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Fuck The Rangers and Scott Gomez Thread


Blue Jeans

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I was Gomez's number one supporter since his rookie season and throughout his seven (six- lockout) years with the Devils which included two Stanley Cups and some other great memories until recently. The reason for the loss of support is the douchebags at MSG breaking the bank to another Devils fan favorite, forcing them to deal with the loss or overpay themselves. It may have started last year when the Devils got raped with Elias' resigning because of the offer the rangers made- which ultimately effected how much we were able to offer Gomez. But this splits the gap between the rangers and devils even more.

 

While I can't blame Gomez for taking the (most likely) huge amount of money from the rangers, with only a ride across the river, to quote the geico caveman "a little loyalty would have been nice", and I'm sure he won't be forgiven and ever welcome back in NJ by Devils fans.

 

We've been on a slippery slope downhill since the lockout, and I just hope this isn't the final nail in the coffin, with Rafalski gone and now Gomez... I don't think we're going to be contenders for much longer.

 

gomezmoney.jpg

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I was Gomez's number one supporter since his rookie season and throughout his seven (six- lockout) years with the Devils which included two Stanley Cups and some other great memories until recently. The reason for the loss of support is the douchebags at MSG breaking the bank to another Devils fan favorite, forcing them to deal with the loss or overpay themselves. It may have started last year when the Devils got raped with Elias' resigning because of the offer the rangers made- which ultimately effected how much we were able to offer Gomez. But this splits the gap between the rangers and devils even more.

 

While I can't blame Gomez for taking the (most likely) huge amount of money from the rangers, with only a ride across the river, to quote the geico caveman "a little loyalty would have been nice", and I'm sure he won't be forgiven and ever welcome back in NJ by Devils fans.

 

We've been on a slippery slope downhill since the lockout, and I just hope this isn't the final nail in the coffin, with Rafalski gone and now Gomez... I don't think we're going to be contenders for much longer.

 

gomezmoney.jpg

That picture is fucking classic, personally I didn't want Gomez on the Rangers but considering he is 3 years younger than the other FA alternatives at his position I guess it's a good deal (if he plays the length of his contract he'll be 34 when it expires so these are his prime years). Considering the Rangers still have room under the cap (which is likely to be less after resigning their RFA's) this doesn't hamstring them like the deal that the Devils gave Brodeur years ago.

 

I just find it interesting how the man who was so great at keeping his teams payroll at a minimum pre-lockout and obtaining maximum results (who is also the same man who was instrumental in getting a structured salary cap in place to end the lockout) can't get it figured out with his own team.

 

I hardly think that losing Gomez and Rafalski will be the death knell of the Devils but I really think that Lou needs to do something (trade, FA signing, sacrifice a live chicken) because what lies in wait in the farm system to replace the players lost really isn't all that talented especially on defense..... forever the mainstay of the team. It's not impossible to think that the talent that was only with the Devils a few years ago (Stevens, Niedermayer) was generational and might not be seen in their uniform again for a while.

 

Just so you guys don't think that I'm just sprouting off at the mouth to piss you off I am actually basing this on some sort of factual knowledge: This website is good for anyone looking to know about their favorite team's minor league prospects.

 

 

 

 

Sorry to cloud up the post but to respond to the post you made about welcoming Gomez back to NJ here is what I have to say and this "incident" that I observed happened during the 2'nd intermission of the last regular season game this past year against the Islanders:

 

I'm sure there are a few fanatical fans who will taunt Gomez at his first game against the Devils (as well they should.... he is now playing for a divisional rival) the real lunatics (read as uneducated winners :TU: ) are the guys who go to the games and can't comprehend the reality of the situation when they say stuff like, "A free Brendan Shanahan Devils jersey???? I'd use it to wipe my ass!!!" Sure you would Vito, you and your uneducated idiot moron half-wits would take the jersey of a player who is a first ballot Hall of Famer who was drafted by your team, has won several Stanley Cup championships and is one of the greatest natural goal scorers this side of Bobby Hull and you would use a authentic jersey of his to wipe your ass...... for what reason exactly? Because he doesn't play for the Devils and didn't win a Cup there? And now happens to play for a cross-town rival? Ok, I get the cross-town thing but the utter lack of respect for a players lifetime achievement is disturbing..... I guess this separates those who understand the game from those who's myopic views of the sport and their fierce allegiance to their favorite team allow that to cloud the issue.

 

I understand the loyalty factor when it comes to resigning with your original team, you've had success there & the fans think you are the king shit. However the flip side is that your GM either can't or doesn't want to give you a number that you feel is what you deserve. Let's just go down the list of talented players that the Devils under Lou have let get away because of his negotiating strategy (I'll stick to the more recent ones and ones that I felt were particularly relevant):

1. Claude Lemieux (traded away as Lou felt that he wasn't the player that he used to be anymore, later returned and won another Cup with the Devils)

2. Scott Niedermayer (went to arbitration with the Devils not once but twice and lost both times, one can't begin to wonder why he took the chance to get some money, play along side his brother at the same time & win a Cup.)

3. Brian Rafalski (previously a RFA, the Devils gave him fair market value for his output at the time when he was an unproven commodity. After years of increased production they refused to honor his request to stay with the team even after he instructed his agent to give the Devils a home town discount.)

4. Scott Gomez (much the same as Niedermayer, twice going to arbitration losing once and beating Lou the second time after a monster season with 33 goals and 84 points, he was going to get is due on the open market)

 

I understand that Lou needs to keep payroll down because he was carrying dead weight (see Malakov, ect.) but not resigning key players and with that style of negotiation (as well as managment) who will want to come to the Devils? You don't see lots of coaching candidates lining up to apply for the vacant coaches position of a team that finished 2'nd in the Eastern Conference, either because they don't want to work under the tyrannical Lou or they feel that the team might be starting to see that window of opportunity close or both.

 

You want to hate Gomez because he took the money.... fine I can agree to calling someone in that situation a sellout. You want to hate him because the cross-town sworn enemy of your favorite team made him a offer that he couldn't refuse (and that the Devils couldn't match without killing their own cap #'s).... fine, hate him because of the rival thing but to get angry at him because of the GM's inability to manage his salary cap #'s is absurd.... be angry at the GM in that situation. If you want to hate him because he made a decision to go play on a team that is younger and still has time to win a Cup before that window of opportunity closes (and it's closing faster than Devils fans will care to admit), that is fine but just ask yourself this question..... if you were him and you had the kind of success he has had & were in the athletic prime of your career (healthy and without significant injury history) wouldn't you want to continue that success?

 

Going to another team that has a window of opportunity that isn't about to slam shut, that happens to be able to let you play your style of hockey, is willing to give you the money that you feel you deserve (and can because it hasn't mismanaged it's cap situation) is the smarter move if you look at it from the players standpoint. These guys only get really one good opportunity in their career to make this sort of move (as up until this point they are mainly RFA's and don't get priority in the decision the team that owns their rights does), so I say hate if you must but be sure you are doing it with the right motive..... blind hate being the worst of all is far too prevalent in everything including sports.

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