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Prudential Center to Serve as Polling Station

Well, it’s been long-time, no-see around here, but we do have some Devils-related news to get to here that I thought I’d throw out in one post.

Firstly, in a relatively minor note, Amanda Stein is reporting on the Devils’ official “Inside the Devils Blog” that prospect Fabian Zetterlund has been loaned to HC Vita Hsten of HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden.

The 21-year-old forward had just completed his first season in North America with the Binghamton Devils of the American Hockey League. He had 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) over 49 games for Binghamton in 2019-20.

The other news, also reported by Stein, is that Prudential Center will be a polling site for the 2020 General Election. This announcement – which is “pending a final vote by the Essex County Board of Elections” – was made yesterday by Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka and Jake Reynolds, Devils President.

Devils owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer have been doing a lot as of late to combat systemic racism and other societal ills. Baraka had this to say about the two: “Having Josh [Harris] and David [Blitzer] and of course the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center folks to be engaged with the City of Newark period. They’re always a great partner of ours, whether it’s helping us deliver food or operations for children or hockey in our neighborhoods, all the kind of things that they do, this is just an extension of that.”

Stein reported that Reynolds added: “We’re so incredibly appreciative of the city of Newark in the state of New Jersey, being able to join us as partners in this civic engagement. This continues the commitments that our managing partners, Josh Harris and David Blitzer have made in so many ways to help drive the community.”

Stein said that, in the week leading up to Election Day, the Rock “will serve as a satellite office of the Essex County Clerk. Residents who did not receive their vote by mail ballot and need one” can get one there. She also noted that “on Election Day, Newark residents who opt for in-person voting can cast their ballot or drop their ballot off. In addition, and in conjunction with National Voter Registration Day, Prudential Center will host a voter registration drive September 22 on Championship Plaza.”

Mayor Baraka said that “without the New Jersey Devils commitment to doing this we have no location, so we are indebted to them for always being a part of the city. There’s probably no other place in the county that we could have this other than at Prudential Center, so if [Josh Harris and David Blitzer] didn’t step up to the plate, we probably wouldn’t be here today.”

Election Day is, of course, November 3 this year, it should be noted, which does fall out of the 2020-21 hockey season, which will be starting in December for COVID-19-related reasons.

Stein also said that the “Devils have launched the “Go Vote, Jersey” non-partisan campaign which will center around brand-specific content, including players public service announcements, tutorials on how to proceed to Prudential Center and podcasts among other related content. The campaign is designed as an education and awareness campaign.” Visit https://prucenter.com/vote, to learn more. There are “a myriad of information, facts and deadlines” as Stein said.

The “Go Vote, Jersey” campaign being run through the Devils Care Foundation, which is trying to bring a focus on “social injustice issues and continues the support and impact of working for the betterment of diverse communities.”

Reynolds briefly touched on the subject of what has been going on regarding suppression of voting, especially amongst minority communities, which was greatly affect Newark in a negative way. He said: “I think that’s critically important, whether it’s through what we’ve been going through as it relates to COVID, social equality or this process in terms of being able to give citizens the right to be able to go out and have their voice be heard through the voting process.”

He continued: “The Devils Care Foundation and the Devils Youth Foundation is something that we have put a lot of emphasis and a lot of resources behind in terms of being able to bring our community together, especially the youth side and pave a path for them to understand that their voice matters, and their voice can be heard. This is is one of their fundamental rights, and we are going to partner with them, as well as with the city and the state to continue to make this a better place for them to live and raise their families.”

I will have more on the “Go Vote, Jersey” program in a future post.

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Recchi Hired as Assistant Coach

Lindy Ruff’s Devils coaching staff is beginning to take shape as today the team announced that Mark Recchi will serve as an assistant coach on Ruff’s staff.

The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Tom Fitzgerald via a press release on the Devils’ official app.

In the press release, Fitzgerald was quoted as saying: “We are extremely excited to add Mark to our coaching staff, where his experience as a player, coach, and in development will be invaluable. His work with the power play and managing personnel in Pittsburgh are skills that will benefit our group moving forward. Mark’s leadership, communication abilities, patience, and presence will be integral for the growth of our young core.”

Recchi served the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Penguins. Pittsburgh let most of their coaching staff go following their 2020 Qualifying Round loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

In Pittsburgh, “he was responsible for the power play.” In his three seasons there, the Pens had a 131-78-24 record and made the playoffs all seasons (they made the Qualifying Round in this year’s amended playoff format, as previously mentioned). The press release mentions that the Pens were “top-five in the League on the power play in two of his three seasons, including leading the League in 2017-18 with a 26.2% success rate. Their three-year mark of 23.8% ranked third over that span.”

Recchi, 52-years-old, had a pedigree with the Penguins. He won a Stanley Cup there as a player in 1991 and won two more in 2016 and 2017 as a Development Coach with the club. He was a Development Coach from 2014-15 until being promoted to the bench in 2017-18. During his time as a Developmental Coach, he worked with Pittsburgh’s prospects in the professional minor leagues as well as juniors and college. He got his first post-playing career job in the NHL with the Dallas Stars as a Senior Advisor in 2013-14.

In addition to the Cup won in Pittsburgh as a player, Recchi also won Cups with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and the Boston Bruins in 2011.

As a player, he played 22-years in the NHL, participating in 1,652 games which is sixth all-time on the games played list. He also ranks 21st in goals scored (577), fifth in assists with 956, and 12th in total points (1,533). He also made seven All-Star Game appearances, including being named the game’s MVP in 1997.

He played in 189 Stanley Cup Playoff games, scoring 61 goals and 86 assists for 147 points. He played for the Penguins, Flyers, Canadiens, Bruins, Lightning, Atlanta Thrashers and Hurricanes over his 22-year career and was ultimately elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017.

Recchi also had quite an impressive international career, as the Kamloops, British Columbia native represented Canada in the 1988 World Junior Championship and the 1997 World Championship, both of which he won gold at. He also played for Canada at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

He will be responsible for the Devils’ power play next season, replacing Rick Kowalsky in that role.