Most people that have been talking hockey with me since free agency began this year knows that the main UFA that I’ve been watching is none other than Brendan Shanahan. Sure, Teemu Selanne, Joe Sakic and Mats Sundin were a concern, but Shanahan was my main concern.
I have known since last month that Sundin only had eyes for the New York Rangers. I was told that the Rangers were the only team that Sundin approached while other teams like the Vancouver Canucks, the Montreal Canadiens and the Colorado Avalanche made their play for the former Toronto Maple Leafs captain. I watched intently as Sundin crossed each team off of his list. Last week, the media outlets got wind of Sundin’s New York state of mind. Now, the rest of the NHL waits for Sundin’s decision.
Until Sundin makes his decision, no team will sign any other UFA. That means that Selanne, Shanahan and Sakic are on hold indefinitely until Sundin inks a deal.
The Four S’s of free agency have many offers on the table, but teams are waiting for Sundin to sign before finalizing their rosters and re-adjusting their salary caps.
For the sake of the other three UFAs, I’m in hopes that Sundin inks a deal soon. If it is with the Rangers, then Shanahan is being dealt some bad news and he’ll be forced to find a team elsewhere (when he should have just inked a deal with the Devils earlier on and saved himself from all of these ‘talks’ with Sather).
I debated whether to do my points on why I believe Shanahan should return to the Devils, like I have seen reporters for the St. Louis Blues do. But one thing came across that I just did not like. One reporter from St. Louis Today said that, “A one-year deal would make sense for Shanahan (he could retire after the season).”
Now, really…the logistics of that notion does not make sense to me. Why uproot your family from a city that they love (and after purchasing that $13M+ apartment in Manhattan last December) just to go back to St. Louis, Missouri to play hockey for one year? Or maybe they missed that announcement about the $13M+ apartment on Park Avenue, or the kids knowing how to call a cab faster then he can, or the fact that he can have his groceries delivered instead of carrying it several blocks down the street, or the fact that he can live in Manhattan incognito because New Yorkers like to mind their own business when they are out in public. New York City is a lifestyle, not just a city or a home.
It would appear that his entire family has embraced that lifestyle all the way down to the socialite community fundraising events. Oh, did I mention his wife is considered a socialite in Manhattan (very hard thing to get into unless you are introduced into the Manhattan socialite circle).
Brendan’s desire to stay with the New York Rangers may lie more in the desire to stay in Manhattan. But I do understand the prestige and VIP lifestyle of what it means to be a New York Ranger. No other team in the league gets that five-star treatment. While they bask in the luxury hotels, the other teams go for the second rate lifestyle. There is a difference. It’s hard to break from the glamour and luxury once you’ve had a taste of it. It makes you almost human to go someplace else and not have those little luxuries anymore.
That’s why I say Brendan should go across the river. He doesn’t have to give up the Manhattan lifestyle. He can still go to MSG every game day, but he’ll have to go underground, hop on the NJ Transit train and head straight to Newark. It’s only a 20 minute ride and the train station is two blocks away from the arena.
He wouldn’t have to deal with piss poor ratings from the fans (or the constant reminders of how he didn’t do a good job). Fans in Newark just aren’t that way. Most fans in Newark are fans of hockey, not the New Jersey Devils. So it’s a different breed of fans out there. The practice facility is located in the same place where his home games will take place. The guys on his team are quality guys, one of which happens to be on his way to becoming the greatest goaltender ever in the history of the NHL (not my opinion – just a matter of statistics). Frankly, I’d be honored to play on the same team as Marty Brodeur, just because you’re working with a man who is becoming a legend and will be in the Hall of Fame for a long time (because it’s going to be a while before anyone breaks all of his records).
But what’s most important is that if Shanny were to have an injury that prevents him from playing well (like last season) he will not be criticized for it as much as the NY press and fans have ridiculed him. It’s not his fault he got injured (so why give him a 30% approval rating knowing that next season will be different?).
The luxury of being a NJ Devil is that Lou likes to protect his players (unlike other teams that will go nameless). That’s what makes a happy Devil. Their only concern is hockey, not just the fame and glory that exists across the river. It’s a bad night when they lose. They contemplate their mistakes and how they will change that going forward. Brent Sutter is a tough coach, but level headed and he is all about his team…meaning, if he had an ego, I have yet to see it. He works with his players, all the way down to the rookies. He cares about each player. He doesn’t leave the instruction and teachings to just practice. You can see him behind the bench talking to each player individually to help them grow, rather then criticize them or ‘bench’ them for making a mistake. Mistakes happen. A good coach will take his player to the side and tell him what he needs to do differently when his shift starts again that will make the play a better play both for the team and the individual player.
Everything about the NJ Devils is about hockey – NOT EGO. It’s not about fame. It’s not about glory. It’s about striving to be the best in hockey without all the glamour (glamour = false perceptions).
What I’ve loved about working with the NJ Devils this past season is that it’s a fly under the radar kind of team. It’s almost like they are the underdog, but a force to be reckoned with. They get very little press coverage, and in a way, that is a good thing for the team. Why? Because it makes them focus on the task at hand and not worry about what some reporter is saying about them or going to say about them. That is why the Devils only allow the elite writers in. Not just anyone can get in.
The Devils are about being a gentleman. It’s about radiating respect. As I’ve heard many fans say, you can’t help but have respect for them, even if they are the competition.
Going to the Devils would mean that the Shanahan family can stay in New York City. They don’t have to sell that brand new apartment on Park Avenue. They don’t have to uproot the kids and move back to St. Louis or Canada. They could stay put and continue living this lifestyle in Manhattan that they’ve quickly grown accustomed to. In these past few years, they have become New Yorkers. And unless you’re a New Yorker, you have no idea what it means to be ripped from this city. It’s not just a home, it is a lifestyle. New York flows through their veins…going anyplace else just isn’t the same, because they will always feel the city calling back to them to come back home.
Shanny stays. It’s either the Rangers or the Devils. But I’m rooting that he’ll come across the river and spend a few years in New Jersey. With Shanahan, I can see the Devils bringing home Lord Stanley once again. With the Rangers next season, I am not so confident he could bring the Cup back to Madison Square Garden. With the Devils, I think he can hoist that Cup one last time.
I know I don’t need to convince the Devils what Shanahan can bring to the table for them. I think we all know this by now. But I can actually see how much of a good thing it would be for the team to have Shanahan’s leadership skills both on and off the ice (no matter where he goes). He could be a real leader for everyone. It’s not just the Rangers’ youth that can use his inspiration, the Devils’ youth could benefit from it, as well.
