At the very least he should have to wait until Marty retires and gets his number retired. Marty should be next.
I agree with others that some wounds needs to heal. He needs to show up at other reunion events first. Sort of work his way back into organization, even in an unofficial capacity. Doing this soon sets up an awkward night.
You guys don't want to retire a great player's number because he left in free agency. In Atlanta we wanted to retire kozlov's number because he didn't leave in free agency. I find this hilarious.
Marty should be next, but we don't know how long that will be. Niedermayer probably could wait, but I guess Lou figures there's no purpose to be served with that.
I think it's time to get over that he left to go play with his brother. He deserves to have his number retired. He won 3 Stanley Cups with the Devils and is going to be in the Hall of Fame.
One thing I've noticed is if he is retired this season, ever number that is retired will be a defenseman. Then we all know Marty will have his number retired. I wonder who will be the first forward to have his number retired.
Marty should be next, but we don't know how long that will be. Niedermayer probably could wait, but I guess Lou figures there's no purpose to be served with that.
Dano had to wait for Stevens to retire. They held a Ken Daneyko in 2004 and didn't retire his number. It was pretty clear the organization was waiting for Stevens to retire so he could be the first number up.
I think it's time to get over that he left to go play with his brother. He deserves to have his number retired. He won 3 Stanley Cups with the Devils and is going to be in the Hall of Fame.
One thing I've noticed is if he is retired this season, ever number that is retired will be a defenseman. Then we all know Marty will have his number retired. I wonder who will be the first forward to have his number retired.
Wouldn't surprise me if it was Elias, or one of Parise or Kovalchuk.
You guys don't want to retire a great player's number because he left in free agency. In Atlanta we wanted to retire kozlov's number because he didn't leave in free agency. I find this hilarious.
there's more to it than he left in free agency. he waited until that last minute after all the UFA talent was gone, he left on the heels of Stevens retiring which made it 10x worse, and then said no to max salary offer allowed.
baby brother and momma were too much for him
if you're gonna leave to play for your brother, fine - say it and do it before free agency begins and let Lou gameplan for it, not scramble to find 3rd pairing fodder and trying to plug the holes left gaping at 1st pairing. it set the organization back years on defense.
if you're gonna leave to play for your brother, fine - say it and do it before free agency begins and let Lou gameplan for it, not scramble to find 3rd pairing fodder and trying to plug the holes left gaping at 1st pairing. it set the organization back years on defense.
there's more to it than he left in free agency. he waited until that last minute after all the UFA talent was gone, he left on the heels of Stevens retiring which made it 10x worse, and then said no to max salary offer allowed.
baby brother and momma were too much for him
if you're gonna leave to play for your brother, fine - say it and do it before free agency begins and let Lou gameplan for it, not scramble to find 3rd pairing fodder and trying to plug the holes left gaping at 1st pairing. it set the organization back years on defense.
It could have been even worse because Rafalski was also UFA and he decided to wait and see what was going to happen with Niedermayer before signing anywhere. So he was still around and we were able to re-sign him. He doesn't wait and we would have been really **** by his indecision.
Nieds was always one of my favorite players and although I do support the # retirement, there is always that thought in the back of my mind as to whether he's a 'real' Devil or not; it's certain when 30 and 26 are hanging along side 3 and 4 that 27 will have somewhat of a different meaning
I will be there cheering him on, but again, will it have a big meaning to me as it did when they retired Stevens number and when I attended Dano's # retirement? Probably not ......his speech I'd hope will show how he actually did care about NJ
I'll be respectfully clapping when I see Nieds' number being raised...
Marty, on the other hand... When that "Marty's Better!" chant thunders throughout the Rock as his number is being raised, the masculine tears of joy will begin to flow.
__________________ "I hate the Rangers, and Lou hates them to death." - Martin Pierre Brodeur @DeFazioNJ
Wouldn't surprise me if it was Elias, or one of Parise or Kovalchuk.
I think if Elias can manage to get 1,000 pts he deserves to be up there. It won't be right after he retires though. I think it would take some time. Parise is a definite if he stays his whole career and wins a cup. If Kovy wins a cup and goes back to his old numbers he is a possibility.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richer's Ghost
there's more to it than he left in free agency. he waited until that last minute after all the UFA talent was gone, he left on the heels of Stevens retiring which made it 10x worse, and then said no to max salary offer allowed.
baby brother and momma were too much for him
if you're gonna leave to play for your brother, fine - say it and do it before free agency begins and let Lou gameplan for it, not scramble to find 3rd pairing fodder and trying to plug the holes left gaping at 1st pairing. it set the organization back years on defense.
It was probably a very difficult decision for him. He probably didn't have his mind fully made up until he signed with the Ducks.
I do agree that it really messed up the organization on defense though. I think we are still feeling the aftershock from it.
I'll pay respects and enjoy the night, but I won't cry manly tears like I did for Daneyko and Stevens, and will for Marty and Elias.
Guy won three cups with us; it's just different, that's all.
That's exactly how I feel. Nieds left, the rest stayed. That's the difference. (I'm assuming that Marty and Patty finish their careers as Devils) It's hard to have warm, fuzzy feelings for a guy that was the first of many to leave the team voluntarily. Stevens and Dano retired as Devils, but Niedermayer, Gomez, and Rafalski left through FA.
A lot of people, including myself, felt that the Devils could have challenged for another Cup if he had stayed. That may have been enough to keep other people from leaving, too.
I won't be mad if Scott Niedermayer has his jersey retired as a Devil, but I won't be excited about seeing it. I'll acknowledge his significant and undeniable contribution to the team that won 3 Cups, made 4 Finals, and 5 Conference Finals with him, and may not have done those things without him.
there's more to it than he left in free agency. he waited until that last minute after all the UFA talent was gone, he left on the heels of Stevens retiring which made it 10x worse, and then said no to max salary offer allowed.
baby brother and momma were too much for him
if you're gonna leave to play for your brother, fine - say it and do it before free agency begins and let Lou gameplan for it, not scramble to find 3rd pairing fodder and trying to plug the holes left gaping at 1st pairing. it set the organization back years on defense.
that's all well and true, but the man played 12 seasons and won 3 cups here. i feel like you should be able to look past the fact that he didn't finish his career here in a case like this.
there's more to it than he left in free agency. he waited until that last minute after all the UFA talent was gone, he left on the heels of Stevens retiring which made it 10x worse, and then said no to max salary offer allowed.
baby brother and momma were too much for him
if you're gonna leave to play for your brother, fine - say it and do it before free agency begins and let Lou gameplan for it, not scramble to find 3rd pairing fodder and trying to plug the holes left gaping at 1st pairing. it set the organization back years on defense.
that's all well and true, but the man played 12 seasons and won 3 cups here. i feel like you should be able to look past the fact that he didn't finish his career here in a case like this.
We've had thousands upon thousands of posts on this exact argument. I'm on the "he's a surefire HOF player and deserves to have his number retired more than Daneyko did" side; the other faction believes that his leaving us in the lurch obviates - or at least mitigates - his career and championships with New Jersey.
I will say this: Wysh is right, Niedermayer leaving was the moment the Devils went from perennial contender to perennial almost-there. The bitterness over his departure has a real bite to it as a consequence.
But I'm not having this debate again, so that's my last post on the subject.
that's all well and true, but the man played 12 seasons and won 3 cups here. i feel like you should be able to look past the fact that he didn't finish his career here in a case like this.
Nieds had a different feeling about him even when he was here. It's odd because he a a key contribute to all the cups, but up until 2003 he was a little bit of an underachiever. 2004 he won the Norris, but the team fell apart under his leadership after Stevens got injured and got embarrassed in the first round. He also held out twice, ended up going to arbitration after the Norris season (though the impending lockout was probably a reason it got that far), and then left as a UFA the very first chance he got still in his prime.
So it isn't just that he didn't finish career here. I understand your confusion as someone who has mostly been on the outside until this summer, but it just is how it is.
I think if Elias can manage to get 1,000 pts he deserves to be up there. It won't be right after he retires though. I think it would take some time. Parise is a definite if he stays his whole career and wins a cup. If Kovy wins a cup and goes back to his old numbers he is a possibility.
I wouldn't say Parise has to stay his whole career, but it definitely would help. Winning a Cup is a must.
I think Elias will eventually end up getting his, but I agree, not right after he retires.
Uhh PD, the Ducks is the last team I want to see when they retire his number. It's a ceremony of Nieds as a Devil and doing that ruins a lot of whatever charm it does have.
Uhh PD, the Ducks is the last team I want to see when they retire his number. It's a ceremony of Nieds as a Devil and doing that ruins a lot of whatever charm it does have.
Agreed on that end. If you are going to do it, do it against the Wings and give a special invitation to Paul Coffey to attend.
Dano had to wait for Stevens to retire. They held a Ken Daneyko in 2004 and didn't retire his number. It was pretty clear the organization was waiting for Stevens to retire so he could be the first number up.
There is a difference between being the first number up and being the 3rd number up. The first number retired has meaning. Being the 3rd is simply just adding on. It really makes zero difference the order in which numbers are retired. If anything, Marty should have been the first number retired since he's the greatest player in the team's history. Since Marty is going to retire AFTER Niedermayer, it would be kind of stupid to have Niedermayer wait for Marty.
Uhh PD, the Ducks is the last team I want to see when they retire his number. It's a ceremony of Nieds as a Devil and doing that ruins a lot of whatever charm it does have.
there's more to it than he left in free agency. he waited until that last minute after all the UFA talent was gone, he left on the heels of Stevens retiring which made it 10x worse, and then said no to max salary offer allowed.
baby brother and momma were too much for him
if you're gonna leave to play for your brother, fine - say it and do it before free agency begins and let Lou gameplan for it, not scramble to find 3rd pairing fodder and trying to plug the holes left gaping at 1st pairing. it set the organization back years on defense.
That would be all good and dandy. One problem is that you seem to think the decision is an easy one to make.
that's all well and true, but the man played 12 seasons and won 3 cups here. i feel like you should be able to look past the fact that he didn't finish his career here in a case like this.
it's not about him leaving - honestly. it's about how he left. like I said, had he left and made his intentions known early I wouldn't have a stick up my butt about this whole thing.
Best post in this thread.
