When the NHL season began in October, the New Jersey Devils played as if they were still part of the lockout. Their energy was flat, their power play lacked an offensive spark, and the departure of Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer seemed to have opened holes in the once solid Devils defense. With those factors, the Devils finished the first half of the season below .500, with a disappointing 16-18-5 record.

With the start of the new NHL, the Devils dominance seemed to have ended. They were excluded from early playoff talks and many analysts felt that the Devils were in the rebuilding phase and not a serious Eastern conference contender. There were even doubts about Martin Brodeur getting the start in goal for the Canadian Olympic team. For the Devils, the new season of hockey seemed more like a nightmare than a dream.

However, with a New Year comes a new start. For the Devils, the new start has been more rewarding than they could have imagined. The Devils have erased the horrible ending of 2005 with a nine-game winning streak for the beginning of 2006.

The much anticipated return of Patrik Elias has given their power-play new life and has given a jolt to the offensive skills of Scott Gomez, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Brian Gionta. Gomez leads the team with 27 assists, Langenbrunner has had points in the past four games, and Gionta is eighth on the league’s list for goal leaders with 28.

With the return of Elias, Lou Lamoriello waived Alexander Mogilny, whose 25 points were helping the team; however, his $7 million salary was not. With Mogilny now in the AHL, the Devils have recovered and the most shocking offensive stat is that they have scored a power-play goal in six straight games.

On the other side of the rink, Martin Brodeur has been solid in net. Named defensive player for the week of January 9th, Brodeur has stopped not only his opponents, but any doubters that have deemed his skills weak. Although he has not had the all-star season he is known for, Brodeur has had three shutouts in the nine games and has been a rock for the organization.

I was shocked when ESPN.com asked the goaltenders around the league to name the best in their position and none uttered Brodeur’s name. Just this past Tuesday, Brodeur passed Hall of Famer Tony Esposito for fifth place on the NHL's career victory list in the New Jersey Devils' 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues and recorded his 78th career shutout against the Vancouver Canucks the previous week to become seventh on that list. With experience and determination, Brodeur will prove his worth in February for Canada and throughout the rest of the season for the Devils.

The Devils have done this winning transformation with the wearer of many hats in the Devils organization, Lou Lamoriello, behind the bench. Since Lamoriello has taken over the coaching position on December 19th for Larry Robinson, who stepped down due to his health declining as badly as the Devils’ record, the team has gone 11-5. Sunday, the Devils look to extend their winning streak to 10 games when they face their cross-river rivals the New York Rangers, which now include former Devil Petr Sykora, who was acquired recently from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

As of Sunday, the Devils are in the sixth position for the playoffs with 55 points. There is still a lot of hockey to be played and the Devils are aware their winning streak will eventually come to end. However, they are also aware that 2005 is over and they are capable of success in the new NHL.