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| Continued: Langenbrunner Cemented His Status as a Big-Game Hero While Helping Lead The Devils to the 2003 Stanley Cup |
| Daneyko shared his impression on the game-winner, "Friesen was streaky but came up big throughout our run. He got really hot especially against Ottawa." Meeting the Devils in the finals was the Anaheim Mighty Ducks who blazed through a difficult path by beating the #1 seeded Dallas Stars and star-studded Detroit Red Wings. Once Game 1 got underway, Friesen picked up where he left off by scoring the opening goal. The game was tight until another hero of the Ottawa series, Grant Marshall doubled New Jersey's lead in the third period before Friesen added an empty-netter to complete the 3-0 victory. Brodeur kept Anaheim off the scoreboard making only 16 saves as the Devils' defense shut down the talented Paul Kariya and Adam Oates. Game 2 was almost "déjà vu" as Brodeur kept another 3-0 shutout and both Marshall and Friesen found the back of the net after Elias gave New Jersey a second period lead. The series shifted west to the Arrowhead Pond for Game 3. Marc Chouinard deflected a goal past Brodeur before Elias beat Jean-Sebastian Gigure with a nifty shot to even the contest. Sandis Ozolinsh capitalized off of an odd mistake by Brodeur and gained a 2-1 lead. Brodeur strangely lost his stick and later famously said, "It was just one of those once in a lifetime things." During the third period, it was Scott Gomez whose deflected effort took the game to overtime. Ruslan Salei scored off an overtime face-off to give the Ducks their first win of the series. Gigure put on a show in Game 4, making many spectacular saves. The evening became a battle between rival net-minders as Brodeur and Gigure continued to make dazzling stops as the game went to overtime. Steve Thomas finally broke the deadlock as the Anaheim veteran won the gritty affair. "The Ducks surprised us by how good they were as a group. Everybody thought it was going to be easier. They were kind-of a 'Cinderella team' coming out of the Western Conference as a 7th seed. We got out to a good lead early in the series but they battled us hard. For a moment, some of the guys started to think that maybe it was their destiny," Daneyko revealed. Back at the Meadowlands for Game 5, the Ducks continued their momentum by getting an early 1-0 advantage 42 seconds in from Petr Sykora. Pascal Rheaume evened the game before Elias scored on the power play via a superb pass from Brian Rafalski to give the Devils a 2-1 lead but Steve Rucchin tied the contest before the close of the opening period. Gionta found his first career playoff goal to increase New Jersey's lead but Samuel Pahlsson replied trying the contest. After review, Pandolfo's goal stood and the Devils regained their advantage 3-2 before the end of second period. Two goals by Langenbrunner ended any chance of an Anaheim comeback as the Devils regained their series lead. Three first period goals including two from Rucchin gave the Ducks a strong 3-0 lead going into the first intermission. Though Game 6 produced many significant moments, a hit by Stevens on Kariya and the goal that followed would be one of the most memorable in Stanley Cup history. Although the check was legal, Kariya laid motionless and unconscious on the ice but shortly after being taken off, he returned to score an inspirational goal that gave Anaheim the belief to hold on to a 5-2 victory. Daneyko remembers the moment clearly to this day, "I give Paul all the credit in the world. He was out cold and both benches were worried. Then a few minutes later, he's back on the ice coming down the wing and scored a great goal. It opened my eyes." Back home, New Jersey faced an "all or nothing" Game 7 but had their home fans behind them and Burns chose to play a wildcard by inserting Daneyko into the lineup as the 20-year veteran had been left out all series. An unlikely candidate in Mike Rupp emerged as he was the first player in NHL history to mark his first playoff goal with a series-winner. "That's why we won. It's great to have stars like Niedermayer, Brodeur and Stevens but you can't win without role players. Who would've thought that line would make the difference. Rupp came out of nowhere to be a huge for us. Madden and Gomez were younger back then and they blended well with our veterans. That year our team had a great mix. Jay Pandolfo, Grant Marshall, Turner Stevenson… everyone played their part," Daneyko stated. Two further goals from Friesen put any chance of an Anaheim comeback out of reach as the Friesen-Rupp-Langenbrunner line contributed to all three goals in the Devils' 3-0 Stanley Cup-claiming victory. As a whole, Langenbrunner was one New Jersey's most key contributors during the 2003 playoffs as he led all players with 11 goals, was even with Niedermayer for most playoff points with 18 and tied Friesen with 4 game-winning goals. Langenbrunner clearly made his mark as Stevenson added, "Jamie chipped in timely goals all playoffs including two goals in the final game against Ottawa. Our star players were very 'down to earth' guys. We had a great group of players and some terrific role guys." It was a tremendous accomplishment for the franchise that had lifted the Stanley Cup in three out of nine seasons in 1995, 2000 and 2003. For Pat Burns, it was the proudest moment of his career and cemented his legacy as a legendary coach. Burns was the only head coach in NHL history to win three Jack Adams Awards and impressively did so with three separate teams but it was the Stanley Cup that he craved and finally captured it in 2003. Daneyko remembered how much it meant to his old coach, "His smile said it all. He won 3 Jack Adams awards and was a great coach for so many years. The Stanley Cup was the one thing that eluded him and once he got a hold of it you could see the emotion in his eyes." For Daneyko, it was the perfect way for the man affectionately known as "Mr. Devil" to say farewell to the game. "It was a storybook ending for me to go out like that. I was deeply grateful to Pat Burns when he told me the night before that I'd be in the lineup for Game 7. I wasn't sure about retirement but I knew if I had to go out, this was the way. From a personal standpoint I was elated. It was great for me but I was thinking about my teammates and busy celebrating." Sadly, Burns passed away this past winter as he lost his long battle with cancer at the age of 58. He will always be remembered by hockey fans for leading the Devils to their 2003 Stanley Cup triumph and those who knew Burns well understood how much it meant to him. During a service in Montreal to celebrate his life, his ashes were held in a replica of the Stanley Cup. Even though he was fighting an un-winnable battle, Burns stayed on as a special assignment coach with the Devils and gave everything he could to the organization that his health allowed him to. Despite all the thrilling moments of the series, the 2003 Stanley Cup final will always be remembered in my eyes as "Pat's final." The entire JL15.com team would like to graciously thank the all of the past and present players who agreed to be interviewed. We appreciate the kind assistance of the following organizations and their staff. Through their considerable media access, the following were instrumental in the success of this project: Mike Levine, Peter Albietz, Jeff Altstadter, Dan Beam and Eric Marin of the New Jersey Devils, Dominick Saillant and Donald Beauchamp of the Montreal Canadiens, Aaron Sickman of the Minnesota Wild, Brendan McIntyre of the New York Rangers and Ian Henry of the Seattle Thunderbirds. |
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