Posted on

Devils to Allow Fans to Vote for 2019-20 Goal Song

The Devils have decided to use a new goal song for the 2019-20 season and are letting us, the fans, have a say.

If you go to the team’s official Facebook page, there is a link to a form allowing you to nominate a song to be entered into the running to be the new season’s goal song.

Open nominations are from today to September 9. The fans will then vote for the top three songs on September 9 to 12 and then final fan voting for the new goal song will be held from September 13 to October 1. The new goal song will be revealed at the Devils’ home opener on October 4 against the Winnipeg Jets (assuming they don’t get shut out of course).

I am kind of torn on this one. While you have to guess the team is expecting fans to spam the email boxes with Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll Part 2,” the team’s longtime goal song dating back to the days in Denver. The Rockies, coincidentally, invented the use of the goal song with that tune – which is why it is so special to Devils fans. Bringing that song back would be a nice return to history for the team.

On the other hand, “Howl” by The Gaslight Anthem has been a great goal song over the last few seasons. It is by a local Jersey band and has grown on a lot of people since being introduced.

The last time the team did something like this – when the new ownership was trying to excise “Rock and Roll Part 2” – it was an unmitigated disaster. If I recall correctly, it ended up with Bon Jovi’s “This is Our House” being used briefly (Jon Bon Jovi being a Ranger fan and all, this certainly didn’t really sit well with many fans).

I could also go out on a limb and assume that this is also ownership trying to eliminate the “you suck!” chant to the tune of the goal song. This has been a thing the owners have been trying to accomplish since taking over. Unfortunately, the fans have been rebelliously working that into every song that they choose. We even were able to get it into the beginning of “Howl”!

Whether this is actually a search for a new song, a “mea culpa” by ownership resulting in “Rock and Roll Part 2” coming back or the new regime trying once again to stamp out “you suck!” chants remains to be seen.

But no matter what, it looks like we are destined to have another goal song this year.

Posted on

Hall Named 41st Best Player by NHL Network

As we continue to inch closer and closer to the NHL’s preseason, here is a bit of cool news for Devils fans everywhere to chew on. Taylor Hall was named the 41st best player (on a list of 50) in the NHL right now by the NHL Network.

He had previously been named to the list of the Network’s Top 20 Wings, placing 15th on that list.

Hall, who missed the majority of last season with injury, had career highs with 39 goals, 54 assists and 93 points and a plus-14 rating in his 2017-18 Hart Trophy-winning season.

Even with a bum left knee that finished his season prematurely last year, the left winger averaged a point per game with 37 points – 11 goals and 26 assists in the 33 games he did participate in according to the NHL’s website.

As with the list of top wingers, the key to Hall placing higher next season is health. Former Devil-turned broadcaster Mike Rupp said the “biggest thing is him being healthy. [With] him healthy, he’s going to dominate, he’s a huge piece. I think this is very fair to have him on the list where he’s at. He didn’t really play this year, he was injured. That’s still a very accurate thing, he’s still a heck of a player, and in a full season, I’m expecting him to be much higher on this list next year.” The quote came from the show but was transcribed on NHL.com.

For Hall to remain on these lists when he was injured for most of last year says not only a lot about him as a hockey player, but also his reputation. Rupp mentioned on the show that there were some questions when he was with Edmonton about his makeup, but he has shown since being in New Jersey that he is an elite player. That is evidenced by the Hart Trophy won in 2018, but also the job he did almost singlehandedly getting the Devils into the playoffs that season.

Hopefully he can stay healthy this year and get the Devils back to where they, and he, want to be: the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But in all of this talk about him having a bounce back year, you have to wonder how the contract situation will fit into everything. Every time the Devils go into a big market – especially in Canada – there will be tons of reporters on hand to ask him what his status is. This could become a distraction very quickly for the team and for Hall.

Whether he re-signs or not will remain to be seen, as will injuries. What he can control is how he plays when he is in the lineup and there, Hall has shown that he is nothing but professional and prepared. He should be ready to go this season to get to his ultimate goal of getting the Devils back into the playoffs and, should he remain here, help build them into Stanley Cup contenders.