Elias lauded as great player, terrific teammate with Devils

NEWARK, N.J. -- Patrik Elias will become the first forward to have his number retired by the New Jersey Devils in a ceremony prior to the game against the New York Islanders at Prudential Center on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, MSG+ 2, NHL.TV).
Elias is the Devils leader in points (1,025), goals (408), assists (617), game-winning goals (80) and points in a season (96, in 2000-01). His No. 26 will join defensemen Ken Daneyko (No. 3), Scott Stevens (No. 4), Scott Niedermayer (No. 27), and goaltender Martin Brodeur (No. 30) as the players to have his number retired by New Jersey.

Elias, a native of the Czech Republic, was the first European-born captain in Devils history and always seemed to turn his game up a notch during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He had 125 points (45 goals, 80 assists) in 162 playoff games and helped the Devils win the Stanley Cup in 2000 and 2003.
Elias, who was selected in the second round (No. 51) of the 1994 NHL Draft. played 20 seasons for the Devils before retiring in March 2016. He skated one last time on April 8, 2016, during a farewell tribute at Prudential Center.
Here are some thoughts from former and current players, managers and others who knew Elias:

Sergei Brylin (Teammate from 1995-2008)

"We kind of started together and played a lot of games together. I'm just so happy to be a part of his success story because he was a very special player; not just for our team but the whole League. We spent a lot of time together outside of the rink and those were great times; we even vacationed together. He had a great hockey sense and his ability to make plays and see the ice and connect with his linemates was so good. It wasn't just on the 'A Line' with Petr Sykora and Jason Arnott. He had success with all players he played with for a long time. You don't win two Stanley Cup championships just by being a skilled guy. He was a guy able to compete, win the battles and make big plays. He was a big-time player for us at key moments."

Ken Daneyko (Teammate from 1995-2003)

"He certainly goes down as the greatest offensive player in Devils history. Never in a million years did I think he'd get to a level he got, but he was a student of the game and worked hard to get there. He scored so many big-time goals, none greater than the one he scored in 2000 in Philadelphia to help us win Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Flyers. That's the one I'll never forget, scoring late in the game when he kind of wrapped it around the goaltender. Big-time players score in the clutch, and Patty was one of them. When he got to the team (in 1995-96), he was a very shy, quiet kid. I remember going out with him and Petr Sykora a couple years after he had arrived. I had a blast with the two Czech kids too. We had a few pops and I remember Patty couldn't really speak good English but was learning quickly. He had a unique personality. It's not easy getting acclimated here coming all the way from the Czech Republic. He was a special player."

Andy Greene (Teammate from 2006-16)

"Just the way he handled himself on and off the ice and taught me how to be a pro. Watching him prepare in the summers, during the season and workouts and the way he trained and [handled his] diet was great. I just think the loyalty he showed here, and how much he loved being a Devil and what that meant to him and his family were tremendous. Yes, he was a really good offensive player, but he was also a really good defensive forward too. Whatever the team needed him to be, he did it and sacrificed. He always put the organization first."

John Hynes (Devils coach, 2015-present)

"Patrik is one of the best players to ever play here. He epitomizes what a Devil is. He's a highly talented player but driven, competitive and loyal. My first year in the NHL was his last, but his insights, care level for the organization and the impact he has had on the leaders we have now, like the Andy Greenes, the Travis Zajacs, has been tremendous. He continues to impact those guys, and his legacy is still in our locker room. I still talk to him to this day. I text him and he calls me a couple times a year. He watches the games even when he's over in Czech Republic. He's been a great resource and role model and, fortunately for me, to have the opportunity to get to know him and develop a relationship with him has been fantastic. The only thing I wish is that I could have coached him longer than I did (16 games)."

Matt Loughlin (Devils radio play-by-play announcer since 2006)

"I've been going around asking a lot of the fans what they think about Patrik. I get 'clutch,' of course, because of some of the goals and assists he's had. But I also get 'humble,' 'man of the people,' 'all class,' and that resonates with the fans and with me too. He was one of those guys who knew how good he was. Patrik has an ego like all these players do, but certainly he understood that it was in the context of a bigger picture and bigger world. He wanted to succeed, but when he walked out of here he just wanted to be Patrik Elias, a regular Joe. I think that's kind of how he's lived his life, and so it's been fun to see him grow as a kid, not really knowing the language and coming into a locker room filled with grizzled veterans who had won a Stanley Cup and him being a part of two more after that was pretty cool."

Zach Parise (Teammate from 2005-12)

"He was always good to me as a young guy, and I learned a lot from him. I had a lot of fun playing with him. I thought we had some good chemistry when he and I played together. I didn't know much about him until I got here; I knew he had good seasons, but I don't feel like he ever got the attention or the accolades he deserved, and I think he's one of those guys that you understand how good of a player he is when you play with him. He was such a smart hockey player; he knows the game. He played all over the ice, played every position, played both ends, but he was always easy to play with. I'm glad they're retiring his number. For a guy who has done all that he's done, to get recognized this way, I think is great for him."

Ray Shero (Devils general manager, 2015-present)

"I remember seeing him for the first time and thinking he was a lot bigger than I thought he was; he's a big dude. I know I only got to see him play 16 games as general manager here in New Jersey, but one of the best things for me and coach John Hynes is that he's been incredible to deal with, especially in our first year. He was always supportive when he could have gone either way with a first-year coach and only the second general manager he's ever had. I couldn't speak more highly of him as a person. He made players around him better. He had a great awareness on the ice and great instincts you couldn't teach. He was so clutch in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and has created so many great memories with the same organization and that's something you don't see that often. The fans just adore Patrik Elias, and that's something I believe he really appreciates."

#

Scott Stevens (Teammate from 1995-2004)

"He kind of went under the radar a little bit but was just a smart hockey player who could play in any situation. I mean, let's be realistic, we were a great defensive team, but when we needed a big goal he was either scoring that goal or setting that goal up. That's what he was for us. There's no question he's the most deserving forward in the history of the Devils because of what he brought to the table for us. He was a great all-around player, a smart player, could slow the game down and make plays and scored big goals. He was great in shootouts too. I'm excited to have him up there in the rafters with Niedermayer, Daneyko, Brodeur and myself. Being the first forward is definitely great to see; he's the right guy and I'm looking forward to the night."

Jakub Voracek (Flyers forward; Czech Republic teammate at 2014 Sochi Olympics)

"He was an extremely smart player that could do everything: defense, offense, power play, penalty kill. He was one of the best Czech-born players ever. He's a guy and a player that could do it all, and has been around for a very long time. He won two Stanley Cup championships, and with one organization, which we don't see happen much anymore. I was with him at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the World Championships in Bratislava. When I was with him in Bratislava it was 2011, and you watch those guys. I was still 21 years old; he was an older guy you look at and see what they're doing right. They don't even have to bring their A game every single game, but they always find a way to contribute to the team, whether it's winning face-offs, having a good penalty kill or scoring a big goal. I think he's the kind of guy that always contributes to the team no matter where he was."

#

Pavel Zacha (Teammate in 2016)

"It was great for me that I had a chance to play with him the one game (when Elias had a goal and two assists in a 5-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 9, 2016). I was really nervous since that was my first NHL game and I was playing in the lineup with him; something I never thought would happen and something I'll never forget. He was always a smart player and he made plays in the really hard situations like the Stanley Cup Playoffs. His smartness and how good he plays in the tough moments are things I'll remember most."

Travis Zajac (Teammate from 2006-16)

"When I think about Patty, I think about competitiveness and hockey IQ. I think about making players around him better, and I think that's the greatest compliment you could give someone. He made guys around him elevate their game and I think because of his skill level and vision and he made the game easier for everybody and I think that's what made him so special. And it's meaningful now to play with the same organization for so many years. I feel like he deserves more credit than he probably gets offensively, just because of the way he played the game. He played both ends of the ice, he played a bunch of situations, on the power play, the penalty-kill, even strength, and those were some of his greatest attributes."