Schneider ready to take the reins for Devils

Monday, 09.29.2014 / 6:41 PM | NHL.com Staff

New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider joined NHL Live to discuss what lies ahead for the 2014-15 season, one where Schneider will be a No. 1 goalie for the first time in his career after sharing time with Roberto Luongo for the Vancouver Canucks and Martin Brodeur in New Jersey.

"It's exciting, better late than never," Schneider said. "I had a few guys in Roberto and Marty who I've been able to learn from and watch how to take care of myself and be prepared for the season. I think I'm ready to do that. It's going to be exciting for me this year.

"It's going to be a little bit of a new experience for me. I played 45 [games] last year, which is a good amount but it's still not 55 or 60, so there's still that extra little bit that you can push and mentally get through that grind. I've got a good support system here in Jersey training with coaches and my goalie coach, Chris Terreri, and teammates, so I'm going to rely on those guys for help and when I need to pull back a little bit or maybe I need to push forward."

Schneider went 16-15-12 last season with a 1.97 goals-against average and .921 save percentage, and signed a seven-year, $42 million contract extension on July 9. The Devils revamped the team over the summer after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third time in the past four seasons.

"We have a good veteran group here, I think," Schneider said. "None of us were happy with how it ended last year and missed the playoffs. We play such a detailed system that to have a lot of returning guys will be good. Hopefully we can get off to a good start. But right now you bring in guys like Marty Havlat and Mike Cammalleri to jump start the offense a little bit and get a little more of that finishing ability. They've been great additions so far."

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