The Devils
today announced the numbers their new acquisitions will be wearing for the upcoming
2020-21 season.
Ryan Murray
will be the 34th player in team history to wear the number 22.
Patrik Elias actually wore that number when he debuted in 1997 before switching
to his more familiar number 26, which has since been retired by the club.
Jordin Tootoo wore the number notably in 2016 while Kyle Quincey was the last
to do so in 2017.
Andreas
Johnsson will become the 21st Devil to wear the number 11, the first
since Brian Boyle did so in 2018-19.
Free agent
signing, goaltender Corey Crawford will be the second Devils player in history
to don the number 50 on his back. The other was Evan Cormier, also a goalie,
who did so last season briefly.
Speaking of
Crawford, there was a fantastic article on the Devils app today written by Amanda
Stein that notated Crawford idolizing none other than Martin Brodeur while growing
up.
Crawford, Stein
said, grew up in Chateauguay, Quebec, which is “just a short drive from Saint-Leonard
where Martin Brodeur was raised.”
Crawford
went on to say on the Speak of the Devils Podcast that the team puts out that he
“had posters of” Marty on his wall growing up. He said that he “started idolizing
Marty, you know, he’s unbelievable, just how good he was with the different
style of play. And, you know, he was fun to watch. And I had, I still have,
that ‘Heaven’, VHS, I think back home, from when they won [in 1995].”
He is, of course,
referring to the 1995 Stanley Cup video put out by the NHL for the Devils. On a
personal note, I wore that sucker out from the sheer amount of viewings and
even had a friend who would religiously watch it each and every day for about a
year to keep the memory fresh in his mind.
But back to
Crawford. When the Devils were courting him as a free agent, they had a secret
weapon: Martin Brodeur.
Marty spoke
on the phone with Crawford, recounted Stein, trying to convince him to sign.
Corey told
Matt Loughlin and Stein on the Speak of the Devils Podcast: “That was a big
surprise. Obviously, I’m from Montreal, Marty was a pretty big idol of mine growing
up, you know, I watched him and [New Jersey] when they were winning Cups. So,
to talk to him on the phone was pretty cool. It’s pretty special. And, you
know, it definitely, definitely persuaded me to think about Jersey and what
they can offer.”
And what Crawford
can offer the Devils is being a part of a top goaltending tandem with Mackenzie
Blackwood. He will also make a great mentor for the young Blackwood. Crawford
was brought here to not only take some pressure off of Blackwood and be a good
1A/1B pair, but to also be a locker room leader. He has been there; he has won
Cups with Chicago. He is a proven winner and can bring a lot to the Devils via
his leadership.
Corey
Crawford is here to help the Devils get back to those Broderian days, to get
the Devils back to the top.
