2.
More from Rowe in Masisak's article:
“I remember the first time he did that. It was basically a full clapper from below the goal line,” he said. “It hit me in the back of the head and went in. I just looked at him like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ He did that, like, six or seven times. So every time Jack was on his forehand below the goal line, I wouldn’t lean because I knew this thing was probably rocketing at my head.”
3.
Congratulations to Curtis Lazar who will play his 500th career game tonight!
Lazer, as he is affectionately known by his teammates, is probably one of the best, nicest people you’ll meet in the game of hockey (and I’m not just saying this because he agreed to tour Sweep the Deck with me). But he’s just got such a likable personality, always positive, always hard working and has just fit in so well here in New Jersey.
I’ll never forget what he told me when he first came over to New Jersey, about how he has found longevity in his career. When he was playing Junior hockey in the CHL, Lazar was scoring goals every which way. His best Junior season came in 2013-14 with 41 goals and 35 assists in 58 games for a whopping 76 points.
But then came the AHL and the NHL, where everything kind of changed. Scoring goals with the same ease didn’t happen, but what Lazar did was reinvent himself as a player. A hard-working, checking, grind-you-down kind of player, and lo and behold here he is at 500 games, still with a smile on his face, knowing exactly what type of player he is at this level. And he’s a mighty important piece too. You can’t have a complete hockey team without players who take on the roles that Lazar does. It takes everyone.
He’s a great example for all kids coming up through the ranks of hockey. If you love the game and want to stay in the game, you might not always be the same kind of player. But if you make those adjustments, if you accept that maybe your game will have to look like an entirely different one, that’s ok. If you embrace it, you’ll go a long way.
4.
Checked in on the NHL’s Edge website to see where some of the Devils are stacking up this year.
Turns out, Luke Hughes ranks in the Top 10, clocking in at No. 10, for a total distance skated all season on the power play by a defenseman. He’s skated 24.01 miles on the man advantage so far this season. Of course, oldest brother Quinn has to out-do his youngest brother. Quinn ranks No. 4 with 28.69 miles. Sorry, Lukey!
As a team, all together at all strengths, the Devils have skated 2,350.64 miles this year.
5.
It’s not officially registered on Edge but on the ESPN broadcast between the Colorado Avalanche and Devils, Colin Miller’s slapshot clocked in at a league-high 105 mph.
6.
This last week has been one of a constant stream of former players who in the off-season found themselves on other teams. It was a great week to catch up with some of them as well.
I’m happy to report that Miles Wood is doing great in Colorado, he’s happy and enjoying his experience there. It was, he told me, a little strange walking into Prudential Center from a different entrance, by bus, and into a different locker room.
“I won’t lie, my heart was racing a little bit,” he said.
It caught him a bit off-guard.
“When we were taking the bus, it was strange because I was like ‘Oh yeah, I know that place’, ‘I used to live there’. It was weird.”
You could see when Miles received his Welcome Back video it was an emotional moment. From all the moments I’ve spent with Miles, as tough as he can be, he has a really warm heart and is an emotional guy. When he tapped his chest and acknowledged the crowd, that moment was truly heart-felt for him and you just know he A) felt the love and B) wanted to give it back.