Claude Julien - NJD History

[Sgt Brylin]

Did the Isles replace Cap yet?

 

[Colin226]

I essentially blame this team of coach killers anyway. Seriously we can't keep a guy here. Almost gave Larry Robinson a stroke. It was so bad here, we made Brent Sutter miss rural Alberta.

Speaking of coach killers, it kind of makes sense when you think about how the 2010 team essentially quit on Lemaire because he benched Langenbrunner for 1 game. Think about how talented that team was, and they just **** the bed.

Maybe Langs was the main culprit? He was jettisoned out of NJ shortly after Lou had to beg Lemaire to come back, and we all know how the team played after that....

 

[None Shall Pass]

Speaking of coach killers, it kind of makes sense when you think about how the 2010 team essentially quit on Lemaire because he benched Langenbrunner for 1 game. Think about how talented that team was, and they just **** the bed.

Maybe Langs was the main culprit? He was jettisoned out of NJ shortly after Lou had to beg Lemaire to come back, and we all know how the team played after that....

Near the end of his tenure here, Langenbrunner was overtly pouty and whiny to the press.

At that time, I knew someone who worked for the team. He was saying that they were working on trading Langs for a few months and that it would happen soon enough (We all know how Lou reacts top players displaying emotion in public); I think it was two weeks after that that he went to the Stars.

 

[Better Call Sal]

The contingent of Madden, White and Langs I believe was the core group that seemed to sour at the same time. Wasn't it all stemming from Lemaire asking Langs to sit in a meaningless game and someone else would wear the C or something to that effect?

 

[Wingman77]

The contingent of Madden, White and Langs I believe was the core group that seemed to sour at the same time. Wasn't it all stemming from Lemaire asking Langs to sit in a meaningless game and someone else would wear the C or something to that effect?

White was actually the only one that didn't complain or was unhappy (publicly at least). Spoke positively about his time here after being bought out and now he's back with the team in the alumni role. http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2011/10/sharks_defenseman_colin_white.html

He was the one you mentioned that didn't want to wear the C for the game Lemaire scratched Langs at the end of the season. In Minnesota he had rotating captains to keep things fresh and in pre-season when Langs didn't play, other guys including Shanny wore the C. The C didn't mean as much to Lemaire as it means to some guys. Langs was also going through some stuff at that period in time and which he unfortunately seemed to let impact him when it came to the team as well.

Pandolfo was one that was sour as well dating back to when Sutter was coaching. His play had significantly diminished and when he was occasionally healthy scratched, he had voiced his displeasure about it. That rubbed me the wrong way because he was really struggling and didn't do the greatest job of taking it in stride. There was definitely a bit of a sense of entitlement between guys like him Madden and Langs towards the end of their time here. Here's some stuff on that fwiw

http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2009/01/healthy_scratch_ruins_boston_h.html

Devils left wing Jay Pandolfo was understandably disappointed when head coach Brent Sutter told him before today's morning skate that he would a be a healthy scratch tonight against Nasvhille so Brendan Shanahan could make his season debut.

"I'm not happy," he said.

Pandolfo's pre-skate conversation with Sutter spoiled the morning for him.

"It wasn't too much fun out there, that's for sure," he said.

Pandolfo said he had "no idea" of the last time he was a healthy scratch in his career.

"It's been a while," he said.

Pandolfo admitted Sutter's decision was not a complere surprise to him.

"Someone had to come out, so I figured it was a possiblity," he said.

http://www.njdevs.com/forums/index.php?/topic/41400-pando-looks-to-be-odd-man-out/&do=findComment&comment=698957

 

[Better Call Sal]

White was actually the only one that didn't complain or was unhappy (publicly at least). Spoke positively about his time here after being bought out and now he's back with the team in the alumni role. http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2011/10/sharks_defenseman_colin_white.html

He was the one you mentioned that didn't want to wear the C for the game Lemaire scratched Langs at the end of the season. In Minnesota he had rotating captains to keep things fresh and in pre-season when Langs didn't play, other guys including Shanny wore the C. The C didn't mean as much to Lemaire as it means to some guys. Langs was also going through some stuff at that period in time and which he unfortunately seemed to let impact him when it came to the team as well.

Pandolfo was one that was sour as well dating back to when Sutter was coaching. His play had significantly diminished and when he was occasionally healthy scratched, he had voiced his displeasure about it. That rubbed me the wrong way because he was really struggling and didn't do the greatest job of taking it in stride. There was definitely a bit of a sense of entitlement between guys like him Madden and Langs towards the end of their time here. Here's some stuff on that fwiw

http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2009/01/healthy_scratch_ruins_boston_h.html



http://www.njdevs.com/forums/index.php?/topic/41400-pando-looks-to-be-odd-man-out/&do=findComment&comment=698957

Thanks! I don't necessarily think any players specifically soured on the team overall, just think they may have taken any "business" matters more personally than they should have.

No ill will with any of that group whatsoever!

 

[Wingman77]

Thanks! I don't necessarily think any players specifically soured on the team overall, just think they may have taken any "business" matters more personally than they should have.

No ill will with any of that group whatsoever!

Definitely agree with you on them taking it a bit more personally than necessary.

It was sad to see things not end as well because of how much guys like them meant to the success we had for a while, but what are ya gunna do, not all endings are happy haha

 

[Team Concept]

I thought it was Langenbrunner who fired the puck at Julien.

 

[Bleedred]

You should all feel privileged that I wasn't here in 08-10. I hated and complained about Pandolfo more than frickin Kalinin this year or Ruutu/Zubrus the last few years. Rod Pelley too, can't believe he was a regular on the roster for however many years it was. Pandolfo was painful to watch from 08-10. He completely fell off the first year he signed that contract, which was always said to be ''Overpayment for years of being underpaid''.

I was ecstatic when he asked for his buyout in 2010, he was awful after 07-08. I can't for the life of me understand how he managed to stay in the league until 2013. He was a liability by 09-10 and had no speed at all anymore. He wasn't able to get a contract in the league the season after we bought him out. Then the Isles gave him a training camp tryout and he earned a contract there and then signed with Boston after the lockout.

I thought it was Langenbrunner who fired the puck at Julien.

I don't remember him ever being a suspect. The Langs BS didn't start until Lemaire came back in 2009.

 

[MadDevil]

Wasn't Langenbrunner going through some stuff off the ice at that time, or was that all just people trying to explain his ****** attitude? I seem to recall it being especially bad after the Olympics, almost like the last part of the Langenbrunner we used to know got left behind in Vancouver.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

The contingent of Madden, White and Langs I believe was the core group that seemed to sour at the same time. Wasn't it all stemming from Lemaire asking Langs to sit in a meaningless game and someone else would wear the C or something to that effect?

Lemaire wanted to give the C to White to wear in Langs absence and he flat out refused.

What was meant as a honor was taken as a sleight to his pal. Things got weird at that point.

And Julienball sucked balls. It was all the monotony of Lemaire Trap 1.0 with none of the ambition. Literally score 1 goal, sit on it for 55 minutes and lose because you have zero attack mentality when the opponent scored with 10 minutes remaining because you've been lulling yourselves to sleep the entire game.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Lemaire wanted to give the C to White to wear in Langs absence and he flat out refused.

What was meant as a honor was taken as a sleight to his pal. Things got weird at that point.

And Julienball sucked balls. It was all the monotony of Lemaire Trap 1.0 with none of the ambition. Literally score 1 goal, sit on it for 55 minutes and lose because you have zero attack mentality when the opponent scored with 10 minutes remaining because you've been lulling yourselves to sleep the entire game.

Yep, you remember it as well as I do. Think I attended two games that year that ended in 2-1 wins for the Devils, with us scoring the first goal early and inevitably giving up the 3rd period goal to tie before winning in OT/SO. Almost carbon copies of the same game, all relative to Julienball.

 

[Bleedred]

I remember there being talk about Julien almost being fired by the Bruins for the same thing. It was before they won that cup in 2011.

People were saying he was on the verge of being fired because of that turtle system he employed with the Devils, then he switched to a more uptempo system.

 

[Colin226]

I remember there being talk about Julien almost being fired by the Bruins for the same thing. It was before they won that cup in 2011.

People were saying he was on the verge of being fired because of that turtle system he employed with the Devils, then he switched to a more uptempo system.

I remember vividly that some Bruins fan, around December 2010, made a thread on this board specifically asking how Claude Julien could get fired. I'm going to guess that guy changed his tune later that season....

 

[MadDevil]

Neely has wanted to get rid of Julien for a long time. He just kept getting results that made it hard to fire him. Which is why I found it odd they didn't fire him in the summer. It's like they couldn't figure out whether they were trying to win now or rebuild.