Holding the Fort | 10 TAKEAWAYS

If you needed any proof that the Devils have turned Prudential Center into their own personal cheat code, look no further than their 9-0-1 home record and the multitude of ways they've won this season.

They just missed giving me the satisfaction of a perfect “10 takes for 10 wins” this week (how cruel!), but even without that symmetry... man, what a start. One point dropped at home as we roll into December? Home ice hasn’t just been electric—it’s been a full-on “enter at your own risk” zone for anyone in the wrong jersey. And if this pace keeps up, visiting teams might start checking the schedule, hoping to avoid Newark altogether (no, you can't do that...!).

So, no 10 takes for 10 wins, but there's still plenty to cover in this week's 10 Takeaways, presented by Ticketmaster!

1.

Hearing about Jack Hughes’ unfortunate and fluke accident in Chicago was a punch to the gut. Of course, you think about the team, what he means to the team and how much of a game breaker he is. But my first thoughts were with Jack the person.

I’ve known Jack since Day 1. I was there the day he was drafted in Vancouver and have had the tremendous privilege of being along for the ride and I can assure you that no one is more crushed than Jack about what happened in Chicago.

I saw Jack the other day at the rink and he was in good spirits, still with that smile on his face. You can only control what you can control, right?

Recovering from injury is a grueling process of its own. But what I keep coming back to is that, although the Devils unfortunately have key players out like Brett Pesce and Johnny Kovacevic, there's real mental value in not being semi-isolated from the regular day-in, day-out with your teammates while you’re on your road to recovery.

For any player, that matters. Being around other guys, staying connected, engaged. It’s important, psychologically, more than anything.

You know Jack is going to attack his rehab the same way he would like every game he plays; he’ll do it with focus and determination. And when the time is right, Jack will be back and as Nico Hischier said, until then, they’ll hold the fort.

2.

I had an unexpectedly great time last week at American Dream Mall... a sentence I truly never thought I’d say, considering that place is basically an over-stimulating obstacle course. But Martin Brodeur's induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame will do that. And I don’t think it was lost on Marty that a Canadian becoming a Jersey icon is its own kind of perfect irony.

He had one of his sons and his daughter there with him, along with a whole contingent of supporters. So I asked if they were genuinely there for him… or maybe more so for fellow inductees like the Jonas Brothers...

“Me? I’m their dad, I’m boring to them!” he laughed.

3.

My favorite part of the night? Ken Daneyko being the only non-inductee to hit the Red Carpet and be an in-demand interviewee.

Marty was the first hockey player to enter the NJ Hall… I’d put my money on Dano being next.

He deserves it.

Marty made the joke that he got Dano's 'foot in the door’, because Dano to speak and be the one to introduce Marty into the Hall.

4.

The cat is officially out of the bag… yes, the Devils’ win song is Murder on the Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. I’m very into a good throwback.

I’ve been lucky enough to be parked outside that locker room door after a bunch of wins this season, waiting for interviews, and honestly? I’m extremely into how many times I’ve heard that song so far. It’s the go-to track to cap off the win playlist... there are a few others sneak into it as well, but Murder on the Dancefloor is the one that gets blasted at full volume.

Now it’s time for me to investigate how this win-song came to be, feels like half the team was born after the song came to be!

5.

One of my favorite parts of the Devils Radio Network broadcasts are the Icebreaker segments that Matt Loughlin does with our players, where he sits down with the guys to ask them all non-hockey questions. Sometimes, you get a real gem out of them… remember the time John Marino said the animal he would want to be most was a dolphin? That one lives in legendary status.

And then there are answers to questions where you’re like, Wait, what?

And that’s what we got when Matt asked Colton White what the best concert he’s ever been to.

Let me explain: Colton White is one of the most unassuming, quiet characters around. He just goes about his day quietly.

And then Matt asked him what his favorite concert was, and he said it was ACDC… to which the conversation continued, and turns out that the White family is a metal family… he’s seen Iron Maiden and grew up on metal music.

I did not see that one coming.

6.

Seriously, what is it about a return to the lineup for Cody Glass that ensures that he’s going to score a goal? There he was, net front, in what he called his third season debut already this season, and tips home the Stef Noesen shot from the blueline for his fourth goal of the season.

He did the same against Montreal a couple of weeks ago in his second start of the season.

“Third times the charm he said,” before the game.

I also loved this comment from Connor Brown about Glass”

“He’s a glue guy.”

7.

Huge congrats to Nico Hischier for hitting a pretty incredible milestone; he’s now officially Top 5 in NHL scoring among Swiss-born players. And get this: for the first time ever, all five players in the Top 5 are active.

1. Roman Josi (731)

2. Kevin Fiala (504)

3. Nino Niederreiter (493)

4. Timo Meier (454)

5. Nico Hischier (443)

The Swiss are absolutely on the rise. In fact, seven of the all-time Top 10 Swiss scorers are currently in the league.

Can’t wait to see what that group looks like come the Olympics (except in the opening game, maybe? The Swiss play Canada, and well... where do allegiances lie during an international tournament?)

8.

Did you see Marky’s new mask that he wore the other night when the Devils wore their Jersey jersey for the first time?

Something I noticed a change - and rightfully so - from his previous masks. It has ‘C’ ‘C’ on the back. That’s for his sons, Clarke-Marley and his newborn, Cruz.

9.

I’d like to take this time to share a quick story about the late-Larry Brooks. I won’t ever pretend that I knew him all that well or that we were friends. But he was a colleague that I would see often at Devils/Rangers games.

He had this very intimidating presence to him… he was Larry Brooks after all. The one who would go into locker rooms and press conferences with the ability to ask the right and tough questions like no one else. I almost got nervous to ask questions around him, in case, in his eyes, it sounded dumb. He just had this presence about him.

But Larry was kind and generous. I learned this first-hand, not just through my friendship with his dear friend and colleague Mollie Walker, who is a gem in her own right, but when I was in Montreal last February to cover the 4 Nations tournament, I got to know Larry just a little bit.

On Day 1 of the tournament, both he and Mollie sat right next to me in the press area, and we struck up a conversation, day after day. Larry and Mollie were inseparable and brought me into their little inner circle that I could tell was extremely precious to them both. I will always remember that. They made me feel for a very brief moment, part of their gang.

Every meal in the press room in Montreal, Larry and Mollie saved me a seat, and we’d sit together and have our meals and share laughs. We’d talk seriously too about the games, and I would just listen to Larry and his analysis, the way Larry would talk my ear off about his grandchildren’s love of Jack Hughes. I loved hearing about it because you could see the joy that Larry had talking about two of his great loves, his family and hockey.

May his memory, as we say in the Jewish religion, be a blessing to all who knew and loved him.

10.

Let’s take a little stroll through some of the cool stuff that came out of the game against the Blues:

Simon Nemec became just the sixth defenseman in NHL history, age 21 or younger, to score two overtime goals in a season. Not bad, right? He’s also only the fifth Slovak defenseman ever to rack up two career OT winners… and based on how he’s playing, you can just feel there are plenty more coming.

And here’s a franchise fun fact: he and his D-partner, Luke Hughes, are now the only defensemen in Devils history to score multiple OT winners before turning 22. Talk about a duo.

Also wild to remember that Nemo is still just 21... he doesn’t turn 22 until February. Still a kid, already clutch.