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February 26, 2009

I Am Blogging Today With Mixed Emotions...

The world I used to know and the world I am in now, are colliding.

This man, Martin Brodeur, is, without question, and without argument, the greatest hockey goalie to ever play the game. (IMHO, as the kids are typing these days.)

This goaltending legend, a personal sports hero of mine, was injured back on the first day of November of 2008, eight games into the season. He has missed 50 games so far, but will be in goal tonight against the Colorado Avalanche.

So I should be happy right? I should be jumping for joy that Marty is back between the pipes? Well, I suppose I should be, but that is where my mixed emotions come in.

His backups, Kevin Weekes and Scott Clemmensen have played brilliantly for the Devils in the place of Marty. Today it was announced that Scott Clemmenson (who played the bulk of those games in place of #30,) was sent down to the Devils farm team, to make room on the roster for the now healthy Brodeur.

And thus I am conflicted, because the Devils have gotten to play in front of Scott for a good chunk of the last 50 games, and is playing well enough to find themselves in first place in their division. They have worked to create a rhythm, a tempo and a work ethic that got them to the top. Now, Marty will come in, and be brilliant all over again, but I am not, and this is difficult to type, expecting that brilliance for the first few games of his return. Why? Because he had that tempo once. He had a rhythm as well. But after sitting out for the better part of four months, he will be rusty, even though he has said he is ready, the doctors declared him healthy, and he has been practicing for a few weeks now. Because I have followed him through his career in New Jersey, (and even got the chance to interview him once) I know that he has a work ethic that cannot words cannot describe. He says he is in the best shape of his career, and he wants to get back to playing, badly.

Once again, mixed emotions for me. Why mess with a good thing? (Which was an incredibly hard statement for me to make...) Clemmensen won a bunch of games, including two back-to-back shutouts, and his reward is to get sent down. "Clemmer" as his teammates call him is a career backup, so for him, this wasn't terribly unexpected. Now, we are to expect that Marty can come back from a four month rest, and everything is going to be okay? I guess the worrier in me, the pessimist, can't really handle that.

Scott, on behalf of me, I would like to thank you for your hard work and dedication. Your contributions to this team will NEVER be forgotten by me, and you deserve the raise Lord Stanley's Cup when the time comes. Thank you.

Marty may be missing the tempo and the rhythm of the game, but do not mistake my pessimism for not being a true and loyal fan. Marty will get those things back again, and the Devils will learn to play with the once, present and future leader.

No matter what the outcome, tonight's game is going to be interesting to watch. (Or in my case, read about, since I have to be at training and won't be able to watch or listen to the game. Damn it.)

It is my honor, and my pleasure to call myself a New Jersey Devils fan. I have been one since elementary school, and I will be one for my entire life.

Welcome back Marty, we missed you. Do us proud...

Posted by Jon at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)

February 24, 2009

This Is Why We Do What We Do...

Posted by Jon at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)

February 23, 2009

I Hate Dirty Snow...

I do.

in general, I hate snow. I used to not hate snow, when I was kid. That was because I could play in it, stay home from school because of it, and throw snowballs at people I wanted to throw snowballs at.

But now, snow is nothing but an irritant. It shuts down cities, makes people (and me) really, really cold, and if not the right consistency, is useless for snowballs. It is, however, great for skiing, which I love to do, but can't since it's super expensive to do, and Megan hates it. Ironic, isn't it?

The worst, though, is dirty snow.

The once pristine, crystal clear, bright white frozen precipitation has turned to muck. It is a sign that the snow has hung around for too long, and that it is time for a change.

A change to warmer temperatures.

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while.

Perhaps I''ll do more.

See you soon.

Posted by Jon at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)