WE'RE KEEPING BUSY OVER HERE. RIGHT NOW, I'M TRYING TO TEACH
DANO HOW TO DO THE DOUGIE, THE DANCE.
THE DEVILS PICKED THE PRIDES FREE AGENT OUT THERE.
I WILL SING. I DO THE DANCING.
WE'RE LIVE ON THE AIR, AND HE LOVES TO SING.
DOUGIE HAMILTON, A HUGE SIGNING, OBVIOUSLY.
SHANNON SAID, THE DEVILS FANS HAVE TO BE SO EXCITED RIGHT NOW,
AS TODAY, WE SAW A REAL COMMITMENT TO GETTING BETTER.
YOU SEE THE MOVES MADE TODAY. ALSO, IN THE LAST COUPLE DAYS,
INCLUDING THOSE THAT GOT QUALIFYING OFFERS.
TOM FITZGERALD SAID HE WANTED TO IMPROVE THE BACK END.
HE HAS DONE THAT. NOT ONLY WITH RYAN GRAVES
EARLIER, IN A TRADE WITH COLORADO, BUT HE LANDS THE PRIZE
FREE AGENT. A LEGITIMATE NUMBER ONE BONA
FIDE DEFENSEMAN, THAT SHOULD HAVE THE DEVILS EXCITED.
HE WILL PLAY 25 MINUTES A NIGHT, CAN KILL PENALTIES, CAN PRODUCE
OFFENSE FROM THE BACK END. FITZGERALD SAID HE WANTED TO GET
BIGGER. HE GOT BIGGER BACK THERE.
GOOD NEWS FOR THE NEW JERSEY DEVILS FANS.
HE MADE NO SECRET ABOUT THAT, WANTING TO BE A TOUGHER TEAM TO
PLAY AGAINST. WE LOOK AT YAROS, GRAVES, AND
HAMILTON. HAMILTON, 6'6", 230.
GETTING A BIG BOY. AND WE'RE EXCITED FOR THAT.
REALLY, JUST YOU SAW THE RUMORS. AND DEVILS FANS HAD TO WAIT A
LONG TIME. IT IS A BIG DEAL.
HE'S HERE FOR THE LONG HAHL. HE'S MAKING $9 MILLION A YEAR.
HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT WILL HE MAKE ABOUT THE DEVILS' BLUE
LINE? HE CHANGES THE COMPPLEXION O
THE BACK END. NOW, THEY CAN SLOT IN AS FAR AS
MINUTES PLAYED AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
DOUGIE HAMILTON IS THE TYPE OF PLAYER THE DEVILS NEED, AS FAR
AS PLAYERS THAT CAN KEEP PLAYS ALIVE IN HIS OWN ZONE.
HE HAS A TERRIFIC SHOT, AS WELL. HE CAN RIP THE PUCK.
THAT'S SOMETHING ON THE POWER PLAY, ON THE BACK END, HE BRINGS
THAT. HE JUMPS IN THE PLAY, AS WELL.
THEY ADDED JONATHAN BERNIER, THE VETERAN GOALTENDER.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING FOR ME. WHAT IT SHOWS, THE YOUNG
PLAYERS, THE YOUNG CORE, AND THE NUCLEUS AND PROSPECTS THEY HAD,
THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO FAST TRACK THAT.
INSULATE YOU GUYS WITH VETERAN, CORE PIECES.
YOU HAVE TO BUILD FROM THE BACK END OUT, IN MY OPINION.
AND THEY NEEDED HELP THERE. AND THEY ADDED A GOOD ONE IN
DOUGIE HAMILTON. YOU HAVE THE YOUNG TALENT UP
FRONT. YOU HAVE THAT IN BLACKWOOD.
BUT YOU NEED TO INSULATE, AS YOU SAY, ADD SOME OF THE VETERANS.
AND THEY'RE GETTING THAT VETERAN TANDEM, IN NET.
THAT IT WAS, THE OTHER BIG SIGNING, THE FIRST SIGNING OF
THE DAY, IN FREE AGENCY, FOR NEW JERSEY DEVS, GETTING
JONATHAN BUERNIER. HE SPOKE TO THE MEDIA EARLIER.
WE'RE HOPING TO HEAR FROM HIM TONIGHT.
HE SAID, I'M HERE TO PUSH, TO MAKE MACKENZIE BLACKWOOD BETTER.
HE SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO MOVE OVER AND GIVE HIM THE NET.
HE HAD A GOOD YEAR WITH THE DETRO
RED WINGS. HE IS GOING TO COME IN AND
EXPECT TO WIN HOCKEY GAMES FOR THE DEVILS.
THIS IS A TIME YOU NEED A VETERAN GUY THAT CAN REALLY HELP
A MACKENZIE BLACKWOOD MATURE, AS WELL.
THAT HEALTHY COMPETITION IN NET IS A FACTOR IN THE SIGNING OF
JONATHAN BERNIER. YOU WANT TO PUSH BLACKWOOD.
HE HAS TO GET BETTER. YOU WANT HIM TO GET BETTER ON A
NIGHTLY BASIS. HE'S THE FUTURE FOR THE DEVILS.
AND BERNIER WILL COME AND GET PLENTY OF GAMES.
HE IS BEHIND THE DEFENSE IN DETROIT, A TEAM THAT DIDN'T HAVE
A LOT OF SUCCESS ON MANY NIGHTS. HE STOOD ON HIS HEAD.
IT'S A GOOD, SOLID SIGNING FOR TOM FITZGERALD AND HIS DEVILS
SQUAD. YOU HAVE TO HAVE THAT ATTITUDE.
HE'S GOING TO PUSH MACKENZIE BLACKWOOD.
THEY WILL GO WITH THE GUY THAT WILL WIN YOU GAMES.
I THINK YOU NEED A GOOD TANDEM. AND THEY ARE HOPING THAT BERNIER
ADDS THAT ASPECT HERE, AS FAR AS LAST YEAR.
NOW, THEY THINK THEY SOLIDIFIED THAT GOALTENDER.
WE HAVE JONATHAN BERNIER LIVE WITH US.
THANKS FOR SPENDING TIME WITH US.
YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU.
WELCOME TO NEW JERSEY. I KNOW IT'S BEEN A BUSY DAY FOR
YOU. HOW HAS IT BEEN?
OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, INKING YOUR NEW DEAL, TWO-YEAR DEAL AT THAT,
WHAT'S THE DAY BEEN LIKE? IT'S ALWAYS A CRAZY DAY, I'VE
4. 4.125.
BEEN THERE. AND ESPECIALLY FEEL LIKE, AS YOU
GET OLDER, YOU HAVE KIDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
YOU HAVE A LOT ON YOUR MIND WITH SCHOOL.
AND ESPECIALLY HAVING THE COVID YEAR, YOU KNOW, FREE AGENCY WAS
MUCH LATER. I GOT TO GET THE BALL ROLLING
NOW. HEY, JONATHAN.
WELCOME TO NEW JERSEY. FIRST OFF, I JUST WANT TO KNOW
THE PROCESS YOU WENT THROUGH, BEING AN UNRESTRICTED FREE
AGENT. YOU SIGNED DAY ONE OF FREE
AGENCY, WITH THE DEVILS. WHAT WAS PART OF YOUR DECISION,
BESIDES MONEY, THAT'S ALL PART OF IT.
IT'S A BUSINESS. WHAT WAS YOUR DECISION AS FAR AS
SIGNING WITH THE DEVILS? TO BE HONEST, I GOT TO GIVE A
BIG CREDIT TO MARTY BRODEUR. I HAD A LONG CONVERSATION WITH
HIM. ALL THE THINGS HE SAID WAS
RIGHT. AND TO ME, IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A
HOCKEY DECISION. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I HAVE A
FAMILY AND JUST SEEMED TO ME TO BE THE BEST FIT IN ALL THE TEAMS
THAT WERE INTERESTED. I BELIEVE THIS TEAM IS NOT THAT
FAR OFF TO MAKE THAT JUMP THEY NEED TO GET INTO A PLAYOFF PUSH,
YOU KNOW? AT LEAST GETTING TO THAT PUSH
WHERE YOU'RE TOWARDS THE END AND YOU HAVE TO WIN SOME BIG GAMES
AND YOU NEVER KNOW. I THINK THEY'VE MADE SOME
STRIDES IN THE LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR, WITH DOUGIE NOW.
I THINK THEY'RE HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
YOU PUSH EACH OTHER, YOU AND BLOCK
BLACKWOOD, FOR PLAYING TIME IN GAMES.
YOU NEED TWO GOOD GOALTENDERS IN THIS LEAGUE.
EVERYBODY KNOWS AND MY OPINION, AS WELL.
HOW CAN YOU HELP? YOU'VE BEEN AROUND THE LEAGUE
FOR A LONG TIME. HOW CAN YOU HELP MACKENZIE
BLACKWOOD GROW, AS WELL? I'M JUST GOING TO BE MYSELF.
I AM ASSUMING THEY SIGNED ME TO BE ME.
YOU DON'T GET 12 OR 13 YEARS IN THE LEAGUE FOR NOT WORKING HARD
AND HAVING GREAT HABITS AND BEING A GOOD TEAMMATE AND ALL
THESE THINGS THAT TEAM WANTS. IT'S GOING TO BE ME AND I WORK
HARD IN PRACTICE EVERY DAY. I'M NOT GOING THERE TO NOT PLAY.
I WANT TO PLAY AS MANY GAMES AS POSSIBLE.
IF I'M DIASTOLOING THAT, I'M GO PUSH HIM.
AND HE IS PUSHING ME. IT'S A HEALTHY COMPETITION.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE GETTING THE TEAM OVERALL BETTER.
I KNOW YOU TALK ABOUT THE LOVE FOR THE GAME YOU HAVE.
AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE HEALTHY COMPETITION.
WHEN YOU'RE GOING UP AGAINST A YOUNG NETMINDER WHO IS TRYING TO
ESTABLISH HIMSELF IN THE NHL AND IN THE GAME OVERALL.
HOW MUCH DOES THAT REJUVENATE THINGS FOR YOU AND GET YOU TO
PUSH EVEN HARDER? YEAH.
YOU KNOW, I WATCH HIM, OBVIOUSLY, OVER THE YEARS.
AND HE SAYS HE HAS ALL OF THE POTENTIAL.
HE'S GOT THE SIZE, THE QUICKNESS.
HE'S GOT EVERYTHING. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING TO BE
TOUGH FOR ME. I'VE DONE IT IN THE PAST.
TO BE HONEST, MY MAIN FOCUS IS WHENEVER I GET THE CALL, TO PLAY
MY GAME AND TRY TO WIN AS MANY GAMES AS POSSIBLE.
I'M NOT REALLY GOING TO FOCUS TOO MUCH ON HIM OR I'M SURE HE'S
GOING TO DO THE SAME. IT'S REALLY -- WE'RE GOING TO
TRY TO PUSH EACH OTHER TO MAKE THIS TEAM BETTER AND WIN HOCKEY
GAMES. JONATHAN, YOU KNOW THE
IMPORTANCE OF THE GUYS IN FRONT OF YOU, THE DEFENSEMEN.
YOU TOUCHED ON IT. THE DEVILS HAD A COUPLE OF
VETERAN GUYS, RYAN GRACE FROM COLORADO, A FEW WEEKS AGO.
AND THEY SIGN THE PRIZE ON THE FREE AGENCY END, DOUGIE
HAMILTON. THAT HAS TO EXCITE YOU COMING
INTO THE DEVILS ORGANIZATION. YOU'RE INSULATED WITH TWO BIG
GUYS, 6'5", AND 6'6", ON THE BACK END.
YEAH, DEFINITELY. THEY'RE TWO DIFFERENT PLAYERS.
OBVIOUSLY DOUGIE IS VERY TALENTED OFFENSIVELY.
AND GRAVES IS IN A WAY OF GOALIES, THE TYPE OF DEFENSEMEN
WE LIKE AS GOALIES. THAT WAS A GREAT ADDITION TO
THIS TEAM. WE'RE JEFF NITLY -- IT'S RE
REWARDING WHEN YOU SEE A GM OR OWNERS THAT ARE TRYING TO MAKE
THE RIGHT MOVE AND PUSH TO GET BETTER.
YOU KNOW, NOW YOU SEE THAT THEY'RE NOT AT THE PHASE WHERE
THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO ACCUMULATE DRAFT PICKS AND
TRYING TO STAY YOUNG. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE SEEING THE
POTENTIAL AND THEY'RE TRYING TO JUST GET A BETTER TEAM ON THE