Rangers-Devils serious

NEWARK, N.J. – When the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils play in the postseason, Martin Brodeur feels the series goes from a rivalry to another level.

“You go through playoff series and people forget about them,” Brodeur said Monday. “Nobody forgets about a Rangers-Devils series. It’s demanding. Every where you go, people talk about it, but it’s fun. It’s a piece of history when you play the Rangers.”

In two days, Brodeur will start his fifth series against the Rangers – he’s been in every one in Devils history.

In 1992, he was a 19-year-old who had just played four regular-season games when he relieved Chris Terreri in the second period of Game 5, giving up three goals in an 8-5 loss.

“I was just part of it from the outside,” he said. “I didn’t know the players. … I just sat on the outside.”

His lasting memory of the series won by New York in seven games was a brawl in which he was paired against Rangers enforcer Joey Kocur – the only time he was clearly at a disadvantage against New York.

Two years later, the Rangers and Devils played one of hockey’s most memorable playoff series. New York’s Stephane Matteau scored on a wraparound in double overtime of Game 7 for a 2-1 win.

“To this day I still hear his name from Rangers’ fans,” Brodeur said. “It’s part of history. It was a big goal.”

The series featured Mark Messier’s famous “guarantee” of a Rangers’ win in Game 6 in New Jersey. New York went on to win its first Stanley Cup since 1940.

While he calls the series loss one of the most disappointing in his career – ranking with the Game 7 loss to Colorado in the Stanley Cup finals in 2001 – Brodeur said it helped the Devils.

“The following year we won the Stanley Cup,” Brodeur said. “That series had a lot to do with the success of this franchise. You have to go through some adversity to be able to be successful. That series, even though I didn’t win it, I learned a lot, how to handle myself in the playoffs. We learned a lot from losing to these guys.”