And now, a positive story about the state of New Jersey.  And to be honest with you, I’m actually happy this story has nothing to do with the New York Islanders for once.  For once, a landmark – epic deal (17 years!?  I’m going to have a teenager before Kovalchuck and the Devils are done with this contract!!) does not involve Charles Wang and the Islanders (see:  Alexei Yashin; Rick DiPietro)  – for Gods-sake Yashin’s deal seems very tame now (except the fact that he is not of the same caliber of hockey player as Kovalchuck, but why would that minor detail have mattered to Mike Milbury and the Islanders of the early 2000′s??).

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One might think that because I’m an Islander fan I instantly must hate anything the Devils do.  Well, the Devils have done nothing but win, win, and win since as long as I’ve been a fan of hockey (since Martin Brodeur’s rookie year) and I can see how that would be annoying to nearby fans of the Flyers, Rangers, and the Islanders.  I’m a little different though.  The Devils don’t annoy me.  They never have.  In fact, I remember the 1st game I saw on TV (the old SportsChannel!) was actually a New Jersey Devils game (I totally remember their nasty green and red Christmas jerseys!).  And by the time I became a die-hard Islander fan I already knew who I was supposed to hate . . . the dirty Rangers!  The Devils were harmless, at least to me!

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