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No Jersey dynasty Devils fall one game short in repeat quest
DENVER (AP) -- Instead of a dynasty, the New Jersey Devils had tears after a two-month run to hockey history came up a game short. Soft, shaky voices and puffy red eyes heightened a quiet locker room after the Devils' run to a second consecutive title and third in seven years ended with a 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals Saturday night. Every spoken word carried a sense of loss more reserved for deaths and funerals. Losing hurt, and it hurt a lot. But don't dare think this is the end of the Devils, who have been one of the NHL's most successful teams the last decade. "We're not done yet," Scott Stevens said. "We'll come back next year and try to get back to here and win." It's not bravado from the tough Devils' captain. The nucleus of the team should remain solid with Martin Brodeur in goal, Stevens, Ken Daneyko, Scott Niedermayer and Brian Rafalski on defense and the forwards led by the A-Line of Patrik Elias, Petr Sykora and Jason Arnott. General manager Lou Lamoriello probably will make some changes after seeing how free agency plays out. Sykora, an emerging star, center Bobby Holik and forwards Sergei Brylin and Turner Stevenson are restricted free agents, but the Devils probably won't lose them. New Jersey does have five unrestricted free agents, led by right wing Alexander Mogilny, who had a team-high 43 goals in the regular season. Defensemen Sean O'Donnell and Ken Sutton, forward Bob Corkum and backup goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck are on the list, too, although Vanbiesbrouck retired after the game so he really doesn't count. Mogilny might be the biggest question mark, especially after scoring only one goal in the last 17 playoffs games. New Jersey has talent in its farm system to compensate for losses. The most notable are forwards Jiri Bicek and Pierre Dagenais, who had three goals in nine games with the Devils this season, defenseman Josef Boumedienne and goaltenders Jean-Francois Damphousse and Ari Ahonen. The one thing that the Devils have to change next year is their discipline. In rolling to the Cup in 2000, New Jersey did all the little things to win. They played positional hockey and didn't take any foolish retaliatory penalties. They took the elbows and high sticks and turned the other cheek. Not this year. In the final series alone, New Jersey was called for 50 penalties, 10 more than Colorado. "We have to learn how to play disciplined hockey," head coach Larry Robinson said. "Disciplined hockey wins championships." Despite that, the Cup was still there for the Devils to take. New Jersey squandered a chance to win it at home in Game 6 by failing to take advantage of three early power plays, and then they made three big mistakes in the final game, giving the Avalanche a 3-0 lead early in the second period. Against three-time Conn Symthe Trophy winner Patrick Roy that was just too big an obstacle to overcome. When the game ended, the tears started. Only about half the players spoke to the media after the game. Some players sat behind a curtain that was off limits. Brodeur walked through the locker room and out a side door. "The Stanley Cup is one of those things as a child you certainly want to get," said O'Donnell, who was looking to win his first cup after being acquired last in the season from Minnesota. "To come this close and not get it, you almost feel like it's been taken away from you. It's real hard." Second-year center Scott Gomez, who struggled at times in the playoffs, said the toughest thing was watching Colorado celebrate Ray Bourque's first cup in his 22-year career. "Just seeing what happened, it's a motivator and at the same time, it's a scary thought," Gomez said. "Will we ever get back to this situation? But you look around this room, we have a good core of guys. I can't see why not."
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