The Thirty Column - Andrew Gross says goodbye to Devils beat

These will be the last words I’ll write regarding the Devils for The Record and Northjersey.com.

I believe I remember Tom Gulitti writing something very similar just about 23 months ago.

And if there’s a real regret, a true sadness in my following Tom so quickly in saying goodbye, it’s that my time covering the Devils and working with the people in that fine organization and getting to know you, the passionate fan base, was so relatively short.

As many of you know by now, Friday night’s 3-2 loss at Carolina was my last day on the Devils’ beat. I start at Newsday on Tuesday covering the Islanders, though, because the Isles are on a Western Canada swing, I actually won’t be covering an Islanders’ game until March 15.

There’s no sense in discussing the personal nature of my decision to switch employers. Suffice to say it had nothing to do with dissatisfaction covering the Devils.

But, as was the case when Tom left, the Devils’ beat will continue to be a priority for The Record and there will be a permanent beat writer selected as a replacement soon enough.

In the interim, here’s the upcoming schedule of coverage so you can get your Twitter follows ready:

Sunday – Devils vs. Vegas: Greg Tartaglia (@NJTags13)

Monday – Devils off day: Greg Tartaglia (@NJTags13)

Tuesday – Devils vs. Canadiens: Sean Farrell (@seanfarrell92)

Wednesday – Devils off day: Sean Farrell (@seanfarrell92)

Thursday – Devils vs. Jets: Greg Tartaglia (@NJTags13)

Friday – Devils off day: Sean Farrell (@seanfarrell92)

Saturday-March 23 – Devils embark on a road trip to Nashville, Vegas, Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Jose and Pittsburgh: Andy Vasquez (@andy_vasquez)

So now it’s just time for me to say a few goodbyes and thank yous. These are always dangerous because I don’t want to leave anybody out. So I apologize, in advance, for any omissions.

First, let me just say what a privilege and honor it is to be able to do this as my profession. I’m no athlete, never really was as a kid but my love of sports then and now I know equals that of any professional athlete. To be able to be a part of it, in my own small way, is just the fulfillment of everything I dreamed of doing growing up.

Particularly in being around hockey rinks as I am. I have absolutely adored the sport for as long as I can remember, loved everything about it from the first game my Dad took me too. That was at Madison Square Garden during the 1972-73 season when I was 5. But it wasn’t a Rangers’ game because those tickets were impossible to get. Not hard to get, however, were seats for the New York Raiders of the WHA. We saw a matinee in that league’s inaugural season, sitting about six rows off the ice for a game against the Quebec Nordiques.

Just before the game started, my Dad turned to me and said, “Just follow the puck wherever it goes and you’ll be able to keep up with the action.”

The puck dropped for the opening faceoff. There was an immediate line brawl between the teams. Gloves were strewn everywhere on the Garden ice.

“Dad, I don’t see the puck,” I said.

From that moment, being at a hockey game has just felt different than being at other sporting events. It’s just more exciting to me. I’m fascinated by the warmups. I’m thrilled at the speed and the grace and physicality of the sport. I certainly admire and respect the talents of the players I cover. I know what it’s like being on skates. To be able to play with such precision is beyond my comprehension.

It is true what they say about hockey players, and hockey personnel. It is different than being inside other locker rooms. Better. Maybe it’s because this sport doesn’t have the broad appeal of the NFL or Major League Baseball or even basketball. For whatever reason, hockey players are just more down to earth, easier to talk to. I’m not going to do a five-cent analysis on this. I just know that, blanket statement, talking to hockey players and establishing relationships and writer-player trust just comes easier.

I’ve told anybody who asks and I mean this, my two favorite sports to cover have been the NHL and high school wrestling and I see so many similarities in the athletes. Once you show both the hockey players and the wrestlers you care about their sport, they tend to let you in into their community. And those in the hockey community and the wrestling community can tell wonderful stories.

As I mentioned, being around the Devils has truly been a rewarding experience. I’ll admit I wasn’t sure what to expect after covering the Rangers, for the most part, since 2003. But I’ve been humbled and very appreciative of the reception I’ve gotten from Devils fans, who are just so hungry for information about their team.

And the Devils are a first-class organization from Ray Shero and John Hynes and his coaching staff to Pete Albietz and his PR staff to the players who have come in and out of the team’s room. Even though my time around the organization was short, I feel like I’ve made some long-lasting relationships.

In particular, this season’s group has been the best dressing room I’ve ever been in. A tremendous mix of veterans and younger players who get it in every sense.

If I were a fan, I’d say it’s a very easy team to root for.

I’d also be remiss without thanking some of my current and former co-workers.

I’ll start with Tom, who is everything a hockey reporter should be and is still sorely missed around these parts. I did my best to match his energy and insight into the game. Being his Record teammate while he covered the Devils and I covered the Rangers, and the times we got to work closely together during some memorable playoff runs for both teams, was a great ride.

Former sports editor John Balkun took a chance and hired me away from covering the New York Jets in November, 2007 and then worked some of his magic to get me back on the Rangers’ beat to start the 2008-09 season. The good bosses are the ones you would literally try to run through a wall for and that was John. I’d still go head first through a 30-foot brick barrier for him.

The same goes for current sports director Dave Rivera, who I worked particularly closely with as he was the hockey assignment editor. No reporter should be on an island and I always felt my work benefitted from talking through story ideas with Dave.

John Rowe is retired now but he was also invaluable to the Record both as an assignment editor and a reporter, particularly for his knowledge of local sports and versatility in covering pro sports. I miss being at Belmont with John on race day.

Also retired from The Record is local sports editor Rob Tanenbaum, who first brought me into the paper for an interview and I worked very closely with my first eight months there before moving to the Rangers’ beat. Moving to The Record resurrected my career and I can never thank Rob enough for that.

The sports desk crew at The Record was also something incredibly special. There are not a lot left but the quality remains. Debbie (whose hockey knowledge is invaluable and who truly, truly loves the sport), Brian, Zach, Zac, Conn (the best on deadline), Irwin, Sean, (please forgive any omissions) nothing gets done without the digital staff’s fine work.

And from the old setup, Chuck, Tom, Dan, Lin, Mark, Dude, Harry, Joe (again, I know I’m leaving some co-workers out and I apologize profusely), I really miss working with all of you.

In this day and age, nothing can be done or focused without a strong understanding of readership analytics. Candace and Jennie and Liz and the team at NorthJersey.com have really helped us reporters shape our coverage to what you, the readers, want to know.

Also, nothing can be done without a person who knows how to get things done. Without Liz Arrabito, this whole thing falls apart.

Some of the other reporters I worked with at The Record were the best, too, at being team players. That’s you, J.P. Pelzman and Jeff Roberts (awesome heavy metal conversations) and former Devils beat reporter Kara Yorio.

Pete Caldera and I go back to being part-timers together in another newsroom in ’93. Andy Vasquez and I walked into the building together for orientation in 2007. I love watching Matt Ehalt grind it out on the Mets’ beat. Working with columnists Ian O’Connor and Tara Sullivan was awe-inspiring, just to see how good they truly were at their jobs. New columnist Steve Popper is going to be just the same. Best of luck to Chris Iseman on the Knicks’ beat. He’ll need it.

And R.I.P. Greg Schutta, gone way too soon and who I had so much fun working with on the high school wrestling beat.

Also, a huge thank you to my wife, Jennie, and daughters, Sylvanna and Phoebe, without whose support and understanding of the crazy hours this job demands I would not be able to pursue my passion for sports writing.

Lastly, and certainly just as importantly, one last shout out to you, the Devils’ fans and Fire and Ice readers. Your passion is why Tom and I and whoever follows have worked so hard to cover this team. Thank you for everything, I will really miss this.

So that’s about it, I believe. Again, I apologize for forgetting to thank anybody, it was certainly not intentional.

See you around the rinks,

Andrew

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