WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.030 --> 00:00:05.089
Rise and shine. Happy Devil's Sunday, this.
2
00:00:04.790 --> 00:00:33.579
Is The Morning Woo coming to you live, live from
3
00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:39.759
the Primetime Radio Studios inside the bunker. Undisclosed location in
4
00:00:39.799 --> 00:00:44.420
beautiful New Jersey. As we're streaming live on Facebook Live,
5
00:00:44.520 --> 00:00:50.070
YouTube Live, X Live, Twitch. And now on Instagram Live
6
00:00:50.530 --> 00:00:54.250
on the Let's Go Devils Network. I'm your host Sam
7
00:00:54.289 --> 00:01:01.289
Woo here on this beautiful Sunday, October 11th, 2026. And
8
00:01:01.329 --> 00:01:07.090
a very drizzly, raining morning today as we celebrate the
9
00:01:07.150 --> 00:01:14.719
Devils beating the Vancouver Canucks last, well, yesterday afternoon. 4-1.
10
00:01:16.060 --> 00:01:20.420
Still don't like these mid-afternoon games. It's either 1 p.m.
11
00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:25.920
or 7 p.m. in my book. 3.30 p.m. Eastern start.
12
00:01:27.650 --> 00:01:32.069
Devils started the game slowly. just seems like a common theme,
13
00:01:32.150 --> 00:01:36.010
a common occurrence for your New Jersey Devils, just always
14
00:01:36.090 --> 00:01:40.430
starting from behind. And this has been a theme that's
15
00:01:40.469 --> 00:01:44.060
been going on for a while now with this New
16
00:01:44.099 --> 00:01:51.140
Jersey Devils team, dating back to, well, Sheldon Keefe last season,
17
00:01:51.980 --> 00:01:57.810
Travis Green, Lindy Ruff. It just seems like they always
18
00:01:57.870 --> 00:02:02.370
get off to these slow starts. And they're leading from
19
00:02:02.430 --> 00:02:11.099
behind a little oxymoron statement this morning. And I don't
20
00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:13.879
get it. I don't get it. Playing a kind of
21
00:02:13.900 --> 00:02:22.240
a AHL team, rebuilding Vancouver Canucks. Glad the devil's got
22
00:02:22.259 --> 00:02:28.169
the victory. But again, I would not be overly celebrating.
23
00:02:28.729 --> 00:02:35.409
I know wins a win. But it's a start. It's
24
00:02:35.469 --> 00:02:38.789
a start. I liked what I saw out of Evan
25
00:02:38.830 --> 00:02:51.219
Rodriguez yesterday. I saw Anthony Mantha up close starting to
26
00:02:51.319 --> 00:02:54.000
use his body, but I just don't know if he's
27
00:02:54.020 --> 00:02:59.659
the right fit. It's going to take some time. Luke Evangelista,
28
00:02:59.879 --> 00:03:06.139
obviously he's got skill, he's got speed, and he's definitely
29
00:03:07.300 --> 00:03:14.530
a dynamic player. Nico Heischer, scoring a couple goals, hoping
30
00:03:15.340 --> 00:03:19.689
he would get the hat-trick yesterday. Devil's power play, three
31
00:03:19.729 --> 00:03:22.530
for four, but it was against one of the worst
32
00:03:23.009 --> 00:03:34.180
penalty-killing teams in the league, the Vancouver Canucks. But to
33
00:03:34.219 --> 00:03:39.080
break down, Jake the Snake Allen, he played well. 500th
34
00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:43.599
game last night. Milestone for Jake the Snake Allen. Number
35
00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:47.689
one star of the game. Glad to see him get
36
00:03:47.729 --> 00:03:52.250
the victory. Right now, Vancouver is going to play the
37
00:03:52.289 --> 00:03:57.069
New York Rangers today. New York Rangers without Igor Shosturkin,
38
00:03:57.659 --> 00:03:59.860
who is out for the year with just an awful
39
00:04:00.419 --> 00:04:05.439
knee injury. Just one of those freak plays, freak accidents.
40
00:04:07.860 --> 00:04:10.979
It looked like his leg got stuck near the post.
41
00:04:11.719 --> 00:04:15.419
There was no give from what appeared in the video
42
00:04:15.620 --> 00:04:26.750
that I watched. But Devils took care of business. Lawrence
43
00:04:26.850 --> 00:04:29.529
Eck says, good morning. Good morning to Lawrence Eck. Happy
44
00:04:29.589 --> 00:04:37.139
Devils Sunday to you. Yesterday, not only Nico Heischer scored,
45
00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:42.040
but Jesper Boquist trying to crack into the lineup and
46
00:04:42.300 --> 00:04:47.379
also Amadeus Lombardi getting his first NHL point, getting assists
47
00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:52.160
on that Boquist goal. Good to see that. Jesper Bratt
48
00:04:53.100 --> 00:04:57.000
as well getting into the scoring. The Devils need scoring
49
00:04:57.060 --> 00:05:01.610
from their top six. They got it yesterday. They definitely
50
00:05:01.649 --> 00:05:10.629
got it yesterday. Jake Allen with 20 saves. And also
51
00:05:10.769 --> 00:05:15.850
after the game, I'm sorry, before the game, there were
52
00:05:15.910 --> 00:05:20.819
family gifts presented to Jake the Snake Allen for that milestone.
53
00:05:22.920 --> 00:05:25.560
Jake Allen said, it was a proud day for me.
54
00:05:25.579 --> 00:05:29.319
I think there was a point where I didn't know
55
00:05:29.540 --> 00:05:35.069
if I was going to hit 500 games. I've extended
56
00:05:35.149 --> 00:05:39.480
my career a lot longer than I thought possible. I'm
57
00:05:39.500 --> 00:05:47.420
a huge proponent of longevity. That from Jake Allen yesterday.
58
00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:57.319
And speaking of longevity, his former teammate, Martin Berdour, obviously
59
00:05:57.379 --> 00:06:01.649
had an influence on Jake the Snake Allen both as
60
00:06:01.709 --> 00:06:07.920
a player, assistant GM, In his time with St. Louis Blues.
61
00:06:09.019 --> 00:06:13.259
Then New Jersey Devils. Made an offer to Brodeur. Brodeur
62
00:06:13.540 --> 00:06:18.319
coming back to the Devils in 2019. Still with the team.
63
00:06:21.550 --> 00:06:25.750
Also Nico Heischer on the win and on the power play.
64
00:06:26.149 --> 00:06:28.829
We put a lot of pucks on net and got
65
00:06:28.870 --> 00:06:32.930
the bodies there. It's a numbers game and eventually they'll
66
00:06:32.949 --> 00:06:36.980
go in. There's lots to like, but for sure, some
67
00:06:37.019 --> 00:06:41.399
things we can clean up. On the power play, clicking
68
00:06:41.579 --> 00:06:48.319
after practice and patience. Telling the NHL.com. But that's the
69
00:06:48.360 --> 00:06:51.439
key thing here. The Devils were putting a lot of
70
00:06:51.490 --> 00:06:54.509
shots on net, but they were telegraphing it, and the
71
00:06:54.550 --> 00:06:58.829
goalie was seeing everything that was coming at him in
72
00:06:58.870 --> 00:07:02.009
the first few games of the season. But the key
73
00:07:02.370 --> 00:07:06.680
to that quote, What Nico Heischer says was not just
74
00:07:06.699 --> 00:07:10.360
a lot of pucks on net, but got bodies there.
75
00:07:11.339 --> 00:07:13.689
You got to move. You can't be stagnant in front
76
00:07:13.730 --> 00:07:17.310
of the goaltender. This is the NHL. You have to move.
77
00:07:18.889 --> 00:07:23.250
See Dave Singer says, yo bud, great win. Hello, Dave Singer.
78
00:07:24.889 --> 00:07:36.480
On this beautiful, drizzly, raining Sunday. Sunday. So this is
79
00:07:36.540 --> 00:07:42.339
really a bounce back after the earlier losses this past week.
80
00:07:44.939 --> 00:07:49.439
Strong power play execution. They've got three goals. That's a start.
81
00:07:51.050 --> 00:07:58.490
That's a start. We want longevity out of Jake Allen
82
00:08:00.129 --> 00:08:02.970
because he is the number one goaltender right now for
83
00:08:02.990 --> 00:08:07.750
your New Jersey Devils. He gave the Devils a chance
84
00:08:07.790 --> 00:08:11.310
to win. And that's all you can ever ask for.
85
00:08:13.050 --> 00:08:17.889
Oh my goodness, says much better. Dominated possession again, but
86
00:08:17.970 --> 00:08:24.740
finished better. Dave Singer thinks that Devils are going to
87
00:08:24.779 --> 00:08:30.740
go on a run. I certainly think so. Also, what
88
00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:37.460
you like about the game yesterday was Nico Heischer taking charge.
89
00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:44.679
Scoring those two goals. Scoring in leadership. After signing his
90
00:08:44.740 --> 00:08:50.470
contract extension with your New Jersey Devils. Good to see.
91
00:08:51.990 --> 00:09:08.000
Areas to clean up. Despite the results. Dawson Mercer. I
92
00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:12.580
saw some good stuff from Dawson Mercer, but you need
93
00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:17.870
to get results. This is his season right now. And
94
00:09:17.909 --> 00:09:20.809
I'm not so sure how much longer Dawson Mercer is
95
00:09:20.830 --> 00:09:30.029
going to be on this team. Lawrence says a good
96
00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:33.539
win against a bad team, but the lines are coming together.
97
00:09:33.559 --> 00:09:39.909
I would agree with that. Dave Singer says, go Giants. Yeah,
98
00:09:39.950 --> 00:09:44.059
the New York football Giants playing the Washington Commanders, another
99
00:09:44.139 --> 00:09:49.759
Harris Blitzer sports entertainment team. Today at 1 p.m. Eastern,
100
00:09:50.500 --> 00:09:56.049
heard Jaden Daniels after getting his elbow dislocated. I believe
101
00:09:56.070 --> 00:09:59.590
he's going to be playing with a brace today. Read
102
00:09:59.629 --> 00:10:06.860
something on... ESPN.com about being prone to that elbow displacement
103
00:10:06.899 --> 00:10:15.960
or dislocation injury. But the Devils, this upcoming week, it's
104
00:10:15.980 --> 00:10:18.690
going to be a big week. They've got Ottawa tomorrow.
105
00:10:20.750 --> 00:10:24.009
Then they go on the road to Detroit to play
106
00:10:24.029 --> 00:10:29.309
the Red Wings. The Dylan Larkin saga continues. And by
107
00:10:29.350 --> 00:10:35.000
the way, this podcast, the Let's Go Dolls podcast, Game
108
00:10:35.019 --> 00:10:37.019
Day Live and Devils After Dark will be out on
109
00:10:37.059 --> 00:10:42.799
the road on Tuesday with four Stanley Cup champions. I
110
00:10:42.879 --> 00:10:49.419
repeat again, four Stanley Cup champions. Ken Danico, Jim Dowd,
111
00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:53.909
Bruce Stryber, And Grant Marshall, all good friends of the podcast,
112
00:10:53.929 --> 00:10:57.350
will be at Miller's Ale House in beautiful Rockaway, New
113
00:10:57.389 --> 00:11:02.610
Jersey on Tuesday for a Devils All Day All Night
114
00:11:02.750 --> 00:11:06.190
viewing party. We'll be there. We're going to get our interviews.
115
00:11:06.769 --> 00:11:11.049
We're going to come stop by, have a couple drinks,
116
00:11:12.730 --> 00:11:16.590
get autographs, get your pictures. It is going to be
117
00:11:16.730 --> 00:11:21.440
a great event. Devils All Day All Night. put this together.
118
00:11:22.259 --> 00:11:25.379
We're just kind of tagging along for Game Day Live
119
00:11:25.419 --> 00:11:29.370
and Devils After Dark. So be there, be square. I
120
00:11:29.399 --> 00:11:33.889
can't wait to interview all four of them. Hopefully Beer
121
00:11:33.909 --> 00:11:37.269
Baron shows up. Last time we did that event with
122
00:11:37.330 --> 00:11:42.029
Grant Marshall, he had a UTI upper throat injury for
123
00:11:42.110 --> 00:11:49.440
screaming so loud after Jack Hughes scored that game. AJ
124
00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:52.879
Visco from the law offices. AJ Visco says, Woo. Been
125
00:11:52.919 --> 00:11:59.500
a great weekend for sports despite this hurricane. OSU Cowboys won.
126
00:12:00.740 --> 00:12:06.720
Oklahoma beat Texas. Devils won. Can the Giants make the sweep? Yeah,
127
00:12:06.759 --> 00:12:15.139
my Penn State Lions lost again against USC yesterday. Penn
128
00:12:15.159 --> 00:12:20.350
State's just been losing lately. It still pisses me off.
129
00:12:22.070 --> 00:12:27.250
Why did they fire James Franklin the way they did?
130
00:12:27.269 --> 00:12:31.509
It kind of reminds me of the New Jersey Devils
131
00:12:31.549 --> 00:12:34.049
because the New Jersey Devils had Lou Lamorello for so
132
00:12:34.100 --> 00:12:39.639
long and they had a winning formula and then once
133
00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:43.340
Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment Group took over, they basically ripped
134
00:12:43.379 --> 00:12:50.470
it away. All the traditional pillars of the franchise, and
135
00:12:50.769 --> 00:12:55.690
you're putting outsiders in, and you're not getting the results
136
00:12:55.850 --> 00:13:03.980
you want. Tom says that was a game they lose
137
00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:12.080
in years past. Good point. Talking about yesterday. Lawrence X says,
138
00:13:12.129 --> 00:13:17.299
also can't say enough. Luke looks good. I mean, Luke Hughes, again,
139
00:13:17.379 --> 00:13:19.340
give this kid a little bit more time. I think
140
00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:24.340
he's about to break out. Peter Seifert says, same problem
141
00:13:24.379 --> 00:13:30.539
with the Yankees. Culture problem. Yes and no. Because the
142
00:13:30.580 --> 00:13:36.470
Steinbrenner family is still in control. Although it's going to
143
00:13:36.490 --> 00:13:41.179
be a little bit different. Possibly. They did make a
144
00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:45.379
deal with Apollo Global Management and brought in a money
145
00:13:45.419 --> 00:13:49.840
guy with their team. And you're seeing this kind of trend,
146
00:13:49.879 --> 00:13:54.070
like what happened with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which I
147
00:13:54.149 --> 00:13:58.769
question if the Dodgers themselves are even financially solvent, the
148
00:13:58.809 --> 00:14:01.750
way they spend money, the way they defer money. I
149
00:14:03.649 --> 00:14:08.259
really question, is this really like, okay, we're going to
150
00:14:08.269 --> 00:14:11.750
get our championships now. but the bubble will burst and
151
00:14:12.009 --> 00:14:14.779
major league baseball is going to have a problem after
152
00:14:14.820 --> 00:14:20.940
this off season because the collective bargaining agreement, because the
153
00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:24.860
Dodgers have bent the rules so badly that now the
154
00:14:24.980 --> 00:14:30.759
owners are for whatever reason, coming up with a salary cap,
155
00:14:30.820 --> 00:14:35.779
a hard salary cap, which the players association has had
156
00:14:35.919 --> 00:14:39.980
really been against from day one. If you remember the, the,
157
00:14:41.070 --> 00:14:43.600
the strike and lockout or whatever you want to call it,
158
00:14:44.149 --> 00:14:52.950
back in the mid-90s, it almost destroyed baseball only for
159
00:14:53.470 --> 00:14:56.220
Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa to be juicing it up
160
00:14:56.919 --> 00:15:00.940
with steroids and going with the long ball, which kind
161
00:15:00.980 --> 00:15:04.240
of brought Major League Baseball back and with the new
162
00:15:04.299 --> 00:15:07.600
stadiums being built and the excitement around that, you know.
163
00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:15.340
But Culture is everything. Culture is everything. I mean, if
164
00:15:15.419 --> 00:15:18.820
you look at what happened with Penn State football, they
165
00:15:18.860 --> 00:15:25.159
fired James Franklin. They had Terry Smith that could have
166
00:15:25.200 --> 00:15:30.879
been the coach who played for Joe Paterno that knew
167
00:15:30.940 --> 00:15:36.860
Penn State because he bled Penn State blue, but decided
168
00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:41.159
to hire Matt Campbell, an outsider, Which is nothing wrong
169
00:15:41.179 --> 00:15:48.870
with Matt Campbell and the AD. Patrick Kraft. This guy
170
00:15:49.789 --> 00:15:52.730
got all his degrees from Indiana University. So it's just
171
00:15:52.809 --> 00:15:59.590
like there's a culture problem there. Culture is everything. And
172
00:15:59.610 --> 00:16:05.529
for the New Jersey Devils, I'm a culture guy. Lou
173
00:16:05.549 --> 00:16:12.509
Lamorello really... under John McMullen, the late Dr. John McMullen,
174
00:16:13.889 --> 00:16:20.620
built that culture in New Jersey. Jeff Vanderbeek understood it
175
00:16:20.659 --> 00:16:24.639
because he was a Devils fan, bought the team after
176
00:16:24.700 --> 00:16:30.259
the Yank Nets really did not work out. The idea
177
00:16:30.360 --> 00:16:36.269
was the Yankees, at the time New Jersey Nets, and
178
00:16:36.289 --> 00:16:40.419
the New Jersey Devils joint venture, for the RSN, the
179
00:16:40.460 --> 00:16:45.110
Regional Sports Network, also known as YES Network, to provide
180
00:16:45.230 --> 00:16:51.070
live sports content together that the money was in TV.
181
00:16:52.730 --> 00:16:56.100
At the time, that was the gold standard to get
182
00:16:56.149 --> 00:17:00.620
away from Madison Square Garden Network and build your own.
183
00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:04.690
It was revolutionary at the time. It was ballsy. Because
184
00:17:04.750 --> 00:17:08.710
James Dolan really wanted the Yankees under contract, but the
185
00:17:08.750 --> 00:17:12.099
Yankees balked and they took a risk and went all
186
00:17:12.210 --> 00:17:17.259
in with their World Series championships and built their own
187
00:17:18.099 --> 00:17:23.019
regional sports network. Eventually, the Mets followed, hooking up with Comcast,
188
00:17:23.140 --> 00:17:31.500
with SNY. But Jeff Vanderbeek, because of the bills were
189
00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:34.190
piling up, George Steinberg didn't want any of it. And
190
00:17:34.230 --> 00:17:37.880
it kind of put a little strain between the relationship
191
00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:41.819
of George Steinbrenner and Lula Amaral at the time. But
192
00:17:41.859 --> 00:17:44.299
Jeff Vanderbeek understood what it's like to be a New
193
00:17:44.339 --> 00:17:48.099
Jersey Devil. And I would love to have Jeff Vanderbeek
194
00:17:48.599 --> 00:17:52.210
on this program. Being a Devils fan and being an
195
00:17:52.329 --> 00:17:55.769
owner of the team. Unfortunately for Jeff Vanderbeek, there were
196
00:17:55.789 --> 00:18:05.190
a couple circumstances beyond his control. The 2008 housing bubble burst,
197
00:18:05.599 --> 00:18:12.400
the subprime mortgages, his Lehman Brothers, the company he used
198
00:18:12.420 --> 00:18:19.200
to work for, went under, which meant his portfolio went under. Plus,
199
00:18:19.220 --> 00:18:21.980
it was at the height of the housing market when
200
00:18:22.019 --> 00:18:26.440
the Prudential Center was being built, the balloon payments, so
201
00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:30.690
the interest payments that the Devils had to pay basically
202
00:18:30.750 --> 00:18:37.230
bankrupted the team, bankrupted Jeff Vanderbeek, only for him to
203
00:18:37.309 --> 00:18:42.970
sell the debt, the arena, the team, which is now
204
00:18:44.180 --> 00:18:49.019
the Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment Group. And the culture that
205
00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:53.720
they brought in, yeah, they had one year just to see,
206
00:18:54.359 --> 00:18:56.039
you know, they didn't make any changes in the first
207
00:18:56.079 --> 00:18:58.109
year because they bought the team, I think, in August
208
00:18:58.170 --> 00:19:02.569
of 2013. Coming out of a lockout, the lockout really
209
00:19:02.670 --> 00:19:07.720
hurt Jeff Vanderbeek. Because they were running on fumes. After
210
00:19:07.769 --> 00:19:11.930
that Stanley Cup run. Making a boatload of money. Only
211
00:19:12.009 --> 00:19:16.809
for that money to go away. Because there weren't any.
212
00:19:17.670 --> 00:19:20.250
Many events going on at the Prudential Center at the time.
213
00:19:22.569 --> 00:19:30.839
And also. The Devils weren't playing. That hurt everybody. Which
214
00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:35.319
forced a sale. To Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment Group. Kept
215
00:19:35.339 --> 00:19:37.619
Lou Lamorello for a year and then started bringing the
216
00:19:37.640 --> 00:19:43.369
late Ray Shiro. Basically transplanting the Pittsburgh Penguins using that
217
00:19:43.470 --> 00:19:46.970
as a model. So for a long time, the Devils
218
00:19:46.990 --> 00:19:51.910
had an identity crisis. Devils hockey used to be built
219
00:19:52.039 --> 00:20:01.519
on strong goaltending, tough defense, timely goal scoring, a team concept, unselfishness.
220
00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:11.500
It was all about the logo. Meadowlander says E-Rod. We'll
221
00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:14.019
adjust our culture, it just needs time. And I think
222
00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:22.319
that's why it's important to note that Marty Berdour is
223
00:20:22.640 --> 00:20:32.329
in that position, someone that knows Devils culture, played Devils hockey.
224
00:20:34.009 --> 00:20:39.170
It's important that Marty Berdour was retained after Tom Fitzgerald
225
00:20:39.289 --> 00:20:46.279
and the Devils parted ways but Sonny Maeda grew up
226
00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:50.819
as a Devils fan so he gets it but plus
227
00:20:50.859 --> 00:20:59.059
he is the new age GM of the next generation
228
00:20:59.160 --> 00:21:01.980
and I think the Devils got a great GM here
229
00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:08.240
knowing that he grew up in New Jersey was also
230
00:21:08.920 --> 00:21:15.289
a Devils fan Played New Jersey high school hockey. Despite
231
00:21:15.309 --> 00:21:19.640
the analytics, you have to admit that Sonny Maida gets it.
232
00:21:20.470 --> 00:21:24.450
Can't wait to have him on this podcast, you know,
233
00:21:24.490 --> 00:21:36.009
for an interview. And culture is everything. And that's why
234
00:21:36.029 --> 00:21:43.849
Sonny Maida traded for Evan Rodriguez and Jesper Boquist because
235
00:21:43.990 --> 00:21:45.690
he knew what they brought to the table. I mean,
236
00:21:46.450 --> 00:21:54.460
after all, they won Stanley Cups in Florida. As assistant GM,
237
00:21:54.500 --> 00:22:03.140
Sonny Mata has a great track record of winning. And
238
00:22:03.160 --> 00:22:08.430
that's what it's all about right now is winning. Accountability. Yeah,
239
00:22:08.509 --> 00:22:10.450
I was a little discouraged the first three games of
240
00:22:10.470 --> 00:22:15.410
the season. Still a little discouraged. Still not sold. But
241
00:22:15.509 --> 00:22:18.430
let's not over-evaluate this team. This team is still a
242
00:22:19.069 --> 00:22:24.579
work in progress, the New Jersey Devils. But I hope
243
00:22:24.599 --> 00:22:27.099
they bring that winning culture like they kind of had
244
00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:30.779
the second half of last season when Jack Hughes came
245
00:22:30.839 --> 00:22:35.220
back from the Olympics and was probably the best player
246
00:22:35.259 --> 00:22:40.650
in the NHL Afterwards, in those six weeks, I want
247
00:22:40.690 --> 00:22:43.319
to see that Jack Hughes again. I want to see
248
00:22:43.359 --> 00:22:46.960
that winning culture again. I want to see Luke Hughes
249
00:22:47.500 --> 00:22:50.759
shake off his bad season last year and have a
250
00:22:50.819 --> 00:22:53.700
tremendous season this year. We're only four games in. I
251
00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:59.069
put this out there on X at primetime Sam Wu
252
00:23:00.049 --> 00:23:04.029
that the Devils are the best 2-2 team in the NHL. Now,
253
00:23:04.069 --> 00:23:08.279
some people laughed at it. But the Devils are a
254
00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:10.740
lot better than this. They should be 4-0 right now.
255
00:23:15.269 --> 00:23:20.950
Metalander says Erod understands north-south, recognizes the too-cute play that
256
00:23:20.990 --> 00:23:26.650
goes on. Agreed. And I saw Evan Rodriguez up close.
257
00:23:27.529 --> 00:23:30.410
Thank you to Joe for those beautiful tickets on the
258
00:23:30.450 --> 00:23:34.430
glass by the penalty box in Section 18 yesterday. I
259
00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:37.740
was with Roman yesterday. Thank you, Roman, for being the
260
00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:40.349
emergency backup broadcaster. We had to pull him out of
261
00:23:40.380 --> 00:23:43.630
the crowd again for both Game Day Live and Devils
262
00:23:43.690 --> 00:23:49.630
After Dark. Filling in for Vinny Parisi and Scotty. But, yeah,
263
00:23:50.329 --> 00:23:54.930
I mean, getting an up-close look, seeing what goes behind
264
00:23:54.970 --> 00:24:00.200
the scenes, you know, around the play, Evan Rodriguez is
265
00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:05.420
a good player. Very, very good player. AJ Visco says,
266
00:24:05.480 --> 00:24:10.180
I still think this core is the problem. But it
267
00:24:10.220 --> 00:24:14.720
doesn't have to be. It doesn't have to be. Players
268
00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:18.099
and people change all the time. It's a matter of
269
00:24:18.119 --> 00:24:23.779
getting your attitude right. And for so long, for so long,
270
00:24:23.859 --> 00:24:28.359
the Devils have been losing. You got to put that
271
00:24:28.420 --> 00:24:35.009
past you. You got to start with a clean slate. Otherwise,
272
00:24:35.089 --> 00:24:37.009
you're going to get replaced by Sonny Maynard. I mean,
273
00:24:37.029 --> 00:24:41.650
that guy is ninja and he makes moves. And it's
274
00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:47.299
quite obvious he does not leak anything out to the media.
275
00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:51.839
He is a poker player, Sonny Maynard. And I kind
276
00:24:51.880 --> 00:24:54.420
of like that. I kind of like having a man
277
00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:57.329
of mystery. I know the media people don't like that
278
00:24:57.400 --> 00:25:01.130
because they need to talk about something. But that's what
279
00:25:01.150 --> 00:25:05.150
I like about Sonny Maynard. You don't know what cards
280
00:25:05.170 --> 00:25:10.930
he's playing. And that makes it very interesting to me. Very,
281
00:25:10.990 --> 00:25:15.759
very interesting to me. All right, so going to get
282
00:25:15.859 --> 00:25:18.680
out of here. Going to watch a little football later.
283
00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:21.619
But don't forget the Sunday edition of the Let's Go
284
00:25:21.640 --> 00:25:29.700
Devils podcast. 9 p.m. Eastern. We'll be on. Also, Game
285
00:25:29.720 --> 00:25:33.589
Day Live and Devils After Dark at American Whiskey on Monday.
286
00:25:34.440 --> 00:25:38.869
Devils taking on the Ottawa Senators. Tuesday, we're on the road.
287
00:25:39.970 --> 00:25:43.569
Game Day Live and Devils After Dark at Miller's Alehouse
288
00:25:44.289 --> 00:25:48.690
in beautiful Rockaway, New Jersey. We've got four guests. Ken Danico,
289
00:25:49.349 --> 00:25:55.380
Jim Dowd, Bruce Stryver, Grant Marshall, all in one place.
290
00:25:56.700 --> 00:25:59.720
It's going to be one for the ages for the podcast.
291
00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:06.759
Maybe we'll do some more intermission interviews whatnot but it's
292
00:26:06.779 --> 00:26:08.480
going to have a stanley cup theme you want to
293
00:26:08.500 --> 00:26:12.180
talk about culture there's a lot of culture that tuesday
294
00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:14.880
night the devil's all day all night putting this together
295
00:26:15.289 --> 00:26:19.690
that's winning culture right there wednesday stay the fan address
296
00:26:20.250 --> 00:26:23.759
presented by pucks and pitchforks.com we go on at 8
297
00:26:23.759 --> 00:26:29.940
30 p.m eastern on wednesday thursday I don't know if
298
00:26:29.980 --> 00:26:31.829
it's going to happen, so I'm not going to say anything,
299
00:26:31.869 --> 00:26:36.250
but we're intending to have the big stage out. Hopefully
300
00:26:36.289 --> 00:26:41.569
the alcohol beverage control of Newark does not shut down
301
00:26:41.609 --> 00:26:44.369
the podcast because it seems like they're more concerned about us,
302
00:26:45.150 --> 00:26:47.329
even though we have nothing to do with alcohol other
303
00:26:47.349 --> 00:26:54.509
than broadcasting from a bar. But Devil's Rangers Thursday, big stage,
304
00:26:54.890 --> 00:26:59.119
hopefully on Edison Place for Game Day Live. And Devils
305
00:26:59.180 --> 00:27:03.210
After Dark inside at the bar by the pizza oven.
306
00:27:05.670 --> 00:27:07.849
So that's our Thursday. So it is going to be
307
00:27:08.109 --> 00:27:12.970
a ginormous week for the podcast. And I hope you
308
00:27:12.990 --> 00:27:16.359
set your alerts. You find us on YouTube at Let's
309
00:27:16.400 --> 00:27:20.279
Go Devils. You can find us on Twitter at Let's
310
00:27:20.319 --> 00:27:23.900
Go Devils Pod. You can find me on Twitter at PrimetimeSamWu.
311
00:27:23.940 --> 00:27:29.210
You can see me troll Minnesota Wild Fans daily. I
312
00:27:29.269 --> 00:27:31.190
had a couple people come up to me and be like, yeah,
313
00:27:31.309 --> 00:27:33.150
I follow you on Twitter. I like what you do.
314
00:27:34.650 --> 00:27:40.740
And you can follow us on Facebook, Twitch, and Instagram
315
00:27:41.400 --> 00:27:46.759
at Let's Get Olds Podcast. Seeing some people filing in.
316
00:27:46.779 --> 00:27:51.119
And also, excuse me, big shout out to David Decker
317
00:27:51.819 --> 00:27:56.490
of Town Toyota. Beautiful Route 46 in Ledgwood, New Jersey.
318
00:27:58.089 --> 00:28:03.089
Westbound side, town Toyota. If you need a Toyota, no problem.
319
00:28:03.190 --> 00:28:06.410
Talk to David Decker. You got good credit? No problem.
320
00:28:06.690 --> 00:28:10.349
Talk to David Decker. Got bad credit? No problem. Talk
321
00:28:10.390 --> 00:28:14.049
to David Decker. Got no credit? No problem. Talk to
322
00:28:14.069 --> 00:28:17.769
David Decker. Don't want a Toyota, but you just want
323
00:28:17.789 --> 00:28:20.809
to talk devil's hockey? No problem. Go to David Decker.
324
00:28:21.210 --> 00:28:25.390
Town Toyota in beautiful Ledgewood, New Jersey. That's where everybody
325
00:28:25.410 --> 00:28:29.480
gets their Toyota. Here at the Let's Go Devils. All right,
326
00:28:29.519 --> 00:28:36.240
we'll do the morning sip around the world. Also hearing
327
00:28:36.279 --> 00:28:40.279
from Damien that the NHL is broadcasting once a week
328
00:28:41.119 --> 00:28:46.480
with Bill Spalding and Ken Danico in Australia. It's really
329
00:28:46.579 --> 00:28:53.990
become a very, very, very international game. And I salute
330
00:28:54.049 --> 00:29:00.619
the NHL for doing that. So everybody hold up their
331
00:29:00.720 --> 00:29:15.029
glasses high. I salute you. Cheers. Ah, that felt good. Anyway,
332
00:29:16.890 --> 00:29:19.930
thank you, thank you, thank you. See you Sunday, tonight,
333
00:29:19.930 --> 00:29:24.269
9 p.m. Eastern. Until next time, this is the Morning Woo.
334
00:29:24.950 --> 00:29:27.900
Let's go Devils. My morning moon.
335
00:29:28.019 --> 00:29:44.660
Oh, well, I love you. Yes, I love you. Morning Morning. Morning. Pretty, pretty, pretty,
336
00:29:44.700 --> 00:29:46.759
pretty morning. Oh.
1
00:00:00.030 --> 00:00:05.089
Rise and shine. Happy Devil's Sunday, this.
2
00:00:04.790 --> 00:00:33.579
Is The Morning Woo coming to you live, live from
3
00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:39.759
the Primetime Radio Studios inside the bunker. Undisclosed location in
4
00:00:39.799 --> 00:00:44.420
beautiful New Jersey. As we're streaming live on Facebook Live,
5
00:00:44.520 --> 00:00:50.070
YouTube Live, X Live, Twitch. And now on Instagram Live
6
00:00:50.530 --> 00:00:54.250
on the Let's Go Devils Network. I'm your host Sam
7
00:00:54.289 --> 00:01:01.289
Woo here on this beautiful Sunday, October 11th, 2026. And
8
00:01:01.329 --> 00:01:07.090
a very drizzly, raining morning today as we celebrate the
9
00:01:07.150 --> 00:01:14.719
Devils beating the Vancouver Canucks last, well, yesterday afternoon. 4-1.
10
00:01:16.060 --> 00:01:20.420
Still don't like these mid-afternoon games. It's either 1 p.m.
11
00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:25.920
or 7 p.m. in my book. 3.30 p.m. Eastern start.
12
00:01:27.650 --> 00:01:32.069
Devils started the game slowly. just seems like a common theme,
13
00:01:32.150 --> 00:01:36.010
a common occurrence for your New Jersey Devils, just always
14
00:01:36.090 --> 00:01:40.430
starting from behind. And this has been a theme that's
15
00:01:40.469 --> 00:01:44.060
been going on for a while now with this New
16
00:01:44.099 --> 00:01:51.140
Jersey Devils team, dating back to, well, Sheldon Keefe last season,
17
00:01:51.980 --> 00:01:57.810
Travis Green, Lindy Ruff. It just seems like they always
18
00:01:57.870 --> 00:02:02.370
get off to these slow starts. And they're leading from
19
00:02:02.430 --> 00:02:11.099
behind a little oxymoron statement this morning. And I don't
20
00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:13.879
get it. I don't get it. Playing a kind of
21
00:02:13.900 --> 00:02:22.240
a AHL team, rebuilding Vancouver Canucks. Glad the devil's got
22
00:02:22.259 --> 00:02:28.169
the victory. But again, I would not be overly celebrating.
23
00:02:28.729 --> 00:02:35.409
I know wins a win. But it's a start. It's
24
00:02:35.469 --> 00:02:38.789
a start. I liked what I saw out of Evan
25
00:02:38.830 --> 00:02:51.219
Rodriguez yesterday. I saw Anthony Mantha up close starting to
26
00:02:51.319 --> 00:02:54.000
use his body, but I just don't know if he's
27
00:02:54.020 --> 00:02:59.659
the right fit. It's going to take some time. Luke Evangelista,
28
00:02:59.879 --> 00:03:06.139
obviously he's got skill, he's got speed, and he's definitely
29
00:03:07.300 --> 00:03:14.530
a dynamic player. Nico Heischer, scoring a couple goals, hoping
30
00:03:15.340 --> 00:03:19.689
he would get the hat-trick yesterday. Devil's power play, three
31
00:03:19.729 --> 00:03:22.530
for four, but it was against one of the worst
32
00:03:23.009 --> 00:03:34.180
penalty-killing teams in the league, the Vancouver Canucks. But to
33
00:03:34.219 --> 00:03:39.080
break down, Jake the Snake Allen, he played well. 500th
34
00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:43.599
game last night. Milestone for Jake the Snake Allen. Number
35
00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:47.689
one star of the game. Glad to see him get
36
00:03:47.729 --> 00:03:52.250
the victory. Right now, Vancouver is going to play the
37
00:03:52.289 --> 00:03:57.069
New York Rangers today. New York Rangers without Igor Shosturkin,
38
00:03:57.659 --> 00:03:59.860
who is out for the year with just an awful
39
00:04:00.419 --> 00:04:05.439
knee injury. Just one of those freak plays, freak accidents.
40
00:04:07.860 --> 00:04:10.979
It looked like his leg got stuck near the post.
41
00:04:11.719 --> 00:04:15.419
There was no give from what appeared in the video
42
00:04:15.620 --> 00:04:26.750
that I watched. But Devils took care of business. Lawrence
43
00:04:26.850 --> 00:04:29.529
Eck says, good morning. Good morning to Lawrence Eck. Happy
44
00:04:29.589 --> 00:04:37.139
Devils Sunday to you. Yesterday, not only Nico Heischer scored,
45
00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:42.040
but Jesper Boquist trying to crack into the lineup and
46
00:04:42.300 --> 00:04:47.379
also Amadeus Lombardi getting his first NHL point, getting assists
47
00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:52.160
on that Boquist goal. Good to see that. Jesper Bratt
48
00:04:53.100 --> 00:04:57.000
as well getting into the scoring. The Devils need scoring
49
00:04:57.060 --> 00:05:01.610
from their top six. They got it yesterday. They definitely
50
00:05:01.649 --> 00:05:10.629
got it yesterday. Jake Allen with 20 saves. And also
51
00:05:10.769 --> 00:05:15.850
after the game, I'm sorry, before the game, there were
52
00:05:15.910 --> 00:05:20.819
family gifts presented to Jake the Snake Allen for that milestone.
53
00:05:22.920 --> 00:05:25.560
Jake Allen said, it was a proud day for me.
54
00:05:25.579 --> 00:05:29.319
I think there was a point where I didn't know
55
00:05:29.540 --> 00:05:35.069
if I was going to hit 500 games. I've extended
56
00:05:35.149 --> 00:05:39.480
my career a lot longer than I thought possible. I'm
57
00:05:39.500 --> 00:05:47.420
a huge proponent of longevity. That from Jake Allen yesterday.
58
00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:57.319
And speaking of longevity, his former teammate, Martin Berdour, obviously
59
00:05:57.379 --> 00:06:01.649
had an influence on Jake the Snake Allen both as
60
00:06:01.709 --> 00:06:07.920
a player, assistant GM, In his time with St. Louis Blues.
61
00:06:09.019 --> 00:06:13.259
Then New Jersey Devils. Made an offer to Brodeur. Brodeur
62
00:06:13.540 --> 00:06:18.319
coming back to the Devils in 2019. Still with the team.
63
00:06:21.550 --> 00:06:25.750
Also Nico Heischer on the win and on the power play.
64
00:06:26.149 --> 00:06:28.829
We put a lot of pucks on net and got
65
00:06:28.870 --> 00:06:32.930
the bodies there. It's a numbers game and eventually they'll
66
00:06:32.949 --> 00:06:36.980
go in. There's lots to like, but for sure, some
67
00:06:37.019 --> 00:06:41.399
things we can clean up. On the power play, clicking
68
00:06:41.579 --> 00:06:48.319
after practice and patience. Telling the NHL.com. But that's the
69
00:06:48.360 --> 00:06:51.439
key thing here. The Devils were putting a lot of
70
00:06:51.490 --> 00:06:54.509
shots on net, but they were telegraphing it, and the
71
00:06:54.550 --> 00:06:58.829
goalie was seeing everything that was coming at him in
72
00:06:58.870 --> 00:07:02.009
the first few games of the season. But the key
73
00:07:02.370 --> 00:07:06.680
to that quote, What Nico Heischer says was not just
74
00:07:06.699 --> 00:07:10.360
a lot of pucks on net, but got bodies there.
75
00:07:11.339 --> 00:07:13.689
You got to move. You can't be stagnant in front
76
00:07:13.730 --> 00:07:17.310
of the goaltender. This is the NHL. You have to move.
77
00:07:18.889 --> 00:07:23.250
See Dave Singer says, yo bud, great win. Hello, Dave Singer.
78
00:07:24.889 --> 00:07:36.480
On this beautiful, drizzly, raining Sunday. Sunday. So this is
79
00:07:36.540 --> 00:07:42.339
really a bounce back after the earlier losses this past week.
80
00:07:44.939 --> 00:07:49.439
Strong power play execution. They've got three goals. That's a start.
81
00:07:51.050 --> 00:07:58.490
That's a start. We want longevity out of Jake Allen
82
00:08:00.129 --> 00:08:02.970
because he is the number one goaltender right now for
83
00:08:02.990 --> 00:08:07.750
your New Jersey Devils. He gave the Devils a chance
84
00:08:07.790 --> 00:08:11.310
to win. And that's all you can ever ask for.
85
00:08:13.050 --> 00:08:17.889
Oh my goodness, says much better. Dominated possession again, but
86
00:08:17.970 --> 00:08:24.740
finished better. Dave Singer thinks that Devils are going to
87
00:08:24.779 --> 00:08:30.740
go on a run. I certainly think so. Also, what
88
00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:37.460
you like about the game yesterday was Nico Heischer taking charge.
89
00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:44.679
Scoring those two goals. Scoring in leadership. After signing his
90
00:08:44.740 --> 00:08:50.470
contract extension with your New Jersey Devils. Good to see.
91
00:08:51.990 --> 00:09:08.000
Areas to clean up. Despite the results. Dawson Mercer. I
92
00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:12.580
saw some good stuff from Dawson Mercer, but you need
93
00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:17.870
to get results. This is his season right now. And
94
00:09:17.909 --> 00:09:20.809
I'm not so sure how much longer Dawson Mercer is
95
00:09:20.830 --> 00:09:30.029
going to be on this team. Lawrence says a good
96
00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:33.539
win against a bad team, but the lines are coming together.
97
00:09:33.559 --> 00:09:39.909
I would agree with that. Dave Singer says, go Giants. Yeah,
98
00:09:39.950 --> 00:09:44.059
the New York football Giants playing the Washington Commanders, another
99
00:09:44.139 --> 00:09:49.759
Harris Blitzer sports entertainment team. Today at 1 p.m. Eastern,
100
00:09:50.500 --> 00:09:56.049
heard Jaden Daniels after getting his elbow dislocated. I believe
101
00:09:56.070 --> 00:09:59.590
he's going to be playing with a brace today. Read
102
00:09:59.629 --> 00:10:06.860
something on... ESPN.com about being prone to that elbow displacement
103
00:10:06.899 --> 00:10:15.960
or dislocation injury. But the Devils, this upcoming week, it's
104
00:10:15.980 --> 00:10:18.690
going to be a big week. They've got Ottawa tomorrow.
105
00:10:20.750 --> 00:10:24.009
Then they go on the road to Detroit to play
106
00:10:24.029 --> 00:10:29.309
the Red Wings. The Dylan Larkin saga continues. And by
107
00:10:29.350 --> 00:10:35.000
the way, this podcast, the Let's Go Dolls podcast, Game
108
00:10:35.019 --> 00:10:37.019
Day Live and Devils After Dark will be out on
109
00:10:37.059 --> 00:10:42.799
the road on Tuesday with four Stanley Cup champions. I
110
00:10:42.879 --> 00:10:49.419
repeat again, four Stanley Cup champions. Ken Danico, Jim Dowd,
111
00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:53.909
Bruce Stryber, And Grant Marshall, all good friends of the podcast,
112
00:10:53.929 --> 00:10:57.350
will be at Miller's Ale House in beautiful Rockaway, New
113
00:10:57.389 --> 00:11:02.610
Jersey on Tuesday for a Devils All Day All Night
114
00:11:02.750 --> 00:11:06.190
viewing party. We'll be there. We're going to get our interviews.
115
00:11:06.769 --> 00:11:11.049
We're going to come stop by, have a couple drinks,
116
00:11:12.730 --> 00:11:16.590
get autographs, get your pictures. It is going to be
117
00:11:16.730 --> 00:11:21.440
a great event. Devils All Day All Night. put this together.
118
00:11:22.259 --> 00:11:25.379
We're just kind of tagging along for Game Day Live
119
00:11:25.419 --> 00:11:29.370
and Devils After Dark. So be there, be square. I
120
00:11:29.399 --> 00:11:33.889
can't wait to interview all four of them. Hopefully Beer
121
00:11:33.909 --> 00:11:37.269
Baron shows up. Last time we did that event with
122
00:11:37.330 --> 00:11:42.029
Grant Marshall, he had a UTI upper throat injury for
123
00:11:42.110 --> 00:11:49.440
screaming so loud after Jack Hughes scored that game. AJ
124
00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:52.879
Visco from the law offices. AJ Visco says, Woo. Been
125
00:11:52.919 --> 00:11:59.500
a great weekend for sports despite this hurricane. OSU Cowboys won.
126
00:12:00.740 --> 00:12:06.720
Oklahoma beat Texas. Devils won. Can the Giants make the sweep? Yeah,
127
00:12:06.759 --> 00:12:15.139
my Penn State Lions lost again against USC yesterday. Penn
128
00:12:15.159 --> 00:12:20.350
State's just been losing lately. It still pisses me off.
129
00:12:22.070 --> 00:12:27.250
Why did they fire James Franklin the way they did?
130
00:12:27.269 --> 00:12:31.509
It kind of reminds me of the New Jersey Devils
131
00:12:31.549 --> 00:12:34.049
because the New Jersey Devils had Lou Lamorello for so
132
00:12:34.100 --> 00:12:39.639
long and they had a winning formula and then once
133
00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:43.340
Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment Group took over, they basically ripped
134
00:12:43.379 --> 00:12:50.470
it away. All the traditional pillars of the franchise, and
135
00:12:50.769 --> 00:12:55.690
you're putting outsiders in, and you're not getting the results
136
00:12:55.850 --> 00:13:03.980
you want. Tom says that was a game they lose
137
00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:12.080
in years past. Good point. Talking about yesterday. Lawrence X says,
138
00:13:12.129 --> 00:13:17.299
also can't say enough. Luke looks good. I mean, Luke Hughes, again,
139
00:13:17.379 --> 00:13:19.340
give this kid a little bit more time. I think
140
00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:24.340
he's about to break out. Peter Seifert says, same problem
141
00:13:24.379 --> 00:13:30.539
with the Yankees. Culture problem. Yes and no. Because the
142
00:13:30.580 --> 00:13:36.470
Steinbrenner family is still in control. Although it's going to
143
00:13:36.490 --> 00:13:41.179
be a little bit different. Possibly. They did make a
144
00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:45.379
deal with Apollo Global Management and brought in a money
145
00:13:45.419 --> 00:13:49.840
guy with their team. And you're seeing this kind of trend,
146
00:13:49.879 --> 00:13:54.070
like what happened with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which I
147
00:13:54.149 --> 00:13:58.769
question if the Dodgers themselves are even financially solvent, the
148
00:13:58.809 --> 00:14:01.750
way they spend money, the way they defer money. I
149
00:14:03.649 --> 00:14:08.259
really question, is this really like, okay, we're going to
150
00:14:08.269 --> 00:14:11.750
get our championships now. but the bubble will burst and
151
00:14:12.009 --> 00:14:14.779
major league baseball is going to have a problem after
152
00:14:14.820 --> 00:14:20.940
this off season because the collective bargaining agreement, because the
153
00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:24.860
Dodgers have bent the rules so badly that now the
154
00:14:24.980 --> 00:14:30.759
owners are for whatever reason, coming up with a salary cap,
155
00:14:30.820 --> 00:14:35.779
a hard salary cap, which the players association has had
156
00:14:35.919 --> 00:14:39.980
really been against from day one. If you remember the, the,
157
00:14:41.070 --> 00:14:43.600
the strike and lockout or whatever you want to call it,
158
00:14:44.149 --> 00:14:52.950
back in the mid-90s, it almost destroyed baseball only for
159
00:14:53.470 --> 00:14:56.220
Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa to be juicing it up
160
00:14:56.919 --> 00:15:00.940
with steroids and going with the long ball, which kind
161
00:15:00.980 --> 00:15:04.240
of brought Major League Baseball back and with the new
162
00:15:04.299 --> 00:15:07.600
stadiums being built and the excitement around that, you know.
163
00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:15.340
But Culture is everything. Culture is everything. I mean, if
164
00:15:15.419 --> 00:15:18.820
you look at what happened with Penn State football, they
165
00:15:18.860 --> 00:15:25.159
fired James Franklin. They had Terry Smith that could have
166
00:15:25.200 --> 00:15:30.879
been the coach who played for Joe Paterno that knew
167
00:15:30.940 --> 00:15:36.860
Penn State because he bled Penn State blue, but decided
168
00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:41.159
to hire Matt Campbell, an outsider, Which is nothing wrong
169
00:15:41.179 --> 00:15:48.870
with Matt Campbell and the AD. Patrick Kraft. This guy
170
00:15:49.789 --> 00:15:52.730
got all his degrees from Indiana University. So it's just
171
00:15:52.809 --> 00:15:59.590
like there's a culture problem there. Culture is everything. And
172
00:15:59.610 --> 00:16:05.529
for the New Jersey Devils, I'm a culture guy. Lou
173
00:16:05.549 --> 00:16:12.509
Lamorello really... under John McMullen, the late Dr. John McMullen,
174
00:16:13.889 --> 00:16:20.620
built that culture in New Jersey. Jeff Vanderbeek understood it
175
00:16:20.659 --> 00:16:24.639
because he was a Devils fan, bought the team after
176
00:16:24.700 --> 00:16:30.259
the Yank Nets really did not work out. The idea
177
00:16:30.360 --> 00:16:36.269
was the Yankees, at the time New Jersey Nets, and
178
00:16:36.289 --> 00:16:40.419
the New Jersey Devils joint venture, for the RSN, the
179
00:16:40.460 --> 00:16:45.110
Regional Sports Network, also known as YES Network, to provide
180
00:16:45.230 --> 00:16:51.070
live sports content together that the money was in TV.
181
00:16:52.730 --> 00:16:56.100
At the time, that was the gold standard to get
182
00:16:56.149 --> 00:17:00.620
away from Madison Square Garden Network and build your own.
183
00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:04.690
It was revolutionary at the time. It was ballsy. Because
184
00:17:04.750 --> 00:17:08.710
James Dolan really wanted the Yankees under contract, but the
185
00:17:08.750 --> 00:17:12.099
Yankees balked and they took a risk and went all
186
00:17:12.210 --> 00:17:17.259
in with their World Series championships and built their own
187
00:17:18.099 --> 00:17:23.019
regional sports network. Eventually, the Mets followed, hooking up with Comcast,
188
00:17:23.140 --> 00:17:31.500
with SNY. But Jeff Vanderbeek, because of the bills were
189
00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:34.190
piling up, George Steinberg didn't want any of it. And
190
00:17:34.230 --> 00:17:37.880
it kind of put a little strain between the relationship
191
00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:41.819
of George Steinbrenner and Lula Amaral at the time. But
192
00:17:41.859 --> 00:17:44.299
Jeff Vanderbeek understood what it's like to be a New
193
00:17:44.339 --> 00:17:48.099
Jersey Devil. And I would love to have Jeff Vanderbeek
194
00:17:48.599 --> 00:17:52.210
on this program. Being a Devils fan and being an
195
00:17:52.329 --> 00:17:55.769
owner of the team. Unfortunately for Jeff Vanderbeek, there were
196
00:17:55.789 --> 00:18:05.190
a couple circumstances beyond his control. The 2008 housing bubble burst,
197
00:18:05.599 --> 00:18:12.400
the subprime mortgages, his Lehman Brothers, the company he used
198
00:18:12.420 --> 00:18:19.200
to work for, went under, which meant his portfolio went under. Plus,
199
00:18:19.220 --> 00:18:21.980
it was at the height of the housing market when
200
00:18:22.019 --> 00:18:26.440
the Prudential Center was being built, the balloon payments, so
201
00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:30.690
the interest payments that the Devils had to pay basically
202
00:18:30.750 --> 00:18:37.230
bankrupted the team, bankrupted Jeff Vanderbeek, only for him to
203
00:18:37.309 --> 00:18:42.970
sell the debt, the arena, the team, which is now
204
00:18:44.180 --> 00:18:49.019
the Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment Group. And the culture that
205
00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:53.720
they brought in, yeah, they had one year just to see,
206
00:18:54.359 --> 00:18:56.039
you know, they didn't make any changes in the first
207
00:18:56.079 --> 00:18:58.109
year because they bought the team, I think, in August
208
00:18:58.170 --> 00:19:02.569
of 2013. Coming out of a lockout, the lockout really
209
00:19:02.670 --> 00:19:07.720
hurt Jeff Vanderbeek. Because they were running on fumes. After
210
00:19:07.769 --> 00:19:11.930
that Stanley Cup run. Making a boatload of money. Only
211
00:19:12.009 --> 00:19:16.809
for that money to go away. Because there weren't any.
212
00:19:17.670 --> 00:19:20.250
Many events going on at the Prudential Center at the time.
213
00:19:22.569 --> 00:19:30.839
And also. The Devils weren't playing. That hurt everybody. Which
214
00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:35.319
forced a sale. To Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment Group. Kept
215
00:19:35.339 --> 00:19:37.619
Lou Lamorello for a year and then started bringing the
216
00:19:37.640 --> 00:19:43.369
late Ray Shiro. Basically transplanting the Pittsburgh Penguins using that
217
00:19:43.470 --> 00:19:46.970
as a model. So for a long time, the Devils
218
00:19:46.990 --> 00:19:51.910
had an identity crisis. Devils hockey used to be built
219
00:19:52.039 --> 00:20:01.519
on strong goaltending, tough defense, timely goal scoring, a team concept, unselfishness.
220
00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:11.500
It was all about the logo. Meadowlander says E-Rod. We'll
221
00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:14.019
adjust our culture, it just needs time. And I think
222
00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:22.319
that's why it's important to note that Marty Berdour is
223
00:20:22.640 --> 00:20:32.329
in that position, someone that knows Devils culture, played Devils hockey.
224
00:20:34.009 --> 00:20:39.170
It's important that Marty Berdour was retained after Tom Fitzgerald
225
00:20:39.289 --> 00:20:46.279
and the Devils parted ways but Sonny Maeda grew up
226
00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:50.819
as a Devils fan so he gets it but plus
227
00:20:50.859 --> 00:20:59.059
he is the new age GM of the next generation
228
00:20:59.160 --> 00:21:01.980
and I think the Devils got a great GM here
229
00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:08.240
knowing that he grew up in New Jersey was also
230
00:21:08.920 --> 00:21:15.289
a Devils fan Played New Jersey high school hockey. Despite
231
00:21:15.309 --> 00:21:19.640
the analytics, you have to admit that Sonny Maida gets it.
232
00:21:20.470 --> 00:21:24.450
Can't wait to have him on this podcast, you know,
233
00:21:24.490 --> 00:21:36.009
for an interview. And culture is everything. And that's why
234
00:21:36.029 --> 00:21:43.849
Sonny Maida traded for Evan Rodriguez and Jesper Boquist because
235
00:21:43.990 --> 00:21:45.690
he knew what they brought to the table. I mean,
236
00:21:46.450 --> 00:21:54.460
after all, they won Stanley Cups in Florida. As assistant GM,
237
00:21:54.500 --> 00:22:03.140
Sonny Mata has a great track record of winning. And
238
00:22:03.160 --> 00:22:08.430
that's what it's all about right now is winning. Accountability. Yeah,
239
00:22:08.509 --> 00:22:10.450
I was a little discouraged the first three games of
240
00:22:10.470 --> 00:22:15.410
the season. Still a little discouraged. Still not sold. But
241
00:22:15.509 --> 00:22:18.430
let's not over-evaluate this team. This team is still a
242
00:22:19.069 --> 00:22:24.579
work in progress, the New Jersey Devils. But I hope
243
00:22:24.599 --> 00:22:27.099
they bring that winning culture like they kind of had
244
00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:30.779
the second half of last season when Jack Hughes came
245
00:22:30.839 --> 00:22:35.220
back from the Olympics and was probably the best player
246
00:22:35.259 --> 00:22:40.650
in the NHL Afterwards, in those six weeks, I want
247
00:22:40.690 --> 00:22:43.319
to see that Jack Hughes again. I want to see
248
00:22:43.359 --> 00:22:46.960
that winning culture again. I want to see Luke Hughes
249
00:22:47.500 --> 00:22:50.759
shake off his bad season last year and have a
250
00:22:50.819 --> 00:22:53.700
tremendous season this year. We're only four games in. I
251
00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:59.069
put this out there on X at primetime Sam Wu
252
00:23:00.049 --> 00:23:04.029
that the Devils are the best 2-2 team in the NHL. Now,
253
00:23:04.069 --> 00:23:08.279
some people laughed at it. But the Devils are a
254
00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:10.740
lot better than this. They should be 4-0 right now.
255
00:23:15.269 --> 00:23:20.950
Metalander says Erod understands north-south, recognizes the too-cute play that
256
00:23:20.990 --> 00:23:26.650
goes on. Agreed. And I saw Evan Rodriguez up close.
257
00:23:27.529 --> 00:23:30.410
Thank you to Joe for those beautiful tickets on the
258
00:23:30.450 --> 00:23:34.430
glass by the penalty box in Section 18 yesterday. I
259
00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:37.740
was with Roman yesterday. Thank you, Roman, for being the
260
00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:40.349
emergency backup broadcaster. We had to pull him out of
261
00:23:40.380 --> 00:23:43.630
the crowd again for both Game Day Live and Devils
262
00:23:43.690 --> 00:23:49.630
After Dark. Filling in for Vinny Parisi and Scotty. But, yeah,
263
00:23:50.329 --> 00:23:54.930
I mean, getting an up-close look, seeing what goes behind
264
00:23:54.970 --> 00:24:00.200
the scenes, you know, around the play, Evan Rodriguez is
265
00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:05.420
a good player. Very, very good player. AJ Visco says,
266
00:24:05.480 --> 00:24:10.180
I still think this core is the problem. But it
267
00:24:10.220 --> 00:24:14.720
doesn't have to be. It doesn't have to be. Players
268
00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:18.099
and people change all the time. It's a matter of
269
00:24:18.119 --> 00:24:23.779
getting your attitude right. And for so long, for so long,
270
00:24:23.859 --> 00:24:28.359
the Devils have been losing. You got to put that
271
00:24:28.420 --> 00:24:35.009
past you. You got to start with a clean slate. Otherwise,
272
00:24:35.089 --> 00:24:37.009
you're going to get replaced by Sonny Maynard. I mean,
273
00:24:37.029 --> 00:24:41.650
that guy is ninja and he makes moves. And it's
274
00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:47.299
quite obvious he does not leak anything out to the media.
275
00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:51.839
He is a poker player, Sonny Maynard. And I kind
276
00:24:51.880 --> 00:24:54.420
of like that. I kind of like having a man
277
00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:57.329
of mystery. I know the media people don't like that
278
00:24:57.400 --> 00:25:01.130
because they need to talk about something. But that's what
279
00:25:01.150 --> 00:25:05.150
I like about Sonny Maynard. You don't know what cards
280
00:25:05.170 --> 00:25:10.930
he's playing. And that makes it very interesting to me. Very,
281
00:25:10.990 --> 00:25:15.759
very interesting to me. All right, so going to get
282
00:25:15.859 --> 00:25:18.680
out of here. Going to watch a little football later.
283
00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:21.619
But don't forget the Sunday edition of the Let's Go
284
00:25:21.640 --> 00:25:29.700
Devils podcast. 9 p.m. Eastern. We'll be on. Also, Game
285
00:25:29.720 --> 00:25:33.589
Day Live and Devils After Dark at American Whiskey on Monday.
286
00:25:34.440 --> 00:25:38.869
Devils taking on the Ottawa Senators. Tuesday, we're on the road.
287
00:25:39.970 --> 00:25:43.569
Game Day Live and Devils After Dark at Miller's Alehouse
288
00:25:44.289 --> 00:25:48.690
in beautiful Rockaway, New Jersey. We've got four guests. Ken Danico,
289
00:25:49.349 --> 00:25:55.380
Jim Dowd, Bruce Stryver, Grant Marshall, all in one place.
290
00:25:56.700 --> 00:25:59.720
It's going to be one for the ages for the podcast.
291
00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:06.759
Maybe we'll do some more intermission interviews whatnot but it's
292
00:26:06.779 --> 00:26:08.480
going to have a stanley cup theme you want to
293
00:26:08.500 --> 00:26:12.180
talk about culture there's a lot of culture that tuesday
294
00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:14.880
night the devil's all day all night putting this together
295
00:26:15.289 --> 00:26:19.690
that's winning culture right there wednesday stay the fan address
296
00:26:20.250 --> 00:26:23.759
presented by pucks and pitchforks.com we go on at 8
297
00:26:23.759 --> 00:26:29.940
30 p.m eastern on wednesday thursday I don't know if
298
00:26:29.980 --> 00:26:31.829
it's going to happen, so I'm not going to say anything,
299
00:26:31.869 --> 00:26:36.250
but we're intending to have the big stage out. Hopefully
300
00:26:36.289 --> 00:26:41.569
the alcohol beverage control of Newark does not shut down
301
00:26:41.609 --> 00:26:44.369
the podcast because it seems like they're more concerned about us,
302
00:26:45.150 --> 00:26:47.329
even though we have nothing to do with alcohol other
303
00:26:47.349 --> 00:26:54.509
than broadcasting from a bar. But Devil's Rangers Thursday, big stage,
304
00:26:54.890 --> 00:26:59.119
hopefully on Edison Place for Game Day Live. And Devils
305
00:26:59.180 --> 00:27:03.210
After Dark inside at the bar by the pizza oven.
306
00:27:05.670 --> 00:27:07.849
So that's our Thursday. So it is going to be
307
00:27:08.109 --> 00:27:12.970
a ginormous week for the podcast. And I hope you
308
00:27:12.990 --> 00:27:16.359
set your alerts. You find us on YouTube at Let's
309
00:27:16.400 --> 00:27:20.279
Go Devils. You can find us on Twitter at Let's
310
00:27:20.319 --> 00:27:23.900
Go Devils Pod. You can find me on Twitter at PrimetimeSamWu.
311
00:27:23.940 --> 00:27:29.210
You can see me troll Minnesota Wild Fans daily. I
312
00:27:29.269 --> 00:27:31.190
had a couple people come up to me and be like, yeah,
313
00:27:31.309 --> 00:27:33.150
I follow you on Twitter. I like what you do.
314
00:27:34.650 --> 00:27:40.740
And you can follow us on Facebook, Twitch, and Instagram
315
00:27:41.400 --> 00:27:46.759
at Let's Get Olds Podcast. Seeing some people filing in.
316
00:27:46.779 --> 00:27:51.119
And also, excuse me, big shout out to David Decker
317
00:27:51.819 --> 00:27:56.490
of Town Toyota. Beautiful Route 46 in Ledgwood, New Jersey.
318
00:27:58.089 --> 00:28:03.089
Westbound side, town Toyota. If you need a Toyota, no problem.
319
00:28:03.190 --> 00:28:06.410
Talk to David Decker. You got good credit? No problem.
320
00:28:06.690 --> 00:28:10.349
Talk to David Decker. Got bad credit? No problem. Talk
321
00:28:10.390 --> 00:28:14.049
to David Decker. Got no credit? No problem. Talk to
322
00:28:14.069 --> 00:28:17.769
David Decker. Don't want a Toyota, but you just want
323
00:28:17.789 --> 00:28:20.809
to talk devil's hockey? No problem. Go to David Decker.
324
00:28:21.210 --> 00:28:25.390
Town Toyota in beautiful Ledgewood, New Jersey. That's where everybody
325
00:28:25.410 --> 00:28:29.480
gets their Toyota. Here at the Let's Go Devils. All right,
326
00:28:29.519 --> 00:28:36.240
we'll do the morning sip around the world. Also hearing
327
00:28:36.279 --> 00:28:40.279
from Damien that the NHL is broadcasting once a week
328
00:28:41.119 --> 00:28:46.480
with Bill Spalding and Ken Danico in Australia. It's really
329
00:28:46.579 --> 00:28:53.990
become a very, very, very international game. And I salute
330
00:28:54.049 --> 00:29:00.619
the NHL for doing that. So everybody hold up their
331
00:29:00.720 --> 00:29:15.029
glasses high. I salute you. Cheers. Ah, that felt good. Anyway,
332
00:29:16.890 --> 00:29:19.930
thank you, thank you, thank you. See you Sunday, tonight,
333
00:29:19.930 --> 00:29:24.269
9 p.m. Eastern. Until next time, this is the Morning Woo.
334
00:29:24.950 --> 00:29:27.900
Let's go Devils. My morning moon.
335
00:29:28.019 --> 00:29:44.660
Oh, well, I love you. Yes, I love you. Morning Morning. Morning. Pretty, pretty, pretty,
336
00:29:44.700 --> 00:29:46.759
pretty morning. Oh.
