A decade later, Rod Brind’Amour recalls just how close he came to playing for the Devils.
“That was an interesting time,” Brind’Amour said with a smile yesterday at the Meadowlands.
It was the summer of 1991, and St. Louis had just signed Devil free agent Brendan Shanahan. In a rule that doesn’t exist anymore, the NHL required the Blues to compensate the Devils with a player or players.
The Blues offered two up-and-comers: Brind’Amour, who had just finished his second NHL season, and Curtis Joseph. However, Devils GM Lou Lamoriello had his heart set on proven veteran defenseman Scott Stevens.
When the Blues wouldn’t budge, the case went to arbitration. Who would know that the ruling would have such a lasting impact?
Stevens would become the Devils captain and the driving force in two Stanley Cup championships. Joseph turned into one of the game’s greatest all-time goaltenders.
And Brind’Amour? After Lamoriello’s snub, he was dealt that September to the Flyers, for whom he delivered eight consistently productive seasons. Then, midway through last season, he was traded to the Hurricanes for the disgruntled Keith Primeau.
Last night, the 30-year old Brind’Amour led the Hurricanes into the playoffs. Against the team he was almost part of 10 years ago.
And though he carries no regrets, he still couldn’t help but wonder, what if?
“I look at myself and Curtis, that would’ve been pretty good for [the Devils],” Brind’Amour said prior to facing the Devils in Game 1 of the first round. “At that time they wanted to get a marquee player and both [Joseph and I] were still just starting out. I’m glad where I ended up going. I went to Philadelphia. It worked out for me.”
And now it has worked out for Carolina, as well. But there were plenty of questions about the injury-plagued Brind’Amour when he struggled early this season. Even in North Carolina, where the fan base is as meager as the fans’ hockey knowledge, the 12th-year NHLer was often hearing boos from the crowd.
But Brind’Amour began to re-capture his game in late December when he was put on a line with Martin Gelinas.
“It was a tough start for me, no question,” said Brind’Amour, who finished with 20 goals and 36 assists, and was second in the league with a 60.4 face-off percentage. “They started using me a little differently, put me with a couple of different players and that really helped me and I got a little bit of power play time. The second half of the year they put me with Marty Gelinas and we seem to have a good little chemistry going.”