8.
From the start of the season, one constant refrain has been how Sheldon Keefe hones in on every detail of practice, games, and his day-to-day expectations of his team. And when it's not there, he will make sure you're reminded (See: Takeaway 1).
So, my ears really perked up when I listened to the team's alumni talk about their time with Lemaire. They described how detailed and focused he was, how work ethic was non-negotiable, and how nothing was ever grey in his explanations.
It felt similar to how this current roster speaks of Keefe, which is unsurprising, given Keefe and Lemaire's past relationship with their time in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. There's a genuine mutual respect there.
Everything is in the little details that add up to the ultimate goal. And for Niedermayer, it took a little bit to understand when he first came into the league, leading to this great story he shared:
"Jacques had a lot of patience with me, growing up and learning to be a professional," Niedermayer recalled. "And one of the things he wanted me to do was make sure my warmups were more intense and that I was getting ready to play. And I remember in Tampa, things got a little bit loud, I was sort of tired of him harping on me about my warmups.. and then I laughed to myself years later, I’m out in warmup and I’m the hardest working guy out there, I’m skating, I’m sweating and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Yeah, I guess he was right!’"
9.
I love sharing some stories that end up on the cutting room floor of certain articles for 10 Takeaways. That happened when I sat down with Nico Hischier last week ahead of his 500th NHL game. Not only did we talk about his progression through his 500 games but also the way he’s seen his national team grow over that span.
He said it also aligns with his current expectations of his NHL club. The bar is raised not just here in New Jersey but also with the Swiss national team, and he is, in some ways, the catalyst for both.
"It was very different for me, growing up as a kid," he said. "You were happy when the Swiss team would even just make it to the quarters,” Hischier said. “Just to make it out of the group stage, that would be a good tournament for us. And now, it’s almost like disappointing when you lose in the quarterfinals, which seems always a little crazy for me, because there’s a switch. A big switch. It’s great.”
When he finished his initial answer, I interjected that a lot of that has to do with him specifically, how he has helped grow Swiss hockey, how the way he is wired as a player, driven to succeed, is a big part of the engine that is driving the Swiss national team.
“You never win anything if you don’t have high expectations,” he reflected. “And high expectations are something you have to earn yourself. I think in Swiss ice hockey, we’ve done a great job, not just developing players for overseas, but in general in Switzerland too, from young kids who want to play hockey and promote hockey. I think we’re just getting better players out of it. And if I can be a part of that, why not, right? It’s such a positive thing.”
10.
Don’t look now, but here comes the next generation of Devils talent climbing up the all-time leaderboard.
Last week in Toronto, Jesper Bratt registered an assist, his 410th as a New Jersey Devil. This officially puts Bratt in the Top 10 in terms of most points scored for the franchise. He is now at No. 10, with 411 points, passing Zach Parise, who finished his career with New Jersey with 410 points in 502 games.
Nico Hischier is also approaching Top 10 status. He needs four points to tie Bruce Driver for 12th all-time before he sets his sights on Parise’s 410 and chasing down his current teammate and friend, Bratt.