Sergei Brylin, The Quintessential Devil | Big Read

It was a typical day at the office for Sergei Brylin on Nov. 13. He met with the coaching staff in the morning at Prudential Center in preparation for the day’s team video meeting and on-ice practice session.

As usual, the coaches mapped out what they wanted to say and show in the video meeting, and which drills to run for the practice.

However, when the team began to gather in the video room, the 50-year-old assistant coach noticed that something was amiss. For one thing, the team room was more crowded than usual.

The injured Devils players – those that would not be playing in the team’s upcoming game at Winnipeg – were in attendance. It was odd for an injured player to attend a team scouting meeting when they wouldn't be playing. What’s more, a few of them were dressed in their skates and equipment, having just finished their rehab work.

Also cramming into the room was members of the team’s support staff – skills coaches, equipment staff, trainers and a few other hockey operations personnel. Another unusual sight for a standard video meeting.

And then there was that cameraman in the back. He stood in the back of the room shooting some “behind-the-scenes footage,” as Brylin understood it.

Nonetheless, the second-year NHL assistant coach shrugged it all off, standing near the side wall while head coach Lindy Ruff addressed the room.

Ruff went over video of the team’s previous game, pointing out areas where he’d like to see improvement. He also went over some footage of the Jets, showing how the Devils wanted to tactically approach the game.

Then the film session, as Brylin understood it, ended. But, indeed, it hadn’t.

“I have couple more offensive clips I want you guys to look at,” Ruff said. “I think these are awesome clips and it’ll probably help our game here.”

A grainy clip began to play of a Devils’ game from the 1990s. Brylin peered through his black-rimmed glasses to see a familiar figure on the ice.

“Brylin trying to step free. You can see him warming to the task and trying to get one here,” play-by-play announcer Doc Emrick can be heard saying. “Out in front, Brylin SCORES!!”

The room’s eyes veered to Brylin, who smirked in recognition. He saw another clip of himself scoring a goal. And another. And another.

“When Lindy started showing the clips, I thought he wanted to just make the team relax, make fun of me, stuff like that,” Brylin recalled.

But what followed was anything but a laughing matter. General manager Tom Fitzgerald stood in front of the room following the highlight reel and announced that Brylin would become just the second member of the Devils’ Ring of Honor “for his dedication, his heart and soul to this organization.”

“Sergei, 800 (games) as a player here in New Jersey, over 100 playoff games,” Fitzgerald continued. “One of five players to win three Stanley Cups here, the only three Stanley Cups that this organization has won.

“Sergei, I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

The room burst into applause. Brylin, a man of few words, cleared his throat and uttered softly: “Totally unexpected. I had no idea this was coming. Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Brylin, who was drafted by Devils in the second round (42^nd overall) of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, spent his entire 13-year NHL career with New Jersey from 1994 through 2008. He totaled 765 regular-season games, 10^th in franchise history. Brylin, Martin Brodeur, Ken Daneyko, Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens are the only players to win all three Stanley Cup titles (1995, 2000, 2003) for the franchise. He posted 129 goals, 179 assists and 308 points during his NHL tenure. He added 15 goals and 34 points in 109 playoff contests.

Following his playing career, which included four seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League, Brylin returned to the Devils organization as an assistant coach for the club’s American Hockey League affiliate Albany in 2012. After a decade of working the AHL ranks, Brylin was promoted to an assistant coach in the NHL with the Devils in 2022.

Brylin’s selfless and hard-working play epitomizes what it means to be a New Jersey Devil. And after three decades of dedication and involvement with the organization, the club will honor him with the Ring of Honor.

“I’m honored. I’m very proud,” Brylin said a month after that fateful meeting. “Such a great organization to recognize what I was able to do all these years. I was really lucky to be drafted by this great team. First as a player as a part of great teams that won Stanley Cups and had great success. After that, the organization gave me a chance to stay in hockey and started coaching. Now I’m in the NHL.”

Brylin will be officially inducted on Jan. 20 before the team hosts the Dallas Stars at Prudential Center. The former forward will join Dr. John J. McMullen, who was inducted Jan. 6, 2017, as the only two members of the club’s Ring of Honor.

Even now, Brylin can only shake his head while thinking back to that November day.

“I had no idea,” he smiled. “Thinking back, I saw all the guys come in, a few injured players had their skates on and were half dressed. All the coaches and skills guys. I was thinking, ‘why?’ Usually, you don’t see that here in the meetings. We had the TV camera. When ‘Fitzy’ started talking and made the announcement, I was surprise.

“I didn’t see that coming at all.”

Brylin paused for a moment and stared at the ground, reliving that moment in his mind. He cracked a smile and looked up with a glint in his eye.

He said: “I’m a lucky guy.”

“Before my draft in 1992 I talked to a bunch of scouts at the games. I was starting to realize there was a chance I may get drafted.”

Eleven miles northwest of Moscow sits the city of Khimki. Founded in 1939, the city was a major connecting point of the Moscow – Saint Petersburgh Railway.

Much folklore surrounds the city. Many believe that the city stood as a stronghold against Germany during World War II in the Battle of Moscow. There is a debate whether or not the Germans ever set foot inside the city.

However, what is true is the Soviet Union’s counter offensive against Germany began in December, 1941, with a front at the perimeter of the city. From Khimki, the Germans were driven back in a major turning point in the war. And some of that Khimki fighter's mentality is in the DNA of its citizenry.

After the war, Khimki played an important role in the Soviet Union’s technological sector. Khimki was the epicenter of the Soviet Union’s space program, which included aerospace systems, air defense systems, ICBMs, satellite launches and more.

In fact, the Soviet Space Program was the biggest employer of the city. It was through the space program that a young Vladimir Brylin met his future wife, Margarita.

Vladimir had a managerial and planning role in several aerospace programs while Margarita was a radio engineer at a factory making space satellites. The two settled in the city, married and had two children, first their daughter Olga. And then on Jan. 13, 1974, they welcomed their youngest, a son named Sergei.

The family was a typical middle-class family in the Soviet Union during the 1970s. They lived in an apartment, owned a car and had enough money to go on vacation during the summer.

“It wasn’t anything special,” Sergei said. “We had a good life.”

What the family also had was a passion for hockey. Vladimir played the sport growing up, though never professionally. He past that passion down to his son. Even though Sergei also played soccer during the summer, he gravitated to hockey because of his father’s influence.

“He loved hockey. That’s why I ended up going into hockey,” Sergei said. “He was probably my biggest motivator, critique and coach. All the credit goes to him.”

When Sergei turned 6 years old, his father took him to Moscow to join the Central Sports Club of the Army (CSKA) hockey program. At that time, every pro hockey club had its own hockey schools for kids. Each birth year had its own team and coach.

In 1980, a snow storm collapsed the roof at the main rink for the CSKA. While a new arena was being built, the only venue available was the club’s practice facility. So, every level of the hockey program, from youth to the pro players, had to use the same rink to practice.

And sometimes, the professional team would take ice time from the kids. Which meant that the kids couldn’t skate. But even better, it also meant they would have a chance to watch the pros practice.

“Sometimes we’d come to the rink and there would be no practice. We would stay and watch,” Brylin said. “It was pretty cool because 75 percent of that team was on the Soviet Union National Team. The hockey level was really good. Seeing the great players on the ice was really something special. It was one of my great memories from my childhood.”

Because the pro teams used the ice, the youth clubs had to squeeze in practices when the ice was available. That meant practices were held either at 7 o’clock in the morning or 9 o’clock at night. The rink, however, was 45 minutes from the Brylins’ home.

Thankfully, Sergei’s parents made sure to get him to and from practice.

“It was long nights and early mornings for everybody,” Brylin said. “I used to miss first class of school with 7 a.m. practice. In the morning my dad would take me there and then go to work because he worked in Moscow. My mom worked in our small town so she would pick me up.

“I have to credit them for the sacrifices they made so I could play.”

Brylin's work ethic was forged in the crucible of his youth. His dedication and commitment to the sport was ingrained in his early days. At 9 years old, it became his responsibility to attend practices on his own. While other kids slept in during the summer months, a young Brylin woke early in the morning, slung a hockey bag over his shoulder and hopped on a subway and then a bus to get to practice. Which garnered quite a few looks from other patrons.

“When you’re a young kid you don’t have a locker room so you have to take your equipment and stick,” Brylin said. “You start training in the middle of August. It’s still summer. You’re carrying your bag and sticks. People are looking at you, saying ‘what are you doing, you already have a stick.’”

Brylin honed his skills through the program. While growing up, he didn’t think much beyond merely playing the game. But as he matured both his skills, body and age, his attention turned to bigger and better things.

“Once you get to the point where you’re 16, 17 years old and you’re playing for the national team, you start to think, ‘I could continue to play and play at the professional level one day,’” he said.

Growing up in the Red Army program, playing at the professional level meant playing for Moscow’s pro team, HC CSKA. However, something else was coming into the consciousness of Russian-born players in the early 90s. That was the National Hockey League.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 80s, international relations between the East and West began to warm.

Russian teams started traveling to play in North America, while NHL teams began playing in Russia. That combined with international tournaments like the Canada Cup was the first real exposure many Russians had to the NHL.

“In the late 80s, there wasn’t that much information on the NHL. But they started showing games,” Brylin said. “When teams from Russia went over and played, and sometimes NHL teams came over and played, it was a major event. We’d watch it on TV.

“But nobody really thought about (realistically playing in the NHL).”

That was until the Iron Curtain fully came down. An agreement was signed between the Russian Hockey Federation and the NHL to allow players to transfer. In 1989, Viacheslav Fetisov, Igor Larionov and Alexander Mogilny left to join the NHL.

“People started to get (the) OK to leave the country and go play there,” Brylin said. “You started to follow them (and the NHL) more and more, more information coming over, more scouts.”

For the first time in his life, Brylin began to think about what life would be like playing in North America.

“Before my draft in 1992 I talked to a bunch of scouts at the games,” he remembered. “I was starting to realize there was a chance I may get drafted.”

Brylin got a taste of the North American continent at the 1992 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal. He and 20 other Russian players made the trip, organized by their agent Mark Gandler.

During his time in Montreal, Brylin interviewed with teams and even took part in some optional fitness testing and stress testing on the treadmill - the Devils were one team that asked Brylin to do the physical testing. Some prospects opted not to participate. Brylin didn’t hesitate to oblige. Still, Brylin didn’t know if he would hear his name called.

“I wasn’t sure if I would get drafted or not,” Brylin said.

Brylin did in fact hear his name called. In the second round with the 42^nd-overall pick, the New Jersey Devils selected the 18-year-old. He walked on stage to greet the team and was given a Devils jersey.

“I still have it. My mom’s got it,” Brylin smiled. “It was something special in the old Montreal Forum.”

What Brylin didn’t know at the time, is that moment would dictate the next three decades of his hockey career and life, the start of an unbreakable bond with the organization.

“In life, you never know what’s going to happen,” Brylin said, “especially in sports.”

"That was the goal that probably finished them."

Sergei Brylin had a decision to make.

Even though the Devils drafted Brylin, the Russian native never expected to make his way across the ocean.

“I never thought about coming over,” he stated. That all changed when “the New Jersey Devils offered me a contract in the summer of 1994.”

It was a surprised to Brylin. He had worked his way onto the pro team with CSKA. But at 20 years old, he was still playing a third- and fourth-line role on the team. He scored just four goals and 10 points in 39 games. He also saw some action with the touring Russian Penguins of the International Hockey League during the year.

And while Brylin was happy with his play, he was surprised to hear from his agent that the Devils wanted him to join the NHL so soon. There were a lot of risks involved. He was well established with CSKA and could foresee a long career ahead.

The NHL was a whole new world, new country, new culture, new language, new barriers. And there was the possibility that things wouldn’t turn out well. And then where would that leave Brylin?

So, Sergei sat down with his parents to have a discussion on what he should do.

“My dad said if they want you now, you have to try it,” Sergei recalled. “'If it doesn’t work out you can always come back. You never know what’s going to happen.' So, we decided to take that chance and sign the contract.”

Brylin joined the Devils for training camp, but a labor dispute forced a work stoppage for the NHL. So, at the conclusion of training camp, Brylin and many other players were sent to Albany of the American Hockey League to begin the campaign.

“It was a great experience for me. We had a great team with a lot of good players,” Brylin said. “For me, everything was new. The language barrier. New country. I look back at those days, it was probably the most fun I had playing hockey. We had a good group of guys.”

The Devils also had a good group of Russian guys. Brylin’s transition to a new world was eased by some of his fellow countrymen in Valerie Zelepukin, Alexander Semak and Viacheslav “Slava” Fetisov.

When the lockout ended, NHL regular-season play resumed in late January. However, Brylin remained in Albany. But it was only a matter of time before he would get the call up.

Lady luck also happened to be on Brylin’s side. His parents, Vladimir and Margarita, were in town visiting him in Albany in mid-February. And as fate would have it, that visit coincided with the Devils calling him up to the NHL.

Brylin and Brian Rolston, a twosome that would connect in a major way later in the season, drove to New Jersey immediately. The following day, Feb. 17, 1995, Bryin’s parents and wife, Elena, made the same drive to watch Sergei’s NHL debut against the New York Islanders.

The Devils and Islanders would tie, 2-2, while Brylin, wearing his soon-to-be recognizable jersey No. 18, recorded a shot in the game. The whirlwind events are still whirling in his mind.

“I don’t remember much of that first game,” he admitted sheepishly. “My parents came to visit us and I got called up. They were able to see my first NHL game. That was special for me and my family. I was glad to share that with them.”

Brylin would go back-and-forth between the NHL and AHL, before finally sticking late in the year. He established himself with his well-rounded and disciplined play. Brylin’s work ethic was beyond compare and he could fill any roll from grinding penalty killer to top-line winger. That versatility proved clutch during the year and in route to a championship title.

“You always knew what you were getting from ‘Sarge,’” said former teammate Ken Daneyko. “He could kill a penalty. He could go on the power play if need be. He just played the game the right way. He was just an intelligent, smart player.”

Bryiln would finish the season in the NHL with six goals and 14 points in 26 games as the Devils entered the playoffs as the No. 5 seed.

The Devils went 1-3 during the regular season against Boston. But when it mattered most, the opening round of the playoffs, New Jersey got the better of the Bruins in five games. The Devils would go on to defeat Pittsburgh, 4-1, and Philadelphia, 4-2, to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

That set the stage for a series against the juggernaut Detroit Red Wings.

It seemed a fait accompli that Detroit would claim the Stanley Cup. It won the Presidents’ Trophy with the best regular-season record. The Red Wings only lost two playoff games to get to the Final, going 12-2. They boasted a roster with names like Fedorov, Coffey, Kozlov, Lidstrom and Yzerman.

Even the international media thought the series was over before it started.

Brylin noticed a Russian TV camera crew that was covering the Cup Final. But they were mostly covering only half of the Cup Final.

“No one gave us a chance,” Brylin recalled. “A Russian TV crew came over to film and be here for the Great Detroit Russian Five that was going to win the Stanley Cup.

“Then the opposite happened. It was quite a shock to everybody. “

The shock was seismic after the Devils skated out to a 3-0 series lead following victories of 2-1, 4-2 and 5-2.

The Devils looked to clinch their first Stanley Cup title in franchise history on June 24, 1995. They carried a 3-2 lead into the third period. That’s when Brylin scored what he called “the biggest goal of my career.”

With 13 minutes remaining in the game, the Red Wings were pushing hard for the tying goal. Instead, Detroit’s hopes were crushed when Brylin scored on a spinning shot at the crease to put the Devils ahead 4-2.

“They were looking to tie it up and come back,” Brylin said. “That was the goal that probably finished them. We scored another later on and beat them 5-2.”

Brylin can still see the goal unfold in his mind. As he put it:

“It was a rush shot. The rebound went in the corner. I tried to get to the puck and I got knocked down. Brian Rolston picked the puck up and was coming up the wall. I was just trying to get back to the net-front to see if we could get a shot on and maybe get a rebound or tip the puck. He was able to find me there in front.

“I turned around and put it on net. It happened so quick I didn’t even think about what I was going to do. It was total instinct. I turned around and thought since I was going across the blue paint that I would have a chance because the goalie is not going to be able to move across with me. I picked it off of my skate, I turned around and put it into the open corner.”

Five minutes later, Brylin would add as assist on Shawn Chambers’ second goal of the game to make it a 5-2 game. In 12 playoff games during that championship run, Brylin totaled just one goal and two assists. But he saved that goal and assist for a dagger to the Red Wings’ hearts.

Brylin’s goal has become synonymous with his tenure with New Jersey. Devils fans everywhere remember that moment and will always associate Brylin with the play and the first Cup. Not too bad for the 21-year-old rookie.

“It was probably the biggest goal of my career. It’s funny it came that early,” Brylin smirked.

“We had a good team, tough team,” Brylin continued. “The best goalie in the league (Martin Brodeur). Our defense and our commitment to play with those details is what gave us a chance to compete. But it’s all about getting it done every game, finding ways to win. We were able to do it.”

In the summer of ’94, Brylin was deciding whether or not to sign a contract with the Devils and play in the NHL. In the summer of ’95, he was raising the Stanley Cup over his head with his teammates at center ice.

Looks like he made the right decision.

“That was probably one of the most memorable things in my career, being down and being able to come back and win.”

Sergei Brylin’s storybook rookie season would soon come with a bite of reality.

“It’s good and bad when you’re 21 and you win your first Stanley Cup,” he said.

The good is obvious. But the bad?

“It gives you the wrong idea and wrong perspective on hockey and life. It did to me, too.”

As smooth as Brylin’s path was to his first championship was as rocky and winding as his path was to his second.

Brylin arrived at Devils training camp in 1995 expecting another successful year and championship run. Instead, the ’95-96 season found the Russian in and out of the lineup due to various injuries as well as performance issues all season.

The woes continued the following year, and halfway through the 1996-97 season, the Devils sent Brylin back to Albany of the American Hockey League.

“I ended up back in the minors 18 months after winning the Stanley Cup,” he said humbly. “I knew I wasn’t playing great. It teaches you a lesson. You always have to be on top of your game. There are always new players coming in, younger, hungrier, trades.

“You have to stay on your toes. It’s a tough league. It’s tough to make it, but staying in the league for players like me, it’s even tougher. I had to go back to the minors and finish the year there.”

Brylin arrived at training camp in 1997 hoping to reclaim his job and his playing stature. However, an immediate setback occurred. He suffered an ACL injury. Brylin feared a season-ending surgery.

“Doctors gave me two different options. We decided to rehab and see what happens,” he said.

After a lengthy rehab process, Brylin began the season in Albany. He rebounded with one of his best career showings. He scored 21 goals and 43 points in 44 games in the AHL. The Devils, noticing his progress, recalled him to the NHL. And that’s where he remained for the rest of his playing days.

“I was able to play and got back to my level and my game (in Albany),” he said. “I got called back up again and stayed in the NHL for the rest of my career.”

Brylin’s improved play and a coaching change late in the 1999-00 season would really solidify his NHL position. On March 23, Robbie Ftorek was relieved of his duties in lieu of Larry Robinson.

“When Larry became coach, I got my spot in the lineup and played pretty much regularly,” Brylin said. “I didn’t miss many games after that other than injuries. Larry gave me that chance and believed in me.”

Brylin would reward his coach’s faith. He set then career highs with 64 games played, nine goals, 11 assists and 20 points that season. He went from a minor-league stint to having the best NHL year of his life to that point. And he did it the right way. 

"He didn’t cut corners to achieve his goal," Devils EVP, Hockey Operations, Martin Brodeur told MSGSN. "He went out and did his business every single day, whether it was on ice or off ice, during practice, during games. He was really serious about his job. That’s what makes him a good player. Being from Russia he had that attitude, chip on his shoulder, he wanted to work really hard. He was a great asset. He was a Swiss army knife. You could put him in any situation and he’ll do really well.

“He’s been a player that models what a Devil is all about."

Brylina helped the Devils finish fourth in the Eastern Conference. New Jersey finished ranked seventh in the NHL in defense that year with 2.48 goals against per game. What was surprising in the team finished second in the NHL in offense with 3.06 goals per game. Up front they were led by players like Patrik Elias, Scott Gomez, Petr Sykora, Jason Arnott and Bobby Holik.

“That 2000 (team) was probably the best team that I ever played on,” Brylin said. “We still had our defense and the goalie, Marty (Brodeur), in net. But we also had so much talent up front. We were No. 1 in the league in scoring the next year. We had probably one of the best fourth lines in the league. It was a well-balanced team.”

Brylin, for his part, played in 17 playoff games that year, notching three goals and eight points.

The Devils would make another appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. But it wasn’t an easy road. After sweeping Florida and besting Toronto, 4-2, the Devils found themselves down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Final to Philadelphia. The Devils won three consecutive games against the Flyers, including twice on the road, to take the series.

“That was probably one of the most memorable things in my career, being down and being able to come back and win,” Brylin said, “especially against a team like Philly and beating them twice in their building in (Games) 5 and 7.”

That set the stage for a Stanley Cup matchup with defending champion Dallas.

“Dallas was a great team,” Brylin said. “They were the champions the year before. A similar team to us, solid defense, good goalie, skilled up front, big, physical.”

The Devils took a 3-1 lead in the series, which included two victories in Texas. New Jersey had a chance to end the series and raise the Cup at home, just as it had in 1995. As the scoreless game went into overtime, Brylin had a chance to play another decisive role in ending a Stanley Cup series.

In a similar scenario to his clutch goal in the Devils’ 1995 Cup-winning game, Brylin had the puck on his stick at the crease and was looking to best goaltender Ed Belfour and end it all.

“I had a great chance in the first overtime to score and be a hero,” Brylin said. “Ed Belfour made a nice save on me. I’ve watched that play a couple times. I probably should have shot it a little quicker.”

It would take another two overtimes before Mike Modano’s tip-in goal at 6:21 kept Dallas alive. Being so close, but coming up short was draining for the Devils.

“Coming home and being so close to the Cup,” Brylin shook his head, “we had the three overtimes – which was the longest game I’d ever been a part of. It was so tough mentally after being so close to winning and going back to their building and playing another overtime game.”

That other overtime game would be Game 6. This time though, it only took two overtimes to decide the game. Arnott’s classic Cup-winning tally at 11:40 delivered a second Cup title to the franchise.

The Devils players jumped over the boards to mob Arnott and their other teammates. Brylin hopped the boards and lunged his airborne body into the pile.

It had been a difficult journey for Brylin. He entered the league as a baby-raced 21-year-old that won the Stanley Cup on his first try. He believed success was inevitable and easy.

But during the subsequent five years, Brylin battled adversity, injuries and doubt. Five years older, five years wiser, a 26-year-old Brylin had conquered it all again. At times he thought he may never play again in the NHL, let alone win another championship.

Brylin’s perseverance and dedication paid off. He gave it his all in those five seasons to climb from the bottom back to the top of the mountain. He had taken his first championship for granted. He would not make that mistake again.

Seeing Arnott score was the culmination of five years of sweat and effort in the gym, at the practice rink and in games. Every weight he lifted, every drill he ran at full speed, every check he threw or shot he blocked in a game. It all added up to this.

And in the blink of an eye, it was over. The game, the Stanley Cup, the five-year journey. Brylin was overcome with a sense of excitement and relief.

“I was just so happy because mentally it was so tough,” he said. “I was so happy we won and the Final was over.”

"He didn’t want to talk about it. But I felt it. He was proud."

Sergei Brylin rode the high of the 2000 Stanley Cup championship into the following two years, the best two years statistically in his career.

In 2000-01, he set career highs with 23 goals, 29 assists, 52 points and a plus-25 – it was his first and only 20-goal and 50-point season. He helped the Devils make another Stanley Cup Final, this time falling short in seven games to Colorado.

Brylin backed that up the following year, 2001-02, with 16 goals, 28 assists, 44 points and a plus-21 – all being the second highest totals in his career.

What’s more impressive is that he did it while fighting through the lingering effects and discomfort of his previous ACL injury.

Finally, in the summer of 2002 he decided to have knee surgery. While most players spend their summers recovering from the season, relaxing and enjoying some time away from the rink, Brylin spent his in a grueling rehab process. The intensive recovery schedule was designed to ensure that he would be ready for the start of next year’s regular season, a few months away.

“I rehabbed the whole summer, which was painful,” Brylin said.

The pain was worth it as Brylin suited up for the Devils’ season-opener. He would play in 52 games before he suffered yet another setback. On Feb. 5, Brylin broke his right wrist against Washington. This time, surgery was the only option.

“I thought I was done (for the season),” he said. “I had surgery. I had pins sticking out of my hand. I couldn’t sweat for six weeks. They told me not to sweat because of the risk of getting an infection.”

For six weeks Brylin couldn’t do any intensive physical exertion. Once the cast was removed, the real work would begin. But with his overall recover projected to take 2-3 months, well into the playoffs, and there was no guarantee that he would be ready in time to play before the season ended. 

So, Brylin went through a grinding process built on the mere hope that the Devils would still be playing postseason hockey when he was ready to return. But Brylin had to basically start from scratch.

The six-week inactivity affected his strength and conditioning. And what Brylin wasn’t expecting was how painful it felt just holding his stick.

“I thought the wrist wouldn’t be as bad (as the ACL), but it was 10 times worse,” he said. “It was so painful. I had to see the therapist twice a day and train in between.”

But Brylin’s trademark warrior perseverance and determination took over. Eventually, he managed to get back on the ice. Despite ramping up his training, Brylin missed the remainder of the regular season and the start of the postseason. The Devils vanquished Boston in the first round in five games, setting up a second-round series with Tampa Bay.

After 11 weeks, Brylin was finally ready to return. At least, the battler inside of him was ready.

“I was able to come back in the second round against Tampa,” he said. “I wasn’t close to being 100-percent ready.”

But he wouldn’t let anything keep him out of the lineup. Despite the pain, Brylin didn’t miss a game for the remainder of the playoffs, 19 in total for him, as New Jersey made another championship push.

“We had such a great team. A lot of leaders, guys that played hard every night, guys who knew how to win,” Brylin said. “We were able to push through it. The series against Ottawa in the conference finals was a crazy one, being up 3-1 and playing a Game 7.”

Jeff Friesen scored the series-winning goal for New Jersey with just 2:14 remaining in regulation as the Devils once again held on and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.

“Jeff Friesen scoring that late goal was unbelievable,” Brylin said. “Game 7 wasn’t going our way but we were able to stay in it. Marty (Brodeur) made some great saves. We were able to score a goal and it was a tight game in the end. That’s what you want. You want to have that chance at the end of the game. With that one play, it decided the whole series with Jeff scoring.”

That set up a Devils-Ducks Final as Anaheim advanced from the Western Conference. Once again, this series would go to a do-or-die Game 7. Brodeur pitched three shutouts in the Final, including one in Game 7 as the Devils won their third Stanley Cup in franchise history.

The pain in his wrist magically disappeared when Brylin raised the Cup over his head for the third time in his life. And just like before, Brylin went through hell – with his ACL and wrist injuries and laborious rehab – to come out in heaven on the other side.

“I got rewarded for what I went through in the spring with the broken wrist,” he said.

Then, Brylin decided to do something that he hadn’t done with the previous two Cup wins. And it would be arguably the best decision he ever made in his life.

Brylin decided to bring the Cup to Russia. And of course, he was excited to tell his dad, Vladimir.

“When I told my dad, he asked if I was sure,” Brylin laughed. “He said, ‘I don’t know why you would want to do this.’”

Thankfully, for both men, Sergei did not heed his father’s words.

It was a long day for the Cup, starting with an appearance on a local morning TV show, 'Dobroye Utro,' and ending at a night club, 'Stone.' In between, the silver chalice made stops at a hockey school, the Moscow Senate and Brylin’s local gym in Khimki. All the while, it was accompanied by Russian military soldiers armed with machine guns.

“We had it form 8 a.m. in the morning and handed the Cup back at midnight. We accomplished a lot of things and went to a lot of places,” Brylin said. “I have to thank my friends who set all that up.”

But while it thrilled him to share the Cup with his city and community, what Brylin cherished most was sharing the day with his father, who accompanied him on the entire day (until the night club that is). One particular memory is of his father drinking from the Stanley Cup (pictured below).

Vladimir, raised in the old Russian guard, was a man of few words. He didn’t talk a lot about his feelings or emotions. But he had other ways of communicating.

“My dad was really, not shy, but he didn’t want to talk about it. But I felt it. He was proud,” Brylin grinned while recalling the day with his dad. “My parents don’t let their emotions out a lot.

“He said it was a pretty good day. He enjoyed it. He was there almost the whole day.”

Brylin will forever delight in the memory of that day with his father for many reasons. But one is that it was one of the last memories he has of his father.

Two months after Brylin’s day with the Cup, Vladimir passed away from a heart attack.

Vladimir’s passion for hockey was the reason that his son, Sergei, first picked up a stick. Sergei admits that his father was the biggest influence on him throughout his career. With his father’s support, Sergei was able to reach the pinnacle of the sport by winning a Stanley Cup championship. Three times. And in one finishing swansong, father and son shared in the joys of an entire day together celebrating that legacy.

Sometime later, Brylin’s mother brought something to give to her son. It was a binder that belonged to Sergei’s father.

When Sergei opened up the binder, inside was a collection of press clippings gathered over the years regarding Sergei’s hockey career. Whether it was his playing days with the CSKA or his time winning championships with the Devils or just personal photos of Sergei playing as a kid, Vladimir had put them all in this binder.

“He had files back in the day, all the newspaper articles or interviews that I had,” Sergei said. “He used to cut it out and keep it. He had a whole file of pictures and articles.”

Vladimir was a man of few words. But his actions said everything.

“You have to establish a relationship with players, gain their trust. If you don’t it’s going to be tough for them to listen to you."

On April 18, 2008, Sergei Brylin skated his final shift as a New Jersey Devil.

It was Game 5 of the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the hated New York Rangers. Brylin played just 10:04 minutes during the game. But with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, he was on the ice while the Devils were desperately trying to tie the game late in the third period.

After Brylin went to the bench with just over one minute to play, the Rangers scored an empty-net goal. The Devils suffered a 5-3 loss and were eliminated on their home ice at Prudential Center.

The 34-year-old’s NHL tenure may have ended, but he didn’t hang up his skates just yet. Brylin returned to Russia and played four more seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League, three with SKA (Sports Club of the Army) Saint Petersburg and a final year with Novokuznetsk in 2011-12.

During his four years playing in Russia, Brylin was a frequent visitor to Devils games at the behest of general manager Lou Lamoriello. After his season in the KHL ended in 2012, he joined the Devils during another run to the Stanley Cup Final.

Brylin provided his thoughts and insights to Lamoriello and the Devils coaching staff during that playoff stretch, which ended in a six-game series loss to the Los Angeles Kings. At one juncture during the Final, Lamoriello approached Brylin and said, “‘when you’re done (playing), give me a call. We can talk about you joining the organization if you want.”

Once Brylin officially decided to retire in the summer of 2012, he did just that.

Lamoriello asked Brylin, “what do you want to do?”

Brylin responded, “I don’t know what I want to do.”

So, Brylin did … everything. He joined the American Hockey League team in Albany, doing skills work with players on the ice. He went on a few scouting trips for the team.

“I still remember writing a (scouting) report. I didn’t know what to write or how,” Brylin chuckled.

Eventually, Brylin settled on the coaching route. Lamoriello obliged and added him as an assistant coach with the team’s American Hockey League club. Brylin would fill that role for the next decade in Albany (2012-17), Binghamton (2017-21) and Utica (2021-22). In his lone season with Utica, Brylin helped the squad finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference and win the North Division. The team also set an AHL record by opening the season with 13 consecutive wins.

And just as he had as a player, Brylin fell in love with coaching.

“Helping players to get better. Helping out the team to play at the level we need to play,” he said of what he enjoys most. “I think it’s pretty rewarding when you see things work out on the ice and you get the results.”

Brylin approaches coaching with much of the same mentality that he approached playing.

“It’s just like being a player, you have to get better every day,” he explained. “Hockey is always improving. People are doing different things. You have to look at certain situations for different kinds of views and decide for yourself what is the best way to play.”

And when the coaches’ game plan and the players’ execution comes together, it’s a beautiful thing.

“It’s very rewarding when you see guys execute the game plan and we play the right way and we get the results,” Brylin said. “It makes me very happy.”

For a player that had overcome so much in his career, coaching was a new challenge for the three-time Cup champ to attack.

“Coaching is not what I was expecting. Especially with the younger generation of players,” he admitted. “The game is different. Players are different nowadays. It’s very challenging for us to find a way to get our message across. You have to be ready, educated and knowledgeable enough to explain every different situation. Why we do things a certain way.

“You have to establish a relationship with players, gain their trust. If you don’t it’s going to be tough for them to listen to you and do what you’re trying to tell them to do. That’s the challenge that I see.”

Brylin has worked with many Devils prospects over the years during his time in the minors, including current Devils forwards Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian, both of whom played under Brylin in Binghamton from 2017-20.

“(He has) so much experience and knowledge about the game,” McLeod said. “He’s been around the game for a while. He’s won three Cups so he knows what it takes to win. He’s detail-oriented. Personally, coming up throughout Binghamton, he was hard on the details with me, which really helped me as a player.”

“A great guy. For me, he’s done so much. He’s a hard-working guy, big details guy,” Bastian said. “How he used to play is how I try and play. He always gives me that extra confidence boost.”

During his decade of coaching in the AHL, Brylin was honing his skills as a coach. His goal, always, was to eventually work his way into the NHL.

“That was something in the back of my mind all these years,” he said. “I was actually very fortunate to work with three different head coaches. (Rick Kowalski, Mark Dennehy, Kevin Dineen). Learning from them was a great opportunity for me to get better, get ready for the NHL.”

“That’s the beauty of it. He was in the minors for so long that a lot of guys went through him to get to the NHL," Martin Brodeur said. "He’s been working hard with them. I think players relate to another player. Nothing came easy to him. He worked really hard. So, it’s a great example to our young players to have a guy like him be part of their development."

In 2022, Brylin was ready. He was promoted to the Devils coaching staff in New Jersey as an assistant. He was part of a team that won 13-straight games and set franchise records with 52 wins and 112 points.

“It’s just a pleasure to have him around,” McLeod said. “He’s an awesome guy. He loves hockey. Loves being at the rink. He loves his job. He enjoys the teaching aspect of it and trying to make everyone better. He’s a mentor for a lot of us.”

The players respect the fact that Brylin paid his dues for 10 years in the American League before elevating to the NHL.

“It’s cool to see someone that’s won three Cups embrace the job coming back to the minors,” McLeod said, “staring off there and working his way up.”

“He holds a lot of weight. When he speaks up, people listen,” Bastian said. “You look at a guy who played as many years as he did, and even after being in the NHL as long as he was, he still went into the American League and put his time in again but in a different role. He worked his way up."

Bastian added:

“I wouldn’t be surprised if somewhere in the future he keeps moving forward with that, too.”

"This is something to remember and maybe tell my grandkids one day.”

A few years ago, Sergei was with his mother, Margarita, and he asked her a question about his youth.

“I asked my mom if she had a feeling that I would become a professional hockey player,” Brylin said.

And?

“She said, ‘no,’” Brylin laughed.

To be fair, Brylin himself didn’t think much about becoming a professional hockey player as a kid.

“I loved hockey. That was just the thing to do,” he said. “I never thought about where it was going to take me.”

It’s hard to imagine Brylin could have imagined how things would unfold for him. That the Cold War would end with the fall of the Soviet Union. That a hockey team halfway across the world in New Jersey would want him to play for them. That he would spend the next 30-plus years of his life connected to that franchise. That in the course of 13 NHL season he would play over 800 games and celebrate three Stanley Cup championships. That after he finished playing, he would return to the game he loved with the team he loved, on the coaching side. And that after bleeding for the Devils logo for three decade, he would be recognized with an addition to the franchise’s Ring of Honor.

It was all impossible for a young Brylin to imagine.

“Look at the world right now. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Brylin said. “In the ‘90s the Soviet Union collapsed. Everything was changing. The whole country was struggling. For me, it was an easy decision to go and try something else. For me, I’m glad it worked out. Who knows what’s going to happen next.”

One guarantee that will happen next is Brylin looking up at his visage inside the Prudential Center on Jan. 20 when he is added to the team’s Ring of Honor.

And all those people who helped him along the way in his career and life will be there to share the moment: his mother, his sister, Olga, his wife of 30 years, Elena, and his three children, Anna, Fyodor, Maria.

Brylin will see his Ring of Honor banner high above the seats inside the arena. And if he could look a little higher, beyond the rafters, beyond the rooftop and into the sky above, maybe he will also see his father, Vladimir, looking down and beaming with pride. Perhaps, adding this moment to his prized binder filled the accomplishments of his beloved son.

All in all, not bad for a kid from Khimki.

“I remember when I first got invited to the summer training camp with the (Russian) big club, I was 17 years old,” he recalled. “I was looking at those veteran guys. They were not even 30, they were like late 20s. I was thinking to myself if I play 10 years, that would be great.

“I’m very happy the way my career went and I was able to play many years and had a little bit of success. This is something to remember and maybe tell my grandkids one day.”

Brylin paused for a minute and cleared his throat.

“I’m a lucky guy. We have a great family. Great kids. A great life.”

Brylin smiled to himself: “It worked out well.”

*Photos courtesy of Getty Images, Brylin family.