At the time of his trade from Minnesota to the Devils early last month, Sean O’Donnell almost couldn’t believe his luck. Besides reuniting with Larry Robinson, who had coached him for four seasons with the Kings, O’Donnell was joining a serious Stanley Cup contender.
But shortly after arriving, O’Donnell realized that he had linked up with an unusually special group. More impressed than with just the talent, the veteran defenseman found a team more desperate to win than he had ever experienced.
So that’s why he was hardly surprised after the first period of Game 2 yesterday when several Devil players were grumbling at each other in the dressing room. Never mind that they led 1-0, or that they held a 12-3 advantage in shots. To the Devils’ way of thinking, it was as if they were being blown out, an attitude that has made them a genuine threat to defend their Stanley Cup championship.
And another reason why they find themselves leading the Hurricanes 2 games to 0 after their 2-0 victory at the Meadowlands Arena.
“I think this team is the most internally self-driven team, as far as the players, that I’ve ever been associated with,” O’Donnell said. “After the first period we’re up 1-0 and shots were [12-3] and guys were getting on guys, just [about] small little bad habits that didn’t cost us anything in the first, but things you want to get rid of. Larry’s a great coach, but he doesn’t have to do a whole of motivating with this team.”
O’Donnell did his part on the scoreboard yesterday by scoring from the right point at 2:32 into the second period. The goal gave the Devils a 2-0 lead, more than enough of a cushion against the offensively-challenged Hurricanes.
For O’Donnell, it was his first goal as a Devil in 19 games.
“Randy McKay made a quick pump fake and I think [goalie Arturs] Irbe bit on that a little, went down and came out and challenged Randy,” said O’Donnell, who was stolen from the Wild in exchange for Willie Mitchell. “Randy slid it to me and Irbe was caught out of position and I was able to get it away quick.”
With only four goals during the regular season and 16 during his seven-year career, O’Donnell said that scoring is “not something I hope the fans expect [more of].”
He added, “That’s not why I’m here and that’s not my job, so if I can just make that first good pass, play physical and keep the chances against down, anything after that is just icing on the cake.”
But yesterday, with Irbe playing much better than in Thursday’s 5-1 romp, O’Donnell’s goal was more than appreciated by his teammates.
“It took a bit of the heat off everybody,” said John Madden, who was on ice when O’Donnell scored. “He’s physical, he’s smart, he doesn’t take bad penalties. He doesn’t make a lot of errors, so he’s a good hockey player and a great acquisition to the team.”
O’Donnell, 29, is an unrestricted free agent after the playoffs. While his future remains unclear in New Jersey, he is almost giddy about his present.
“Words can’t describe how happy I am,” he said. “I just wanted to go to a team that I felt had a chance. When I was told it was Jersey, I was ecstatic. I’ve had trouble sleeping a couple of nights, thinking of how fortunate I am. It couldn’t have worked out any better.”