Patrik Elias has been a fixture with the New Jersey Devils for almost 30 years and it didn’t take him long to recall the last time there was this much excitement coming into a season.
“Turn of the century,” the franchise’s all-time leader in points, goals and assists said as he walked out of the Prudential Center after a recent training camp practice.
Y2K was a very memorable time in New Jersey. The Devils won their second Stanley Cup championship with Elias and his “A Line” joining Hall of Famers Martin Brodeur, Scotty Stevens and Scott Niedermayer in beating Dallas in the final. A year later, New Jersey lost in seven games to Colorado in the final and two years later it earned a third title beating Anaheim in seven games.
Add in the 1995 championship and the decade was zenith of the franchise.
With the exception of a trip to the Cup Final in 2012 for a loss to Los Angeles, these have been dark times for the Devils. Between the 2012-13 season and 2021-22, they made the playoffs once, and they were one of the league’s worst team in ‘21-’22, collecting 63 points.
New Jersey beat the New York Rangers in the opening round before losing to Carolina in the second.
“They made a big stride last year, you know, and we needed it,” said Elias, who played 20 seasons with the Devils. “It was right time for those guys who have been here for three or four years to take the next step and they did. Hopefully they can build on that because of the feeling they had, the potentials they have.”
