This is the season that Martin Brodeur awaits all year long - the postseason, a time when he proves to the world why he is one of the best goaltenders of all time. This is when he becomes the most dangerous player in the NHL. This is when he shines, especially when he is going up against the Devils’ Hudson River rivals, the New York Rangers. He can’t help but smile every single time he defeats the Rangers.

But this season, Brodeur has had very little to smile about, as the Devils won only twice in 16 tries against the NYC-area teams (the Rangers and Islanders), with both wins coming at the very end. Whether that is a sign that the Devils have started to turn their horrible luck around remains to be seen.

Over the years, I have witnessed Brodeur make incredible saves, but nothing tops his performances during the playoffs, especially when the Devils are playing against the Rangers. For the second time since the 2004-05 lockout, the Devils are set to meet the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs beginning on Wednesday night, April 9, 2008. The last time they met in the first round was in 2006, when the Devils swept the series after Jaromir Jagr dislocated his shoulder in the first game and former Devil Petr Sykora failed to step-up in Jagr’s absence.

It was during this series that I witnessed with my own eyes the most memorable goaltending ever when Brodeur was caught outside of the net, leaving the net wide open. A lone shot was made on goal, and then it was as if time was suspended like a scene out of the “Matrix.” Brodeur flew across the crease as if he were Neo (or Superman-whichever analogy you prefer) and all anyone could hear was a ‘ping.’

Everyone sat in silence, as if we could not believe what we had just seen with our own eyes. All of us, including Brodeur, watched the Jumbotron in the middle of the arena, eyes transfixed on the replay of what had just occurred. The unbelievable had just happened. Brodeur had stopped the puck while he was suspended in mid-air using the blade of his skate. I have yet to witness anything as incredible on the ice since then. There has been no other goaltender who has paralleled Brodeur’s performance in that game, and on that play in particular.

In that moment, it does not matter where your team loyalty lies. There comes a time when you just have to acknowledge excellence in the game of hockey, especially when the unbelievable has occurred. Myself, along with countless Rangers and Devils fans that witnessed this amazing save, stood up and applauded Brodeur. You can’t help but have a ton of respect for one of the greatest goaltenders of all time.

The Devils Playoff History

The Devils enter into the playoffs against their number one rival, a team that provided them with their first win back in 1982 (a 3-2 victory), the year the Devils emerged as a new franchise in the NHL. But it would take five years before the newborn team could prove they were more than just a Mickey Mouse Club when they just got into the playoffs late in the 1987-88 season when they tied with the New York Rangers for the final playoff berth. With one more win than the Rangers, the Devils found themselves in the postseason for the first time in franchise history and the Rangers dusting off their golf clubs.

For those who remember the 1988 playoffs, that was the most controversial year for the New Jersey Devils when head coach Jim Schoenfeld verbally abused referee Don Koharski during the playoffs. As Koharski was skating away, he fell and claimed that Schoenfeld had pushed him. The league then suspended Schoenfeld. The ruling found itself in the New Jersey court system, and the judge chastised the league for not reviewing the videotapes that proved that Schoenfeld had not pushed Koharski. Between the suspensions, fines, court orders, game delays, a boycott by the referees, and finding referees to replace them, the Devils spent the next few years being shortchanged by the officials (according to fans and broadcasters).

Five years later in 1993, the Brodeur era began when he entered into his rookie year as a New Jersey Devil and received the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 1994. That year remains as the most memorable playoff series in the history of the NHL. Going into the series against the Blueshirts, the Devils had fallen in all six of their regular season meetings. After the Devils’ Valeri Zelepukin tied the game with just 7.7 seconds remaining in Game 7, the Rangers would go on to defeat the Devils in double overtime; 1994 was not the Devils’ year to win the Stanley Cup. That year belonged to the Rangers. But the following year, which marked the Devils 13th year since its inception (an unlucky number in most superstitions), belonged solely to the Devils when they took home their first Stanley Cup.

Their second win came five years later in 2000 when they defeated the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Dallas Stars, in six games. The Devils were armed with an onslaught of new players including Patrik Elias, Petr Sykora, and rookies Scott Gomez and John Madden (with Gomez winning the Calder Trophy that season). They also made franchise and NHL history when they became the first team to comeback from a 3-1 playoff game deficit and win three straight games to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers in the series. The Philadelphia series also marked an end to the Flyers’ captain Eric Lindros’ career in Philadelphia after Scott Stevens’ “bone-crushing” hit on him. Stevens was also the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy and assisted on Jason Arnott’s Stanley Cup deciding goal in double overtime in game six against Dallas.

Just three years later, in 2003, the Devils’ took home their third Stanley Cup win after defeating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in game seven. Five players hoisted the Cup for the third time as a New Jersey Devil: Martin Brodeur, Ken Daneyko, Sergei Brylin, Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens. That year also marked Brodeur’s first Vezina Trophy win, which he subsequently won the following year.

In 2006, during the beginning of the post-lockout era, the Devils organization faced some severe hardships as illnesses plagued their organization. With Elias out indefinitely after contracting Hepatitis A (after eating poorly cooked fish) while playing in the Russian Superleague during the lockout and coach Pat Burns being diagnosed with cancer twice in a year, the leadership fell on the coaching of Larry Robinson.

Just two and a half months later, in December, Robinson resigned and Lou Lamoriello took his place behind the bench. Shortly thereafter, Elias returned to turn the Devils’ losing streak around as they went from being in last place in the Atlantic Division to sealing the number one spot in the final game of the regular season with a stunning 11-game winning streak, which set an NHL record.

They extended their win streak to four more games when their rival team, the New York Rangers, met them head-to-head in the first round of the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Devils’ sweep marked their first victory against the Rangers during the playoffs. The Devils were defeated in the second round by the Carolina Hurricanes, who later went on to become the 2006 Stanley Cup Champions.

With just three regular season games left in 2007, Lamoriello fired head coach Claude Julien and resumed his spot behind the bench during the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second year in a row. The Devils were unsuccessful in their race for the Cup as they fell to the Ottawa Senators in the second round.

Lamoriello’s actions were reminiscent to Robbie Ftorek’s firing in 2000 with just eight games left in the regular season. Of course, the Devils went on to win the Stanley Cup that season. Could this be a Lamoriello superstition? It worked one season, but it sure didn’t work the other two seasons when he stepped behind the bench.

The Devils’ postseason history has been filled with amazing stories. With Brodeur seeking his fourth Stanley Cup win in his career, going up against the New York Rangers in the first round is definitely something that brings a smile to his face (especially if they win). History cannot predict who will be the winner in the first round against these two rivals. All it tells us is that if you want a serious race to win the Cup, having a goaltender like Marty Brodeur in net for you, can net you more than just one Stanley Cup. As “The Hockey News” says, “You don’t want to play Martin Brodeur when there’s a Cup on the line.”

Fans Deserve Better Treatment

This is for the Devils organization. Treat your fans well and don’t jerk them around. Fans waited outside of Prudential Center hours before the box office opened on Sunday to buy tickets for the last game of the regular season. According to the Devils website, over 200 tickets are held 90 minutes prior to the game for purchase by the fans for $10. As fans awaited outside in the cold for the 100 wristbands that the arena hands out for the special tickets, a Devils representative came out and counted 100 fans in line and told everyone after the first 100 that there were no more tickets.

Five minutes later, he came out to say there were 15 single tickets available. As people came up to buy the single tickets (getting out of line), he said he would not take anyone that got out of line (even though he walked up and down the line with his announcement to grab the first 15 people). He then proceeded to count the first 15 people in line and said they had tickets and after that, the arena was sold out.

Now, that is no way to treat your fans, New Jersey Devils. You made a lot of fans furious that day and sending obscenities towards the Prudential Center. It’s one thing to make fans aware that there were only 15 tickets available, quite another to play around with them after they had been standing there for hours with the belief that each time the Devils representative came out that people had tickets, and then tell them that there were no tickets available. That’s no way to treat your most loyal fans. People do not appreciate such behavior.