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WDHA Morning Jolt

WDHA Morning Jolt

WDHA Morning Jolt

The Devils Hit the Panic Button Too Soon

Author Jim Monaghan

The New Jersey Devils firing of head coach Lindy Ruff earlier this week wasn’t a surprise, but the team may have hit the panic button too soon.

 

Last season

Just a year ago, the Devils surprised many fans when they made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

We knew they had good young talent, but they had exceeded expectations. Ruff was considered to be a big part of why the team had arrived a year earlier than expected.

This season

Cut to the 2023-24 season, and as the team fell further out of playoff contention, fans were calling for Ruff to be fired.

They got their wish this week when Ruff was dismissed and replaced with interim coach Travis Green.

There’s a cliche in sports – you can’t fire the players. And while that’s true, sometimes firing the coach isn’t necessarily the answer.

It’s a panic-button move.

Let’s look at some of what has plagued the Devils this season.

Injuries

It’s not a good sign when teams use the Injury Excuse, because every team has injury issues. However, for the Devils, it has certainly been a factor.

Dougie Hamilton has been out since November and the likelihood is that he will not play at all in 2024.

Jack Hughes, injured in January, missed more than a month and still isn’t 100%.

Goalie Vitek Vanecek has been out for a month with a lower-body injury he sustained on February 10.

Captain Nico Hischier missed a good portion of November with an injury, too.

Problems in goal

The loss of Vanecek highlighted a problem within the organization – the lack of depth at the goalie position.

The team has had to rely on a rotation of Nico Daws and Akira Schmid, with mixed results.

Playing from behind

The Devils have allowed the first goal in 46 of their 62 games going into Thursday night’s game against the Blues.

When you’re constantly playing from behind, that puts a lot of pressure on a team, especially one as young as New Jersey.

MORE EPISODES OF WDHA’S TWO-MINUTE DRILL WITH JIM MONAGHAN AND CHRIS SWENDEMAN

March Madness 2024 Power Rankings: These Teams Should Top Your Bracket

We’re into March, and it’s official championship time in the 2024 men’s college basketball season. Right now, games are being played that will help determine which teams will make it into the much-coveted NCAA tournament and March Madness. So, which teams should top your bracket?

The No. 1 seeds are no surprise, for the most part. There’s no way any other teams will be able to top Purdue, Houston and Connecticut. But, the rest is up for grabs.

Before we get into the rankings, let’s learn some fun facts about the NCAA Tournament. The very first March Madness started on March 17, 1939, according to BleacherNation.com. They also note that the first tournament in college basketball history had only eight teams. Oregon won the NCAA Division I Championship that year, with a 46-33 win over Ohio State. As for huge upsets, and I remember this one, during the 2018 NCAA Tournament, UMBC beat No. 1 seed Virginia 74-54. That marked the first time in NCAA history a No. 16 seed beat a number 1.

The Odds of a Perfect March Madness Bracket

What are the odds of you getting a perfect bracket? Not good. Not good at all. According to the NCAA, you have a 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 (9 quintillion) chance to make a perfect bracket. If you really know nothing about college basketball knowledge, your odds become 1 in 120.2 billion. So, don’t bet the house or first born on your bracket. That’s so crazy. For years, I was really good at doing brackets and even won in some bracket pools with coworkers and friends. But, then I stopped doing brackets for a few years, because I wanted to enjoy the game. Now, I’m back and ready to do a bracket again this year. My team, the Michigan State Spartans, have not been doing well lately. But, there’s time, and hopefully they can turn things around. Fingers crossed.

Let’s get into our March Madness 2024 power rankings.

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