A Devilish Spirit

Baby Faced Assassin Jacob Josefson turned 20 this month

Two competing beat reporters looking out for each other during a deadline crunch; a 9-figure superstar sharing his time and autographs with get-a-lifers on a cold street corner; An aging franchise goalie refusing to complain after his teammates hung him out to dry repeatedly in a must win game. There is a vibe, a selfless spirit of sorts, permeating in, around and through this hockey club. A spirit that manifests itself in good will, and more importantly to the cold bottom line-driven western world we live in, clicks in the win column and spaces jumped in the standings.

Although tied with two other clubs, due to tiebreaks the Devils are alone in 10th place after Tuesday night's stirring, dramatic and at times heart-stopping 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers. These two teams have played twice in 5 nights, a home and home crossroads series of sorts, and the Devils have leapfrogged the Thrashers in the standings. Pretenders and contenders. The former last place Devils are contenders, the former first place Thrashers are pretenders. In the words of Buffalo Springfield, "There's something happening here, what it is aint exactly clear..." More evidence of spirits at work: 16,000 fans came to a dangerous urban slum and paid top dollar to watch a .500 hockey team on a Tuesday night. That miraculous fact is just business as usual for a franchise that has been resurrected.

And it's not hard to find the precise moment in time when the switch was turned and they went from worst to best--Friday, January 7, 2011. They jettisoned their captain. "A classic case of addition by subtraction," said Devils radio commentator Sherry Ross on the trading of the often pouty Jamie Langenbrunner. "He had been approached for a trade earlier in the year but said no. (Langenbrunner had a "no-trade" clause in his contract.) But when Jacques got hired, that clinched it." Trading a two-time Olympian, the captain not only of the Devils but of Team USA's proud 2010 silver medalists from Vancouver changed everything. They have been 18 games over .500 since, moving from bottom of the heap to playoff contender. Getting rid of a top-six forward in return for no player. Addition by subtraction, a world turned upside down.

Two sets of stories emerge from Newark on this night...on-ice magic and off ice magic. From the ice...20 and 21 year old Swedish linemates, guys who had combined for two medals at the prestigious World Junior Championship in recent years, are pumping life into the Devils offense. Jacob Josefson and Mattias Tedenby combined for the winning goal after the Devils trailed by 2. An apparent tying goal beat Marty Brodeur in the final minute, a complete and utter buzz kill for the whole building, until it was waived off because of a high stick. Solid citizen Travis Zajac becomes the franchise leader in consecutive games played, and he scores a killer goal at the end of the first period, without which most experts think they lose the game. With an open net staring at him in the closing seconds, he handed off the puck to Ilya Kovalchuk who had been pressing for a goal all night. Kovy connected and got his wish. Soft-spoken and selfless after the game, Zajac embodies the Devils E Pluribus Unum--"out of many, one." The younger of the two Swedes, Jacob Josefson, who still has a baby face, scored his second goal in as many nights on a perfect feed from his 21 year old countryman. "I knew that he knew I was open," said Josefson. Those 8 words perfectly define offensive hockey magic. Knowledge and trust of your linemate translates to success in the incredibly tight checking NHL. The sum greater than the individual parts. "These guys know each other a lot," said Brodeur. "The chemistry has been good." A brilliant give and go between former Devils Cup champions Patrik Elias and Brian Rolston, where the shooter and the playmaker reversed roles, tied the game in the second period and ignited the crowd. Hockey magic, an NHL goal made to look easy when it's one of the hardest things in all of pro sports.

Now the off the ice stuff. Devils P.R. professionals kindly notified the post-game media horde that Brodeur was going to be late for his sound bites, and then asked if they wanted to hear from Jacques Lemaire in the press room. Bergen Record beat reporter Tom Gulitti noticed that New York Post writer Mark Everson, his competition, was still interviewing Travis Zajac, and asked the P.R. staff to hold off on Lemaire because Everson was still working the locker room. To my knowledge, that's NEVER been done before. But it's business as usual in Newark. Eventually the Lemaire show went on without Everson, and another accredited journalist offered his recording of the Lemaire press conference to Everson. Kindness begets kindness, even among hard-boiled journalists.

Lemaire was informed by MSG news hound Anthony Fucilli that 5 of their next 6 games are on the road. Thanks Fooch. Brodeur asked Gulitti about out of town scores, thanks Tom. And after all the media had been satisfied, the players drove their expensive cars out of their restricted lot into the cold night. Fans on the street eager for autographs are herded into a pen where they hope to catch a glimpse and maybe an autograph. A large man in a white SUV the size of a small tank with Florida plates pulled over and opened his window. The man with the $100 million dollar contract stopped the car, and signed and signed and signed. The last fan, wearing a Devils windbreaker, hand Kovalchuk a puck, it was all he had. The big Russian had the perfect silver sharpie and gave him a signature for the ages. He politely pulled off into Newark traffic, followed by his agent Jay Grossman in his black Mercedes. Neither was the slightest bit impatient.

The Prudential Center Elevator operators have a lot of potential income riding on whether or not the Devils make the playoffs. "Oh, I'm ready for a miracle!" said Tuesday's operator. He smiled and pushed the button to open the doors. "I'm ready."

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