lived up to the example of the Devils since then (in 1996 they both blew).

One of the things I like best about the Devils is the hard-working attitude that the entire organization preaches. Lou Lamoriello has always been about drafting the best young players in the game, developing them into top prospects, and keeping some while trading others for Proven Veterans. He has always--always--been a proponent of the Team uber alles approach, sending players who will not play under such a system to the far reaches of Alberta and British Colombia. Lou built his system over time, and it produced teams that were (are) worth rooting for.

The Rangers, on the other hand, have always been about style over substance. Messier. Gretzky. Messier again. Once-great players who had Lost It by the time they arrived on Broadway, but hey, they put asses in the seats at MSG, right?! The Rangers have never built from the ground up, but instead seem to be in constant Panic Mode, attempting (and usually failing) to prevent the collapse of the delicate balance that would destroy their world. Blockbuster trades and high-priced free agents are the way they do it across the Hudson.

No series of events emphasizes these differences more than the two biggest trades at the NHL deadline. The Rangers, with their eternal Win Now philosophy, take on a Huge Name, a Proven Goal Scorer who doesn't understand the concept of defense in Pavel Bure. Sure enough, he scored a goal in his debut last night, but the Rangers still lost 3-1.

The Devils chose a different route (surprise!). Jason Arnott was sent away for an older, more consistent version of himself in Joe Nieuwendyk to jump-start the Devils flagging (read: sucky) offense, and Randy McKay was replaced with a younger, less physical version of himself in Jamie Langenbrunner. Above all, the Devils roster just became a lot harder to spell properly.

Jason Arnott proved himself in New Jersey after an undisciplined but high-ceiling start to his career in Edmonton. He won the Stanley Cup for the Devils in 2000, and I'll never forget him lifting the Cup at the party at the Meadowlands, but he was frightfully inconsistent. I wish him luck in Dallas, because he could be great some day.

I have much stronger feelings for Randy McKay. You gotta give to get, but McKay was a guy like Ken Daneyko or Scott Stevens, who I would have expected to retire a Devil. My favorite nickname for him was always "Rocket," and he had no fear on the ice. He'd hurt you with a goal or he'd hurt you in a fight, and that will always be a characteristic of the Devils I know: grittiness. We'll miss you, 21.

Once again, the die is cast. Lou Lamoriello has made his move, and the ball is in the court of the players. Joe Nieuwendyk needs to spark Petr Sykora and Patrik Elias to greatness. The regular season's almost over; the Devils just have to make it to the playoffs.

Because in the playoffs, anything can happen.

March 20, 2002 - 09:30 AM

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