Marty!

I got to watch sports history last night as Martin Brodeur won his 552nd game--at the Thirsty Moose. I had wanted to go to the game, but wasn't sure if I could even stay awake after just recovering from some horrible jet lag (I think I'm finally over it). It's a good thing the Thirsty Moose has the Devils channel (you have to pay to watch them in New Jersey). They also have nice staff and a nice selection of beer that doesn't include Tsingtao.

It was great to see my first hockey game in a long time (I got to watch a couple last year when Jia and I visited my parents for Spring Festival). The last time I got to watch a Devils game in a bar was just before I moved to China back in 2005--at the very same bar. Things would've been better if the Moose wasn't so far away or if I didn't have to drive there.

Other experiences from our time home have included wasting time at the Social Security office. It seems that we never had to go and fill out an application--we just have to wait a month for Jia to get her card. Until then, we'll just continue applying for jobs wherever we can find them.

We also stopped by the local library to get cards there. I love that there are a lot of English-language books on the shelves (think I've been away too long). I took advice from a former co-worker and decided to go through the fiction section in alphabetical order by taking one book from each shelf (never repeating an author). It seems I made a poor decision on the first book though--after a couple pages I already don't want to continue. Maybe I'll pick up something else today.

I hate free agency

Crap. That's about all I can say about the start of free agency. The Devils are now doomed unless Lou has some magician working in the office this off-season. Rafalski and Gomez are both gone to long-term contracts. I'm not too surprised that Gomez jumped ship, but why did he have to go to the Rangers? I liked him, and now I have to hope that he sucks for the next seven years for his choice.

The only choices to really replace Gomez on the top line would be Nylander, Drury, or (as a last resort) Lang. Maybe the Devils can also replace Rafalski with Souray--but that certainly won't be a cheap deal.

Eliminated

That's the end of the Devils season and the Meadowlands arena. Freakin' Senators. Devils just couldn't stop the top lines (same as against Tampa). The defense is too slow for the speed of the top teams in the league. And the scoring lines are just lackluster--they can't sustain an attack in the offensive zone. And I would like to call on Lou Lamoriello to get away from the bench--you're not a coach, you're a GM.