New Jersey hands out captain ‘C’
Devils forward Jamie
Langenbrunner was chosen.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jamie Langenbrunner got a ‘C’ on his sweater and a giant seal of approval with it.
Last week, the New Jersey Devils forward skated onto the ice for warmups wearing the letter that hadn’t been assigned all season by new coach Brent Sutter.
The move was made two nights before the Devils honored Scott Stevens, the greatest captain in team history and a recent inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Stevens captained the Devils to their three Stanley Cup titles during his reign from the 1992-93 season until 2004 when concussions ended his career.
One of those championships was won with Langenbrunner, who came to New Jersey from Dallas in March 2002.
“It’s great. He was my choice from the start,” Stevens said of the decision to make Langenbrunner the eighth captain in Devils history. “I’m a firm believer that you lead by example. Jamie is one of those special guys that brings it every night, in games and at practice.
“He brings a positive feeling over the team. He plays with confidence and passion and works very hard. It’s hard not to follow a guy like that.”
New Jersey rallied from an early 3-0 deficit in Langenbrunner’s first game as captain and stretched its winning streak to eight last Wednesday. Then the Devils beat the Capitals on Friday, after Stevens was feted, giving them their third-longest run in team history and a sweep of the five-game homestand.
Maybe Roberto Luongo spoke too soon.
Last week, the Vancouver Canucks’ No. 1 goalie was asked about the possibility that goalie equipment would be reduced again as a way to increase scoring — just as it was following the NHL lockout.
Luongo didn’t seem too worried about the idea as long as safety wasn’t compromised. He made his remarks a few days after he was hit in the ribs in a loss to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 2.
“I’m comfortable with the pads,” Luongo said. “The one area that concerns me a little bit is they’re talking about the gloves. I’ve never had bruises on my hands like this in the past. I’m a little afraid to think of what it would be if they would go smaller in that.
“I don’t think pads is an area that we want to touch. It’s pretty small as it is. With the knee guards and stuff, it’s already spilling out a little bit on the sides there.”