It was Jamie Langenbrunner's call.
If the Devils' captain felt ready enough to play in Sunday night's sixth game of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Carolina Hurricanes, he was in.
"It was my call," Langenbrunner acknowledged yesterday. "Obviously the final decision as to whether they wanted me in or not was up to them, but the final decision of me being ready was up to me."
So the veteran right winger was in after missing the previous three games with a lower body injury.
Defenseman Bryce Salvador did not have the same clout. While he may have felt ready to play last night, Salvador was held out with a left knee injury.
Of course, Salvador is not the Devils' captain.
"That has no bearing for me," Langenbrunner insisted. "That's my role, but it's because I'm ready to contribute on the ice. All of us want to be out there. But when you can't, you have to put the ego aside and step aside and let somebody else play. I am ready."
His coach and linemates couldn't have been happier.
"It's great," center Travis Zajac said. "He's going to help us. He's a leader on and off the ice. Our line has that chemistry with him and this is the time of year when he plays his best hockey."
Left winger Zach Parise has more than just the No. 1 line benefitted from Langenbrunner's return.
"No. 1, our power play. He's got that one-timer threat on the other side," Parise pointed out. "No. 2, let's face it, we played with him the whole season. We've played really well all season together, so we need to up our level with him back. I'm not taking anything away from Rolie. He played really well. But when you get a big part of your offense back, it's big for any team."
Langenbrunner watched the third and fourth games at home on TV. He attended Game 5, watching from a Prudential Center suite.
"It's hard. It's a lot easier playing in them than watching them," he said. "When you have no control it's definitely difficult. That's probably why I don't want to be a coach. I don't know if I can handle it."
Of course, the Devils had the luxury of a Game 7 if they did not eliminate the Hurricanes last night. So why wouldn't Langenbrunner wait and take the few extra days?
"Because I'm ready. That's the bottom line. I don't think that way, that I have a couple more days. That's not the attitude," he said. "You play this as a Game 7. And I'm ready. If I wasn't ready I wouldn't put myself or the team in this situation."
He may not have been able to play had Game 6 been Saturday night instead of having two off-days between games.
"It would've been questionable if I could've played last night," Langenbrunner admitted. "I probably wouldn't have been ready by then, but getting a few more days definitely helps."
To the point where he was 100 percent sure he was OK?
"A game is always different. In practice you're somewhat in control to a certain extent. I'm pretty confident I'm ready and can do it," he said. "Maybe the first shift will be a little different. I think once the game starts I'll get myself acclimated and I'll be fine."
"I've missed a week, but you get back into it right away. Getting hit and being hit, whatever it is. It's what you have to do to get yourself back into it. It has only been a week. It hasn't been a month or something like that where I got out of playoff mode."
It seemed that long for his coach and teammates.
"We're able to get our captain back in the lineup," Brent Sutter said. "Obviously he's been an important player for us. We've been able to find ways to prevail without him."
If the Devils' captain felt ready enough to play in Sunday night's sixth game of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Carolina Hurricanes, he was in.
"It was my call," Langenbrunner acknowledged yesterday. "Obviously the final decision as to whether they wanted me in or not was up to them, but the final decision of me being ready was up to me."
So the veteran right winger was in after missing the previous three games with a lower body injury.
Defenseman Bryce Salvador did not have the same clout. While he may have felt ready to play last night, Salvador was held out with a left knee injury.
Of course, Salvador is not the Devils' captain.
"That has no bearing for me," Langenbrunner insisted. "That's my role, but it's because I'm ready to contribute on the ice. All of us want to be out there. But when you can't, you have to put the ego aside and step aside and let somebody else play. I am ready."
His coach and linemates couldn't have been happier.
"It's great," center Travis Zajac said. "He's going to help us. He's a leader on and off the ice. Our line has that chemistry with him and this is the time of year when he plays his best hockey."
Left winger Zach Parise has more than just the No. 1 line benefitted from Langenbrunner's return.
"No. 1, our power play. He's got that one-timer threat on the other side," Parise pointed out. "No. 2, let's face it, we played with him the whole season. We've played really well all season together, so we need to up our level with him back. I'm not taking anything away from Rolie. He played really well. But when you get a big part of your offense back, it's big for any team."
Langenbrunner watched the third and fourth games at home on TV. He attended Game 5, watching from a Prudential Center suite.
"It's hard. It's a lot easier playing in them than watching them," he said. "When you have no control it's definitely difficult. That's probably why I don't want to be a coach. I don't know if I can handle it."
Of course, the Devils had the luxury of a Game 7 if they did not eliminate the Hurricanes last night. So why wouldn't Langenbrunner wait and take the few extra days?
"Because I'm ready. That's the bottom line. I don't think that way, that I have a couple more days. That's not the attitude," he said. "You play this as a Game 7. And I'm ready. If I wasn't ready I wouldn't put myself or the team in this situation."
He may not have been able to play had Game 6 been Saturday night instead of having two off-days between games.
"It would've been questionable if I could've played last night," Langenbrunner admitted. "I probably wouldn't have been ready by then, but getting a few more days definitely helps."
To the point where he was 100 percent sure he was OK?
"A game is always different. In practice you're somewhat in control to a certain extent. I'm pretty confident I'm ready and can do it," he said. "Maybe the first shift will be a little different. I think once the game starts I'll get myself acclimated and I'll be fine."
"I've missed a week, but you get back into it right away. Getting hit and being hit, whatever it is. It's what you have to do to get yourself back into it. It has only been a week. It hasn't been a month or something like that where I got out of playoff mode."
It seemed that long for his coach and teammates.
"We're able to get our captain back in the lineup," Brent Sutter said. "Obviously he's been an important player for us. We've been able to find ways to prevail without him."
