Boss keeps Jersey's secrets close to the vest
The Devils' lair is protected by brimstone and fire.
In the secret world of Lou Lamoriello there shall be no leaks.
And to make sure, New Jersey's president, coach and GM brought his own security, bus and doctors to Ottawa.
The word is Lamoriello packed up the following for the Devils' four-day stay at a Kanata hotel:
Four doctors. Under normal circumstances, the visiting team would bring two physicians who would work hand-in-hand with the home team's doctors. If a player needed stitches, for example, the home team would usually help out the visitors. That won't be the case in this series.
A security guard for the bench. The Devils have asked Scotiabank Place security guards who normally work the bench area to leave, not to touch the door and stay out of the area completely so they cannot see any Devils who might be injured during the game. The Devils' security representative is a former FBI agent.
A bus. While bringing along their own medical supplies is nothing new for the Devils, having a driver make the seven-hour trek from Newark to Ottawa with an empty bus is highly unusual. But Lamoriello didn't want to take any chances with a local driver. After all, an Ottawa driver might be inclined to let the Senators know what the Devils were talking about on the bus during the ride to Scotiabank Place from their hotel.
Although, in fairness to the Devils, they had an issue with a bus during the 2003 Eastern Conference final in Ottawa.
During their trip on the Queensway from downtown to the Corel Centre for Game 7 on May 23, 2003, the Devils' bus broke down.
The replacement bus had no air conditioning, prompting then-New Jersey coach Pat Burns to say how the Devils were being mistreated by people in Ottawa.
Clearly, Lamoriello is all about winning and nobody is going to get their hands on the Devils' secrets.
GET THEM DOWN: The Senators are doing their best to ignore all the roses being thrown their way following Monday's 2-0 victory, which gave them a 2-1 series lead. "We haven't done anything yet," said Senators defenceman Chris Phillips. "I don't read a lot of the stuff or watch a lot of the stuff. I don't get mixed up in that. You lose Game 2 and there's a lot of negative stuff being written. It's just a roller-coaster that you don't want to get caught up in. You want to stay as even-keeled as possible. I know that the next game it gets harder. It doesn't get easier because we won the last one." G Ray Emery said a victory tonight is key if the Senators are going to choke the life out of New Jersey. "Just being at home, you definitely don't want to let a game slip away," he said. "That 3-1 (series) lead is really tough to come back from. We realize how big it is for them, but it's just as big for us because it really would solidify things and puts the ball in our court."
OFF THE GLASS: Asked what the biggest difference is between this point last year and these playoffs, Ottawa coach Bryan Murray said: "Last year, we only won one game in the second round. That's the difference right now: One more win." ... Emery said he doesn't mind being asked questions about the matchup against Devils counterpart Martin Brodeur. "I just care about winning," said Emery, who made 25 saves for the shutout Monday. "You can ask me questions about whatever you want. People are going to ask about a guy who has won (three) Stanley Cups and a gold medal (at the Olympics). He's the focal point of their team. Obviously, there's going to be stories about him."
The Devils' lair is protected by brimstone and fire.
In the secret world of Lou Lamoriello there shall be no leaks.
And to make sure, New Jersey's president, coach and GM brought his own security, bus and doctors to Ottawa.
The word is Lamoriello packed up the following for the Devils' four-day stay at a Kanata hotel:
Four doctors. Under normal circumstances, the visiting team would bring two physicians who would work hand-in-hand with the home team's doctors. If a player needed stitches, for example, the home team would usually help out the visitors. That won't be the case in this series.
A security guard for the bench. The Devils have asked Scotiabank Place security guards who normally work the bench area to leave, not to touch the door and stay out of the area completely so they cannot see any Devils who might be injured during the game. The Devils' security representative is a former FBI agent.
A bus. While bringing along their own medical supplies is nothing new for the Devils, having a driver make the seven-hour trek from Newark to Ottawa with an empty bus is highly unusual. But Lamoriello didn't want to take any chances with a local driver. After all, an Ottawa driver might be inclined to let the Senators know what the Devils were talking about on the bus during the ride to Scotiabank Place from their hotel.
Although, in fairness to the Devils, they had an issue with a bus during the 2003 Eastern Conference final in Ottawa.
During their trip on the Queensway from downtown to the Corel Centre for Game 7 on May 23, 2003, the Devils' bus broke down.
The replacement bus had no air conditioning, prompting then-New Jersey coach Pat Burns to say how the Devils were being mistreated by people in Ottawa.
Clearly, Lamoriello is all about winning and nobody is going to get their hands on the Devils' secrets.
GET THEM DOWN: The Senators are doing their best to ignore all the roses being thrown their way following Monday's 2-0 victory, which gave them a 2-1 series lead. "We haven't done anything yet," said Senators defenceman Chris Phillips. "I don't read a lot of the stuff or watch a lot of the stuff. I don't get mixed up in that. You lose Game 2 and there's a lot of negative stuff being written. It's just a roller-coaster that you don't want to get caught up in. You want to stay as even-keeled as possible. I know that the next game it gets harder. It doesn't get easier because we won the last one." G Ray Emery said a victory tonight is key if the Senators are going to choke the life out of New Jersey. "Just being at home, you definitely don't want to let a game slip away," he said. "That 3-1 (series) lead is really tough to come back from. We realize how big it is for them, but it's just as big for us because it really would solidify things and puts the ball in our court."
OFF THE GLASS: Asked what the biggest difference is between this point last year and these playoffs, Ottawa coach Bryan Murray said: "Last year, we only won one game in the second round. That's the difference right now: One more win." ... Emery said he doesn't mind being asked questions about the matchup against Devils counterpart Martin Brodeur. "I just care about winning," said Emery, who made 25 saves for the shutout Monday. "You can ask me questions about whatever you want. People are going to ask about a guy who has won (three) Stanley Cups and a gold medal (at the Olympics). He's the focal point of their team. Obviously, there's going to be stories about him."
