Closing Out the 90s, Close but No Cigar | SUNDAYS WITH STAN

With the 1995 Stanley Cup championship fading in their rearview mirrors, the Devils - now in the fall of 1997 - were looking ahead to capturing another title.
Certainly, they had the artillery, the ammunition and assertiveness as the new season unfolded.
"I remember Randy McKay starting off on fire," says Leo Scaglione, Jr., MSG Networks graphics producer for Devils telecasts. "Fox Sports Net New York had a graphic calling him 'Randy The Rocket' but he wasn't the only star."
Actually, coach Jacques Lemaire's outfit overflowed with talent. Forwards Bobby Holik, Doug Gilmour and Dave Andreychuk led the way along with second, third and fourth-liners providing substance.
"That also was the first season for the young Czechs," Devils radio analyst Glenn (Chico) Resch recalls. "Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora had moved into the lineup and would have an impact."

The defense and goaltending remained formidable. Martin Brodeur had reached the upper echelon of NHL puck-stoppers and in front of him were a pair of future Hall of Fame defenders, captain Scott Stevens and Scott Neidermayer."
Right from the starting gate it was McKay who grabbed the headlines. He had a goal in each of the club's first four games and finished October with seven goals, two assists and nine points in 11 games.
"We were motivated," said Holik. "All we had to do is remember how the Rangers beat us the previous spring. We accepted the challenge ahead."
Major Domo Lou Lamoriello shared Holik's view, determined to put his club on to another Stanley Turnpike. This was no time for sentimentality. Heroes from yesteryear were put on the trading block.
One of them - 1988 playoff icon - John MacLean startled Devils-watchers by requesting a trade. Lou would oblige Mac in December 1997, dispatching him to the San Jose Sharks.
"As a young fan," Scaglione, Jr. remembered, "I was heartbroken. John had been one of my favorites."
MacLean's exit did little to decelerate the Devils Express. Brodeur would finish the season with a 1.89 goals-against average. His sidekick, Mike Dunham wasn't too shabby either.
As a matter of fact, from time to time I'd nudge coach Lemaire. "Why don't you give Dunham more games?"
A broad grin would cross Jacques' face and then he'd reply, "Because I've got Marty" and that put a period to my suggestion for a few more weeks.
When the final counting was done in April, the Devils had allowed the fewest goals against and usually would choke off enemy attacks if New Jersey scored the game's first goal.
"I liked the way we were going," said Lemaire. "Just about everyone was contributing."
Jacques Be Nimble should have been content. His club was a solid bet to lead the Atlantic Division as well as the Eastern Conference. It was a good time to be a Devils fan - except for one thing.
"They didn't have to be told," added Resch. "Leading in the regular season was one thing; the playoffs are another thing. The fans had one tour with the Stanley Cup and now they wanted another parade."
So did Lou; and in a surprise move in mid-season he traded fan favorites Bill Guerin and Valeri Zelepukin to Edmonton for big center Jason Arnott.
I remember this vividly because after the deal was announced, I was assigned to interview Val and Billy in the early morning after they gathered their gear at the South Mountain Arena training headquarters.
My SportsChannel cameraman and I watched the dawn break over the parking lot as a light drizzle covered the rink. In a sense, it felt as if we were executing a cloak and dagger operation since neither player knew we were "hiding" out there.
Finally, they emerged, the oversized hockey bags draped over their shoulders and each with two hockey sticks in hand. No question, they were a bit surprised by our staking out the car park but there were no worries since I had been good friends with each of the players.
"Off we go," chuckled Guerin, "a new adventure in a new country. But it was all good here in Jersey and I'll never forget '95, the sweep of Detroit and all the celebration that followed."
Tall and ever handsome, the Russian-born Zelly was equally appreciative of his time as a Devil. "Now," he said in parting, "we'll see what happens." And soon they drove off on the first leg of their trip to Edmonton.
Normally, I wouldn't have reacted strongly as their van disappeared from the lot, but I remembered being the emcee and chief speaker at the post-Cup celebration for Guerin at a Springfield, Massachusetts hotel back in June '95 and I had been pals with Billy's mom and dad and kid brother.
For me, on a personal level, this was a sad moment but had to be forgotten. Business was business and now we had to deal with the urgency of pulling down the curtain on the long season.
"If the first act of a play was the regular season," one of the Devils beat reporters observed, "it would have been rated a smash hit."
And so it was. Holik led the team in scoring with 29 red lights; plus they tamed the hated Rangers which delighted fans like Scaglione, Jr. no end.
Leo: "This was the start of the Devils incredible run of not losing to the Rangers again until 2001."
A scout's view of New Jersey's lineup prior to the playoffs inspired him to predict, "Jacques has the kind of balance that could take his club to the Final round."
In addition to the headliners, Lemaire was encouraged by such foot soldiers as Steve Thomas, Bob Carpenter and Brian Rolston up front with Lyle Odelein and Sheldon Souray manning the blue line.
Facing New Jersey in the opening playoff round was an Ottawa Senators team featuring some darn good players but certainly not the high-quality talent spread over the Devils roster.
On paper it should have been a Devils first round win. New Jersey completed the season 48-23-11 while the Senators finished just one win over the .500 mark.
Ottawa ranked fifth in the Northeast Division and eighth in the Eastern Conference. Their top scorers included Alexei Yashin and captain Daniel Alfredsson. Their goaltender, Damian Rhodes achieved "fame" by showing off a leopard-skin jock strop!
But, to the Devils enormous surprise and great dismay, this was no clown opponent. Opening at The Meadowlands, the Visitors stunned Lemaire by winning in overtime.
Finally, the Devs awakened and tied the series. But, I remember in the post-game analysis for SportsChannel mentioning that our guys seemed off-kilter. "Their gyroscope just ain't right," I told my producer Roland Dratch on our flight to Canada's capital city.
Sure enough, the Devils dropped the next pair of games in Kanata, Ontario, where the Senators played their home games. But the Devils had one last gasp and captured Game 5 before returning north.
Traveling with the team back to Ottawa, I felt that the Devils still could rebound from the abyss and pull out the series. I nurtured this optimism until the day of the game when we covered the morning skate.
Then, two bigthings went wrong:
1. We learned that Bobby Holik had suffered food poisoning and likely would be unable to play that night. (He didn't.)
2. After the Devils scrimmage, Lemaire - totally out of character - became involved in a shouting match with a couple of New York writers.
Combined, the double-dip incidents left me with a most depressing feeling in the pit of my stomach.
The fact that the Senators goalie, Rhodes, was out-playing Brodeur didn't help either, nor did an inexplicable decline in the Devils' chemistry.
"The team was gripping the sticks too tight," one scout noted.
In any event Ottawa took the game and the series and would cause Lamoriello to make major changes ahead.
"We have to do better than that," Lou said in conclusion, "and we will!"