Zero to 600 | 10 TAKEAWAYS

Well, this was a fun week, I have to admit! The wins in Dallas and Nashville, which were by no means perfect, were fun to be a part of.

Less fun was actually figuring out who scored two of the tip-in goals against the Predators. First the Jesper Bratt one, then the Nico Hischier one, I think it took the official scorekeepers nearly a full period before they switch the Devils first goal from Jack Hughes to Bratt, and then another eternity for what would have been Bratt's second, into Nico's. 

In typical Nico-style (which I'll get into a little more here), his first responce was 'I don't care', when it came to his goal against Nashville, his quote? "I was happy to let Bratter celebrate it." And that's often very true of Nico. Sometimes, when it comes to the fist-bump line, after scoring a goal, even if he's scored the goal, he'll let other guys go ahead of him in line. 

It's just who he is. 

And it's who he has been from the start.

1.

Anyone who knows me knows how proud I am to be part of this team and to have been here since the resurgence began with Nico Hischier in 2017. He was the first player I ever interviewed, that summer at Development Camp, when we both arrived in New Jersey, both of us a bit wide-eyed for different reasons. He was just drafted, and I was there considering leaving a job I loved in my hometown for something new. 

So when he hit 600 games on Sunday night, yeah, it made me feel a little old. But more than that, it made me feel incredibly grateful. I don’t take a single day of this job for granted; it’s a privilege to do what I do and tell the stories I get to tell.

Nine seasons later, I can’t believe I’m still here, still lucky enough to tell the story of this franchise and to have had a front-row seat to Nico’s rise.

I always joke that when people ask how long I’ve been with the team, I don’t even answer with a number anymore, I just line it up with Nico and Jesper Bratt and how many seasons they've been here... It’s the easiest way to keep track. Plus, when you're in this business, your world doesn't exist in 'how many years', it's always 'how many seasons'. 

And more than anything, this job is about relationships. When you start with a franchise that lines up with a player’s, there’s a level of trust and respect that is unparalleled. I've always felt that with Nico. 

And seriously, look at these babies!

2.

While digging into Nico’s 600th game, I stumbled across this old video from the archives and thought it was worth sharing... especially for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet.

Back when Nico was drafted 1st overall, we ran a ‘Rookie Diaries’ series, and this episode checks in on him during his first month, right after he scored his first NHL goal.

What really hits me watching it now is how steady he’s always been. Fame, fortune, accolades, none of it has shaken him, or turned him into someone he wasn't before. Go ahead and take a listen, the things he said then, about being team-first, and genuinely owning that, is the exact mindset he had then, and is the same one he carries today. His approach to the team, his beliefs, who he is hasn’t changed a bit.

It’s just genuine Nico.

3.

“I keep my head on a swivel.”

That’s what Dawson Mercer told me when I asked how he’s managed to stay healthy through the start of his NHL career, a stretch that has now reached 401 consecutive games.

On Sunday night, Mercer tied the franchise Iron Man mark, joining Travis Zajac atop the list. It’s a milestone that requires a ton ... durability, on-ice awareness, and really it requires a good bit of luck too. In a league where everything happens a split-second, a stretch like that, especially to start a career is quite remarkable. Because consider this as well, not all young players coming into the league become instant staples into their lineups. There are nights where you might be scratched for a previous performance, or the need to get in another player where you end up being the odd-man out.

Not Dawson. Night after night, game after game, he's built up a reputation of durability. 

4.

Zajac's Iron Man streak could have continued longer had it not been for an off-season injury. Zajac played 401 consecutive games between October 26, 2006, and April 10, 2011. He streak was broken in the summer of 2011 where he sustained a torn left Achilles tendon. Before missing the start of the 2011-12 season, Zajac's last missed game was early in his rookie season, in 2006.

Records like this eventually come and go and Zajac's will come to an end, having held on to the record for nearly 15 years. Mercer is set to break Zajac's record on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, moving Zajac to having the second-longest Iron Man streak, and bumping down Ken Daneyko to third (388 games). 

5.

There’s something about the Chicago Blackhawks and Simon Nemec…

On Sunday, Nemo scored his fifth career goal against Chicago, making him the all-time franchise leader among Devils defensemen in goals against the Hawks. Yes, it's very specific, and maybe a little far-fetched in terms of an interesting stat, but also, Nemo has played just four games in his career against Chicago.

Earlier this season, he had that thrilling performance, where he capped off his first career hat trick with his overtime winner. That might have been one of the highlights of the season.

6.

One of the most memorable post-game interviews I’ve had this season was with Connor Brown in Carolina. Early in the year, after a rough opener against the Hurricanes, he told me he didn’t fully get the scars the Hurricanes left on the Devils over the past few seasons, he said you could really feel it in the air, the energy.

And last week, that feeling hit again when Carolina erased the Devils’ 1-0 lead. What stood out even more, though, is the role Brown has stepped into as a voice in the locker room. He doesn’t need to share everything publicly, and he makes it respectfully clear that there are many things he'll keep internal, but it was important for him to say out loud: yes, there are scars, and no, talking isn’t enough, you have to do something about it. They won't get their chance again this season, but having a voice and mentor like Brown around for next season (and more), will be a part of overcoming the Achilles heel in the Hurricanes. 

I have no doubt that Brown will be an immense part of that.

That’s exactly why he was brought in: to be a driving force. Reminds me of Dec. 31 in Columbus, the team was struggling, down 2-0 after 40 minutes. And Brown took charge behind the scenes, speaking up loudly in the locker room. It sparked a three-goal third period, and when I went into the room afterwards, I distinctly remember Luke Hughes talking about that moment in the locker room being a catalyst. Moments like that can shift a team’s mindset, and I'm sure even if you're a veteran, when you're entering a new team, you have to have a bit of a feeling-out process. 

From my vantage point of being around these guys every day, all day, we're only scratching the surface this season of how incredibly valuable Brown will be.

7.

Love when we get to sit down with players for our Greeting’s From Jersey series. I so appreciate players opening up their homes to me, to meet them where they are most comfortable, and get a little glimpse on their family life. 

The video we put out, I love them, but they’re only a little snippet of the interviews, that can last anywhere between 10 to 40 minutes (I’m looking at you, Brenden Dillon with that 40 minutes!). 

Wanted to share a funny story that Cody Glass shared that didn’t quite make it into the final cut... one about a family curse finally being broken. 

Cody told me about how his dad coming to town to watch a few games, but that unfortunately (or fortunately?) his brother wasn’t going to make it out to watch.

I say fortunately, because Cody says that nearly every time his brother has come to see a game, or watches a game "we suck, or we lose.”

But, Cody says, he thinks maybe that curse has been broken. His brother welcomed his first child, a daughter named Penelope, and perhaps she has some superpowers. 

"Ever since she was born, I’ve been doing a lot better with him watching. So I think that curse is gone!”

8.

It has been such a pleasure to watch Lenni Hämeenaho fit right in with the NHL team. We've talked about it a lot since he's arrived, and it's well deserved. But Lenni's start in the AHL at the beginning of the year, his first in North America, wasn't like he was shot out of a rocket onto the North American stage. So I checked in with both Utica head coach Ryan Parent and the Devils director of Player Development, Meghan Duggan, about how far Lenni has come this season. 

And both shared different, but near-identical stories, about Lenni. And it speaks to the type of hockey player Lenni is, and how smart he is. 

Duggan recalled being on the ice with the Comets during a development day just before Thanksgiving. Lenni had just had a string of positive games, and Duggan went to check in on him. She said, without hesitation, his own analysis of why he wasn't as successful to start was "I'm playing too shy." 

Duggan said that self-acknowledgement was a massive shift for Hämeenaho, who did away with his shy play and just began to feel himself. 

Parent shared a near-identical story. 

He said, also around that same time, he had called Lenni into his office, just to check in on him. "He wasn't playing badly," Parent said. But the job of a coach is also to check in on your players. 

"Before I could really ask him how he was doing, he told me he felt he way playing too shy," Parent told me.

And what Parent also acknowledged, and gave Lenni credit for, was what it takes for a young player to not only self-identify these things, but to verbalize it, out loud, let alone to your head coach.  

Both said that after Lenni was able to acknowledge and see it, his game took off. 

Both are also happy if they never have to see him again (in jest, of course, because that's their job, to make sure that when the time is right, these players make the NHL and never look back!). 

9.

When we were in Carolina last week for practice, it was a quick one... short and sweet with a back-to-back looming. Pretty standard. I think they were out there maybe 20 minutes.

And like always, once practice wraps, guys hang around a bit, getting in extra touches, messing around, a little friendly competition. Nothing out of the ordinary.

But this one stood out.

After most of the group had already headed off, Connor Brown and Jack Hughes stayed out there… and well, felt like they never left. Close to another 20 minutes, just the two of them.

Working on the little things, like tips in tight, shot attempts, talking through plays, bouncing ideas off each other. It wasn’t rushed or for show. It was just two guys dialed in.

Those are the moments you apprecaite. The ones that don’t make a highlight reel on national tv, but are the finer details to create those highlight reel goals in the speed of a game. It says a lot about where a group’s at too, no matter where you are in the standings, wanting to continue the buy-in, to push to keep getting better.

You can’t help but appreciate it. Especially from those two working together. 

10.

Down the stretch, regardless where the team is in the standings, it's been quite a run for Jack. I know we often joke that March is Meier's month, but Jack might have something to say about it:

March for Jack: He's behind only one player - and not by much! - for the league-lead in points since the beginning of March. He trails only Nikita Kucherov and his 26 points, with 24 of his own.

Jack has 24 points in 13 games, with 10 goals and 14 assists.