Meet the Devs: #7 D Henrik Tallinder

Henrik Tallider was drafted 48th overall in 1997 by the Buffalo Sabres. Henrik played 76 games in the 2002 season for the Rochester Americans in the AHL and 2 games in the NHL with the Sabres. In the AHL that year he scored 6 goals and added 14 assists for a total of 20 points. He went scoreless in his two games with Buffalo.

The following year Henrik earned a full-time NHL position but only played in 46 games followed by 72 in 2003-04. He scored 23 points between the two years prior to the NHL lockout in 2005.

During the NHL lockout he played 44 games in the Swedish Elite League. It was during this time that himself, Kristian Huselius, and Andreas Lilja were accused of sexually harassing a 22-year old woman in Sweden. However the case was dropped in June 2005.

When NHL hockey returned for the 2005-06 season, Tallider had a career year. He scored 6 goals and added 15 assists; the highest total of points in his NHL career. He is the first defenseman on the Buffalo Sabres to score a shootout goal. That shootout goal cam against none other than Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils. His goal totals dwindled over the next couple of seasons but his assist total stayed high, including a career high 17 assists in 2008.

In July 2010, the Pittsburgh Penguins signed New Jersey defensman Paul Martin. Paul was beloved by Devil fans for his hard, accurate slapshot and ability to set up plays from deep within the Devils' own zone. New Jersey quickly signed Tallinder to a 4-year contract along with Anton Volchenkov to try and stop the bleeding of losing Martin.

Henrik Tallinder came into NJ wearing lucky #7. He scored 5 goals and notched 11 assists in his first year with New Jersey. Now entering his second year in the Garden State, we're anxious to see how his 2011-12 season goes.

Meet the Devs: D #6 Andy Greene

Andy Greene has become one of, if not THE core defenseman for the New Jersey Devils. With the loss of Colin White, Greene will have to step it up even more to be the Devils' top veteran D-man. On a personal note, I really disliked Andy in his first year with NJ. I felt he made a lot of rookie mistakes but soon he bacame one of my favorite Devils. An accurate, easily defected slapshot from the point has made him a valuable asset for Jersey's team on offense as well as defense.

Andy grew up on Trenton. No, not Trenton, NJ but Trenton, MI. He attended Miami University. No, not Miami, FL but Miami, OH. I'm starting to see a pattern here.

He was signed out college to be sent to the Lowell Devils. When Johnny Oduya was injured, Andy was called up to play for New Jersey. He played 23 games with New Jersey scoring one goal, his first ever NHL goal. He was sent back to Lowell when Oduya returned however he was recalled once again when Colin White went down with an injury. When White returned it was playoff time which meant the salary cap didn't apply making Greene eligable to play in NJ. He played in all 11 games of the playoffs that year. When Richard Matvichuk retruned from injury everyone thought Andy would be scratched however Coach Julien felt Andy had played so well he would not scratch him and instead put Johnny Oduya on the shelf. Greene scored three points that playoff year with two goals and an assist.

Over the next two seasons Andy would be a part-time starter, playing in 59 games in 2008 and 49 in 2009. But then, in the 2009-10 season Andy started out as a helthy scratch once again only being brought up on emergency a few days into the season. He completely revamped his style of play and scored a career high 6 goals and 31 assists that year becoming a full-time starter.

The following season in the 2010-11 campaign, Andy Greene remained a top D-man for the Devils. He finished 6th on the team in scoring and 1st among defenseman. He scored four goals and added 19 assists for a total of 23 points on the year.

He enters the 2011-12 season most likely the top defenseman on the top line. I'm sure all Devil fans like me are excited to see Andy shine once again ina new year.

Meet the Devs: G #1 Johan "Moose" Hedberg

The man known as the Moose made his NHL debut in the 2000-01 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. In his first ever game he was called up last minute and had to use his IHL mask where he played for the Manitoba Moose.

The mask had a giant Moose painted on it. Penguin fans started to call out "Mooooooose" whenever he made a save which is often misunderstood as boo's, a tradition that followed him throughout his entire career.

Hedberg went 7-1-1 in his first season in the NHL and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals as the starter losing to none other than the Devils.

Over the next few seasons after a tremendous rookie season he started to level off with losing records. He signed with the Vancouver Canucks where he split duty with Dan Cloutier and Alex Auld and had a 8-6 record in 21 games.

After the lockout he went to Dallas. While on the Stars he got two assists in one game and still to this day is the only goalie in Star history to do so. He was a backup to Marty Turco despite going
12-4-1.

The following season he went to the now defunct Atlanta Thrashers. In his first year with Atlanta he got his first taste of playoff hockey since the 2001 playoff run. He split 4 games with starting goalie Kari Lehtonen. The Thrashers lost all 4 games of that series to the Rangers.

Moose became the starter for Atlanta the following season, and had winning records two of the three final seasons on his contract with Atlanta.

Johan Hedberg signed with the Devils in the summer of 2010 and split duty with Marty Brodeur. Marty had extensive injuries and Moose had to stand up to the pressure of fighting for a playoff spot and although they didn't make it he quickly became a fan favorite with Devil fans. He finished his first season with NJ at 15-12-2. He signed a one-year no trade extension for the 2011-12 season with the Devils the same day as defenseman Andy Greene.

Marty Rebuilds the Wall With New Bricks

Martin Brodeur brings back his infamous "J" mask for the new season. All I can say is "thank the Lord!" Most people including myself felt that the old "J" mask gave him luck throughout his career, and ever since he switched to the MB30 mask he's been injured for extended periods of time, scored on countless times, and giving up easy goals.

Marty used the "J" mask for 15 years before switching to the MB30 design. In 1992, Brodeur was called up on emergency for the injured Billington and Terreri from the Devils' AHL affiliate in Utica. He had no mask to wear so he used his Utica helmet which was plain red with the word "Devils" written on the side. When he was called up in the 1993-94 season he wore the "J" mask we know today never adding the "N" because he wasn't sure how long he'd be in the NHL. After the tremendous 1994 rookie campaign he never switched it. Over the following nine years he won three Stanley
Cups wearing the "unfinished logo J mask".

Then is 2008, he debuted the MB30 mask to mixed reaction from fans. A month into that very season he took a shot from an Atlanta Thrasher on the shoulder which seemed harmless but it turned out he tore a muscle and was out for 16 weeks. He was just a few wins shy of the 551 wins record held by Patrick Roy. He returned to get his 99th shutout of his career against the Colorado Avalanche in his very first game back from the injury. He tied the 551 record in his home town of Montreal. Then on St. Patrick's day 2009 he broke the record in front of a sellout crowd at the Prudential Center against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Now for the 2011-12 season the "J" is back. The MB30 logo is almost superimposed onto it which I honestly find pretty cool. The padding is awesome. I love the old-style "waffle" blocker.

Martin Brodeur is certainly the greatest goalie in the NHL, and the greatest goalie in the world needs to personalize himself and this is how he does it.


Pictures belong to http://www.newjerseydevils.com

PF&HS Presents: Meet the Devs

In our first edition of "Meet the Devs" we are going to take a look at the newest Devils for the 2011-12 season. Some of them we've seen before in the red and black and some we have not. We'll also take a look at the newest coaching staff as well.

Cam Janssen: Cam Janssen is not known for goal scoring, and anybody who has followed Devils hockey knows that. This is his second stint with the team and according to his twitter he's excited to be back in NJ. Cam is known specifically as a fighter. Anytime there was a fight you almost always knew it was janssen in the mix. He scored one goal in a Devils' uniform against the Capitals. He broke free after being released of the penalty box (where he spent most of his games) and gave a hard slapshot that went right past the Washington goalie. He was traded to the St. Louis Blues (his hometown) for current Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador.

Jay Leach: Jay Leach hasn't had a long career but he never stays in one place. He played for the Devils in 2009. Basically getting moved mid-season every year he was aquired by the Devils in February for Patrick Davis and Michael Swift and spent 7 games with NJ. He scored 1 goal for the Sharks in 2010 and that is his only career goal since joining the NHL in 2006 with the Boston Bruins. I went to a presason game a few years ago in his first term in NJ and some Ranger fan just kept screaming "Our Leetch is better!" Yes, let's compare Jay Leach to Brian Leetch just to make yourself feel better. Typical Rag fan. Jay will most likely spend most of this season as either a long-term healthy scratch of up in Albany.

Eric Boulton: We're getting our first look at Eric Boulton in a Devils' uniform this year. From what I gather he likes a more "hands-on" approach to the sport. A lot of coaches hate him whether he's on their team or against him. In 2005, he elbowed Eric Lindros and Paul Ranger and was suspended for the latter. Honestly anyone named "Ranger" deserves it, and Eric Lindros, well... Any Devils' fan will back me up on this. Eric is a walking bruised brain, and Boulton was just putting him out of his misery. His 6 goals last year were his best of his career but his PIM is through the roof. Between him Cam, and of course David Clarkson, the Devs might be a hard-hitting fighting franchise next season.

David Steckel: Steckel was traded to the Devils last year for Jason Arnott. It wasn't a very popular trade with fans but Steckel is a former first round pick. 304 games and 24 goals is his tally including one goal with NJ last year during the dramtic late-season comeback.

Adam Larsson: We're all excited to see how Larsson makes an impact on the Devils. The 18-year old Swede was the steal of the draft. Picked 4th overall he was the highest pick for the Devils since Scott Niedermayer. Scouted as the #1 European and #1 D-man in the draft, the Swedish kid signed a deal with NJ making him eligible to play in NJ this Fall. He still has one-year left on his SEL contract but is still expected to play in United States. He's being compared to Niklas Lidstrom.

Pitchforks and Hockey Sticks will be continuing to provide you with "Meet the Devs" daily featuring two Devils' players every day and eventually the coaches. PF&HS looks forward to bringing you the top notch info on your New Jersey Devils throughout the 2011-12 NHL season.

A "C" of Candidates

The Captaincy of the NJ Devils has been under a lot of fan speculation ever since the departure of Jamie Langenbrunner. Right now we have 3 Alternate captains: Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Patrik Elias.

Well we need to decide on a long term captain, one that can give us the leadership and be the foundation of the team for years to come the same way Scott Stevens did. Here are a couple possible candidates:

Zach Parise #9: No one can doubt that ZP9 has been our core for the past few seasons and is most likely the top candidate for the "C" on his sweater. Zach came off a terrible season last year with a major injury he had early in the season and only returned for one game at the end of the season. If he wants the "C" the 163 goal scorer is going to have to prove he's the man for the job.

Ilya Kovalchuk #17: Mr Koval-clutch proved last season that he's a powerhouse of goals with miraculous sniping ability and a knack for finding open ice for himself. For his standards his season last year was poor but still was able to carry the Devs through the comeback I dubbed "The Newark Miracle" which came within 6 points of coming full circle. OT goals and fan-pumping goal celebrations made watching the Devils play a true edge-of-your-seat thrill ride all throughtout the comeback. Whenever his skates touched the ice every team took notice.

Patrik Elias #26: Patty has been the captain before so he knows the ropes of being the leader. The Devils' all-time leading scorer is a true NJ Devil through-and-through. A strong season last year alongside the now traded Brian Rolston saw Elias pick up a hat trick. Just call him "Hattrick Elias".

Travis Zajac #19: Travis is now a main-stay with the Devils. He takes faceoffs almost as well as John Madden and can set up plays that can give his team a huge edge in any situation. Last season he broke Kenny Daneyko's consecutive game streak in a game against the Thrashers which I attended. The place erupted when Kevin Clark announced it.

Mattias Tedenby #21: I know he's just a kid, and may be a dark horse in this group but the Speedy-Swede proved last year he is a great player. Although defensively a slight liability his goal scoring and lightning agility proved dividends for NJ last season, including a beautiful backhanded penalty shot against the Caps in a crushing victory for the Devs.

Dainus Zubrus #8: Zoooooooby had a poor season last year and his aquisition has been called a bust by other NHL bloggers. However I feel Zoob has made a huge impact on the team. Look at any time he's in some sort of a scrum in a corner, he's so big that nobody short of Chara can take him out and always wins battles for the puck.


All in all, the fight for the captaincy is underway for Coach Deboer who has a tough decision to make. But there is no doubt that someone on this list will have a "C" sewen on their left chest by October.

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