By Mike Corasaniti
If you haven't heard the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs come up in conversation yet, be sure that you will if the Devils win tonight in Newark.
The Devils are aiming to becoming the second team in history and the first team since the Leafs to come back from a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Finals. But of course, there a few things in their way of doing that.
For starters, there's Game 5.
With a 3-1 win at the Staples Center a few nights ago, the normal feeling for Devils fans would be a small sense of relief now that the series is returning home. The normal opponent also wouldn't be undefeated on the road this postseason however. So if Parise and the boys can break the King's ridiculous road streak, we'll see a Game 6 later this week. But if Jonathan Quick can lead his team to the first championship in franchise history, it would mean much more than just the end to this 2011-2012 season. Let's take a look:
The Kings would have accomplished something that the team couldn't do without the best player in hockey history. But more importantly, they would have accomplished something that the team did do with Gretzky and has been doing these past weeks: make hockey matter in LA.
Not that the Kings don't draw good support, but it's been awhile since Los Angeles has had anything non-Laker related (or non-Galaxy related) to celebrate in a while. And seriously, who would have thought that with the Lakers, Clippers, and Kings all in the playoffs, that the team on ice would be champion?
But more importantly, it could be a sign that hockey could matter a lot more in the city for a while to come. Who would have thought a team that finished five point ahead of Calgary for eighth place in the West could accomplish that?
The Devils will have reached the end of an era. Not to say that this team is necessarily going away, especially by the up-and-coming play of Adam Henrique, but it will be a much different team with Zach Parise most likely signing a lush contract with another club after the season (probably) and Martin Brodeur retiring any year now (maybe).
As ESPN.com's Scott Burnside said, "Henrique is a typical devil." He wasn't some flashy high draft pick that grabbed the attention of everyone during the season with thrilling play. Rather, he earned his spot on the team after years of trials (he didn't even make the team out of training camp this year) and is in serious consideration for Rookie of the Year with his spectacular recent play.
If the Cup ends tonight, I imagine this Game 5 will haunt Henrique for a while...and maybe just motivate him enough to bring these Devils back to the Finals very soon.
If you haven't heard the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs come up in conversation yet, be sure that you will if the Devils win tonight in Newark.
The Devils are aiming to becoming the second team in history and the first team since the Leafs to come back from a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Finals. But of course, there a few things in their way of doing that.
For starters, there's Game 5.
With a 3-1 win at the Staples Center a few nights ago, the normal feeling for Devils fans would be a small sense of relief now that the series is returning home. The normal opponent also wouldn't be undefeated on the road this postseason however. So if Parise and the boys can break the King's ridiculous road streak, we'll see a Game 6 later this week. But if Jonathan Quick can lead his team to the first championship in franchise history, it would mean much more than just the end to this 2011-2012 season. Let's take a look:
The Kings would have accomplished something that the team couldn't do without the best player in hockey history. But more importantly, they would have accomplished something that the team did do with Gretzky and has been doing these past weeks: make hockey matter in LA.
Not that the Kings don't draw good support, but it's been awhile since Los Angeles has had anything non-Laker related (or non-Galaxy related) to celebrate in a while. And seriously, who would have thought that with the Lakers, Clippers, and Kings all in the playoffs, that the team on ice would be champion?
But more importantly, it could be a sign that hockey could matter a lot more in the city for a while to come. Who would have thought a team that finished five point ahead of Calgary for eighth place in the West could accomplish that?
The Devils will have reached the end of an era. Not to say that this team is necessarily going away, especially by the up-and-coming play of Adam Henrique, but it will be a much different team with Zach Parise most likely signing a lush contract with another club after the season (probably) and Martin Brodeur retiring any year now (maybe).
As ESPN.com's Scott Burnside said, "Henrique is a typical devil." He wasn't some flashy high draft pick that grabbed the attention of everyone during the season with thrilling play. Rather, he earned his spot on the team after years of trials (he didn't even make the team out of training camp this year) and is in serious consideration for Rookie of the Year with his spectacular recent play.
If the Cup ends tonight, I imagine this Game 5 will haunt Henrique for a while...and maybe just motivate him enough to bring these Devils back to the Finals very soon.
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