Nasreddine Elated to See Son Alec Win State Title | BLOG

Josiane Nasreddine, the wife of Devils assistant coach Alain, celebrated her birthday last Monday, March 7. On the same day, their son Alec and his Gov. Livingston teammates were playing in the school's first-ever high school hockey state championship at Prudential Center.
"All she asked for her birthday was a win, a goal and an assist," Alain said. "She got it all."
Indeed, she did, as Alec, a freshman, recorded a goal and assist in a 2-0 win to claim the Public C state title for the Highlanders against Morris Knolls/Hills.
"We had a nice dinner as a family for her birthday and a nice big win," Nasreddine said. "And just like any 15-year-old, he went on to party with the juniors and the seniors. Whatever that means."

Nasreddine had a different vantage point of the ice from what he's used to, taking in the game from the stands alongside his wife, whom he noted is much more vocal than himself, and his fellow Devils coaches, including head coach Lindy Ruff.
"You get excited for him," Ruff said. "You see the kid after the game and the excitement after the game about winning a championship. That's what you play for. You go through high school and play with the same guys, and then to win, it's almost like winning the Stanley Cup for high school."
Alec assisted on his team's opening goal and then sealed the victory by scoring an empty-net goal. Of course, his dad had to give him a little jab for fun.
"Big goal? It was an empty-netter," Nasreddine laughed. "I busted his chops."
"I'm just a proud dad," he continued. "I wasn't too familiar with high school hockey but it's a big deal in this area and in the States. To see him get to the championship game and have an impact, his team won and in our arena too, it was nice being in this building to watch a hockey game with your son especially. It was cool."
Alain said he and his son are two different players. While he was a physical defenseman that played in over 700-career American Hockey League games, his son is "way more talented than his dad. Better skills."
Though, the coach in him is always looking for ways to improve: "He's got to learn to move his feet a little bit more. He got caught watching a lot late in the season. He could be a little more physical. We're quite a bit opposite."
Though Alain admitted that he doesn't get nervous watching his kids play - "I have enough anxiety and nervousness with my own job" - but as the 1-0 game waned into the final minutes things did get intense.
"I did start to get nervous at the end," he admitted. "It was 1-0 and they were getting chances, especially the last 30 seconds there was scrum around the net."
But then Alec scored his goal, and everything worked out.
"Then he got the empty-netter and the celly, I was happy for him," Alain said. "It was a cool experience."