Chemist Lou Toys with New 1999 Formula | SUNDAYS WITH STAN

In a very haunting way, the Devils prepared for the 1999-2000 season very much like the New York Islanders did in 1979 at their training camp that September two decades earlier.
"We had been labelled 'chokers'" said Bob Bourne, a member of the Dynastic team that would win four straight Stanley Cups. "For three years we'd been building our way toward The Stanley Cup and we got knocked out three straight years - '77, '78 and '79."
Particularly galling were the defeats in 1978 when the underdog Toronto Maple Leafs eliminated the Nassaumen. And even more so a year later when an equally underdog New York Rangers team gave coach Al Arbour's skaters the boot.
As for the comparison to the Devils, well, flash back to September 1999, when coach Robbie Ftorek gathered his Devils at camp. Like it was for Arbour's Isles, the "choker" overtones cast a pall over the Garden State skaters.

"Getting knocked out by Ottawa one year and last spring by Pittsburgh were double blows to our esteem," said Bobby Holik. "Each time we thought we had the goods to go the route and each time we got beat. It was time for change."
Major Domo Lou Lamoriello agreed. He'd done his due diligence and with super goalie Martin Brodeur now in his prime, the hockey sky seemed the limit. But that would depend on the quality and quantity of reinforcements promoted by the intense general manager.
Emmy-winning sportscaster, Devils historian and author George Falkowski was covering the 1999-2000 Devils as meticulously as anyone. He believes that Lou pressed all the right buttons.
"His first move was to populate the roster with young, hungry talent," Falkowski recalls. "Lou gambled on five rookies; and it was a big gamble."
I had met one of them the previous spring while scouting New Jersey's AHL farm team, the Albany River Rats. The one who captivated me most was a Michigan University product John Madden. He also had impressed Lamoriello and the New Jerseys scouts.
"Madden plays a good two-way game," read one scouting report, "and he can score as well. Keep him in mind for penalty-killing."
Jay Pandolfo was a reasonable facsimile of Madden and, coincidentally, would wind up being the second man - with Madden - on one of the best shorthanded defenders in team history.
Since defense needed work, the team's European bird dog recommended a University of Wisconsin ace who had won plaudits defending in Scandinavia. His name was Brian Rafalski and he looked too small for the NHL wars. But he was a free agent worth a gamble.
"Underestimating Brian's size was a big mistake," said captain Scott Stevens who eventually would be paired with Rafalski. "He showed that he could play against the biggest skaters and hold his own. He turned out to be a huge asset."
Likewise, hulking Colin White also surprised with his ability to smoothly blend into the D-man lineup without missing a beat.
"White," Falkowski remembered, "became a steady, physical presence."
Perhaps the biggest surprise was a brash young center who skated like a water bug on a pond while adding some fresh spunk to the dressing room. Like Rafalski, Scott Gomez, who stickhandled on the small side, displayed an eel-like quality that enabled him to avoid hits.
Falkowski: "Scotty energized a stuffy roster with his goofball personality but also his terrific offensive skills."
Rare is a case when a GM can elevate five rookies and each of them prove valuable in a particular way. Gomez was far and away the flashier and the best post-game quote for the media. Madden, very cerebral in his game approach, was another favorite of the press.
Neither White nor Rafalski had to do much talking because their respective games were good enough to speak for themselves. No question: Lou had hit the jackpot.
Lamoriello didn't mess with his coaching. The Boss figured that Robbie Ftorek still had the confidence of the dressing room and enjoyed a superior regular season. But all hands agreed the playoffs would determine whether the new formula would provide the solution.
Early season results were gratifying in terms of the rookies. Rafalski's size was never a debit and his offensive side was as useful as his defense. Madden and Pandolfo made beautiful music together.
"The only problem," said one of the MSG Network analysts, "was that Pando had been a hotshot scorer on the college level but missed on more scoring chances in the NHL than he made."
White was rough around the edges defensively but used his big fuselage to intimidate the enemy. Plus, he was a ready, willing and able learner. But, by far, the most enthusiastic surprise was Gomez.
The Alaskan-born center dazzled with his skatework. His infectious personality pleased the media to no end and just about the only ones who despaired of his decorum were enemy defensemen who were left in their tracks as Scotty dipsy-doodled around them for a shot on goal.
Yet, despite all his apparent assets, Lamoriello still was feeling discomfort. As one reporter asserted, "Lou still sensed a staleness with the roster. When that happens, you can bet he'll do something about it."
The shake-up stirred some surprise since The Boss was luring back a forward he once had traded away. That was Claude (Pep) Lemieux who had been rejected in New Jersey after a contract squabble following the Frenchman's Smythe Trophy efforts during the 1995 Cup run.
"The thing with Lou," added one of his assistant coaches, "was that he'd never let a personality issue get in the way of helping his team. He knew how valuable Lemieux could be and was willing to bring him back for a second time around."
To obtain Pep, he had to forfeit one of his 1995 assets, Brian Rolston. the first-best penalty killer before the Madden-Pandolfo unit arrived. But with the Johnny-Jay team working so well on the PK, Rolllie was dispatched to Colorado for Lemieux.
Or, as one scout put it, "Lou knew that his Devils missed Lemieux's grit, drive and, most of all, his ability to shine in the postseason spotlight."
But Trader Lou hardly was finished with his bargaining. As the Devils hit the NHL's Far Turn heading for the homestretch, The Boss would acquire two more stars and they, in turn, would make the previous playoff disasters totally forgotten.
That, plus two traumatic events in Detroit would thoroughly alter the club's outlook and future in the 1999-2000 postseason.