Devils GM Allowed To Skate Through Media Session Without Addressing A Major Root Cause Of Team’s Demise
Must be nice to work a 20-minute PATH train ride from the media capital of the world and still operate a professional sports franchise under little media scrutiny.
Tom Fitzgerald is the General Manager of the New Jersey Devils, not a third-world dictator, but the questions he received during Monday’s press conference night as well have been pre-approved by the state.
The session, set up ostensibly for Fitzgerald to comment on the postponement of Tuesday’s contest in Pittsburgh due to a crippling combination of COVID-19 and other infections within the team, was a prime opportunity for fans to get some answers as to why the Devils are once again stumbling down in the standings with 15 losses in its last 18 games, with just three of those defeats coming after earning a point in regulation.
To his credit, Fitzgerald blasted his players’ commitment to playing the right way and demanded that they hold each other accountable. Still, there was one notable culprit missing from his diatribe, possibly because it didn’t come up for discussion.
Imagine, a 14-minute press conference and not one question about why coach Lindy Ruff deserves to keep his job amidst this freefall.
Oh, there was a general query about what Fitzgerald thought about Ruff’s performance, but it was set up in such a way that Fitzgerald easily parried it—and then there wasn’t any follow-up.
For instance, when Fitzgerald opened his reply by raving about Ruff’s communication skills, the next obvious question, after the reporter threw up in his mouth, should have been about whether the players are tuning their coach out.
Because their play on the ice seems to indicate that they have. Ruff laments about his club’s awful “puck management” almost every day. He says it’s constantly drilled into his players’ heads. Yet the frightful giveaways that turn into dangerous scoring chances for the opposition persist. At what point does Fitzgerald turn his attention to the messenger instead of the message?
I’ve laid out my argument for why Lindy Must Leave in prior posts and the fan base is also demanding a change. Well, at least those who haven’t yet joined the legions who have ventured into apathy.
No wonder none of the major publications in the metropolitan area, including the two biggies in New Jersey, cover this team with a dedicated beat writer. Most media sessions this season have been dominated by either employees of the Devils or broadcasters approved by the Devils, with very little questioning from independent journalists. The sole Ruff question came from an extremely knowledgeable reporter who works for the league, and that came only after the Devils’ plant took up half the session.
The Athletic, one of my favorite reads, further dissed Devils fans by reassigning the superb Corey Masisak to the San Jose beat. In his place, the publication installed a Rangers fan who I have yet to hear in any Devils media conference, including Fitzgerald’s.
As one of those Devils fans who is still paying attention, I feel I deserve better answers. Unfortunately, that can only happen if the proper questions are asked instead of the softies on Monday that let Fitzgerald seamlessly skate away without addressing one of the larger root causes of the Devils’ demise.
Sent from my iPhone