Battle of The Hudson: How the 2008/09 Season Robbed Both Rangers & Devils Fans

Picture it… Man Darley’s childhood bedroom. The evening of April 28, 2009. The author himself is sitting in a focused and curled position, leaning over the edge of the bed watching Game 7 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between his beloved New York Rangers, and the Washington Capitals.  

Down comes forward Sergei Fedorov on the offensive attack with five minutes to go in the third period. In front, the Rangers’ “prized” signing of the 2008 offseason in defenseman Wade Redden. Before that moment, Redden was revered for the defensive impact he made with the Ottawa Senators, earning a number of personal accolades coupled with a trip to the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals. He was a major signing that was supposed to solidify the defense for deep playoff runs.  

At that moment, it solidified why he was considered one of the biggest busts in Rangers history. A shot by Fedorov in the defensive zone went right by him and screened the net minder for the game winning goal that sent the Capitals to the next round. Not just a game winning goal, but a game winning goal after coming back from a two-game series deficit. 

Darley is sad, seeing his favorite team not only lose in seven games, but lose in seven games after being up three games to one. After some venting, he decided to change the channel to the other Game 7, with the rival New Jersey Devils taking on the Carolina Hurricanes. With under 2 minuets to go, the Devils had a 3-to-2 lead.

In net for the Devils was Martin Brodeur. Earlier that year, on St. Patrick’s Day of all days, Brodeur passed hall of fame goaltender Patrick Roy for the most wins by a NHL goalie. Many can be said about the net minder through a Rangers fan’s perspective, but even the author isn’t afraid to say that he is arguably the best goalie of all time.  

Sadly, Dan was about to witness the Devils advance after his Rangers lost. But, Dan had a thought. He remembered that the last time the Devils and Hurricanes met in the playoffs, there was a game in the 2006 conference semifinals where the Devils allowed a late goal with seconds left eventually leading to an overtime loss….

… and then it happened.

With 80 seconds left in the game, the 3-to-2 lead became a 4-to-3 defeat, thanks to goals by Hurricanes forwards Jussi Jokinen and Eric Staal. The sadness Dan felt was alleviated, only just for a moment. 

The next day, he goes to his local high school. A collective melancholy fills the halls, a mixture of misery and anger amongst Rangers and Devils fans. “At least I didn’t blow a 3-1 series lead,” said Devils fans. “At least I didn’t give up two goals with 80 seconds left,” said Rangers fans.   

When you think of the iconic rivalry between these two clubs, no one defaults to the 2008/09 season. They think of “The Guarantee,” “Matteau,” “The Unbeaten Streak,” and the “Avery Rule,” just to name a few. For this particular year in hockey lore, it brings a unique level the Hudson River Rivalry that many frequently overlook. A level based on shared futilities and who had the greater suffering. A level where both fans were robbed a new chapter of the iconic hockey rivalry due to how their specific choices became their own demises. 

I will care to explain.

That season, the Rangers and Devils played six games, splitting the series at three games apiece. The season series came to a close with a 3-to-0 shutout win for the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on March 30, 2009. That particular game was not remembered for the Rangers picking up their 40th win of the season, or Henrik Lundqvist securing his third shutout victory that year. It was remembered for the David Clarkson roughing and game misconduct drawn against Sean Avery at the 10:12 mark of the third period.  

If you look closely, from the perspective of a Devils fan, all three losses came when Brodeur was in net. The three wins were earned courtesy of “wronged” Scott Clemmensen.  

The 2008/09 season was highlighted with Brodeur breaking the wins record on March 17, 2009. It could’ve been sooner in the year, but the accomplishment was delayed due to a torn distal biceps tendon in his arm that sidelined him for 16 weeks.  

When the announcement came that he will be sidelined for almost four months, Atlantic Division fans rejoiced, especially Rangers fans. Many assumed the Devils will dip in the standings, and the Rangers will dominate the division. No one knew who Clemmensen was, and their backup, Kevin Weekes, was not the same caliber as Brodeur. 

Clemmensen eased the worries of Devils fans alike with his goaltending prowess during Brodeur’s absence. With a team plagued with injuries, he stepped up and kept the Devils on top of the Atlantic. Fans could not ask for a stat line better than his 25-13-1 record, with a 2.39 goals against average and a 91.7 save percentage with two shutouts. He was also quite successful against his Atlantic Division rivals, registering an 8-3-0 record against them, including that 3-0 aforementioned record against the Rangers, with one victory being a shutout.

When Brodeur returned from injury, Clemmensen was disrespected by the Devils organization. Bluntly speaking. The team took a player that went above and beyond during a tumultuous time, and sent him back down to the minors. The accomplishments Clemmensen made that year were overshadowed by Brodeur breaking Roy’s win record and team as a whole eclipsing the 50-win mark for the first time in franchise history. All of these were forgotten in those 80 seconds by the Hurricanes. The 2009 playoffs was one playoff series Devils goalies would like to forget. But, it was not this series that caused him the most frustrations.  

One year before, the Devils lost in five games to the Rangers in the conference quarterfinals. The 2008 playoffs would forever be remembered when the infamous “Avery Rule” was established, when Avery “screened” Brodeur in front of the goalie crease. It was also remembered for when Avery infamously commented, “fatso forgot to shake my hand,” following the series conclusion at the Prudential Center.   

With that series, Rangers fans couldn’t wait for the rivalry between Avery and Brodeur to continue. That plan was thwarted when Avery signed a short-lived, four-year deal with the Dallas Stars. Avery would return to the Rangers later in the year, but not before his “sloppy seconds” antics with Calgary Flame’s defensemen Dion Phaneuf and celebrity Elisa Cuthbert.  

Avery did play against the Rangers while with Dallas on October 20, 2009, in front of a rowdy crowd with mixed emotions. He got right into his antics during pregame warmup and engaged in verbal altercations with former teammate Brandon Dubinsky less than a minute into the first period.  

Interesting enough, it wasn’t the only time Avery and Dubinsky on the ice together proved costly for the Rangers. Going back to that moment before that Fedorov goal, it was Dubinsky’s shot that went wide from an Avery pass in the offensive zone before the puck was taken to the other end of the ice. 

During the broadcast of that game, the MSG Network broadcast team made comments about how vocal Avery was against the Rangers signing and acquiring high-priced free agents. The two players he targeted the most were Redden and former Vancouver Canucks all-star Markus Naslund.  

After a successful career in Vancouver, Naslund signed a two-year, eight million dollar contract with the Rangers. They were hoping he would compliment star forwards Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, and Nikolay Zherdev, and be a mentor to young talent like Ryan Callahan, Nigel Dawes, and Dubinsky. His 46 points and minus-10 rating in 82 games did not provide the offensive support the team was hoping for, and his contract was cut short due to his decision to retire after the 2009 playoffs.  

Surprisingly, Naslund shouldn’t be criticized for his lack of offensive output, as the whole team struggled offensively. In fact, the Rangers offense was so bad during the 2008/09 season that they were the only playoff team with a negative goal differential in the regular season. Having the second worst power play that allowed the second most short handed goals against would do the trick. Their saving grace that year not named Lundqvist was their number-one ranked penalty killing unit.  

Looking back, Avery’s comments were well warranted.  

Going back to that day of mourning in 2009, comparing it side by side, both the Devils and the Rangers had it worse in their own way. They made choices that on paper seemed like a good idea, but in the end led to their failures in accomplishing Lord Stanley’s Cup. The Rangers should have eased up on signing high-profile talent and build around a core that could continue to grow together. The Devils should have let it ride with Clemmensen in net and put a pause on Brodeur’s record breaking performance in place for a Cup chase.

Sharing a failure is not a chapter most rivalries want to embrace, but it’s these types of failures that make a rivalry grow stronger.