Johan Hedberg News

If Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas, 38, follows through on his plan to not play next season to spend more time with his family, New Jersey Devils goalie Johan Hedberg believes he can still play at a high level when he returns.

New Jersey Devils' Ilya Kovalchuk, of Russia, talks to the press during NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final media day, Tuesday, May 29, 2012, in Newark, N.J. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Julio Cortez NEWARK, N.J. - Ilya Kovalchuk isn't sure what happened in the early minutes of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final.

One of the perks of being a 20-year NHL veteran like Martin Brodeur is that all of the gear that lands in his locker comes beautifully customized.

Reuters/Newark, New Jersey Swede Nicklas Lidstrom became the first European to captain a Stanley Cup champion and as he retired from the NHL on Thursday a handful of compatriots hoping to get their hands on the same trophy paid him tribute.

There are many who think Devils' rookie Adam Larsson wears No. 5 because he idolizes Swedish defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom.

As Dominik Hasek contemplates a return to the NHL at 47, the prevailing sentiment around the league is that if any goalie could cheat the aging process, he could.

The NHL championship series, between the Devils and Kings, gets underway just days shy of the one-year anniversary of the Atlanta franchise being sold and relocated to Winnipeg.

How they got here: New Jersey beat No. 3 Florida 4-3, No. 5 Philadelphia 4-1, and No.

Being the No. 6 seed in the East to Los Angeles' No. 8 seed in the West, the New Jersey Devils have home-ice advantage for the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals .

This season, the Devils are 2-0-0 against the Kings and while that might look like a solid small sample size, looking closer at their previous games tells us that history means nothing between these two.

Jan 06 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils goalie Johan Hedberg makes a save on Florida Panthers right wing Krys Barch while Florida Panthers center John Madden looks for the rebound during the third period at the Prudential Center.

Wander into many a thread here at In Lou We Trust and it's quite likely one will find a heated argument about one of the current New Jersey Devils with strong advocates on either side of the issue of his performance.

On the opening night of the NHL playoffs, Martin Brodeur settled in for a night of studying.

He stands behind the New Jersey Devils bench, his demeanor unchanging from play to play, situation to situation.

The New Jersey Devils have made a surprise run to the Conference finals, clinching a berth with a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.

John's IceCaps in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series tonight .

Martin Brodeur turns 40 on Sunday and he knows there will be signs in the crowd reminding him.

The Devils were back on the ice today preparing for Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Philadelphia Flyers.