THN Archive: New Avs Winger Parise Had Best Season with the New Jersey Devils

Zach Parise is now with the Colorado Avalanche, but as noted in this THN story from 2009, Parise was at his competitive peak as a member of the New Jersey Devils.

Earlier this month, veteran NHL winger Zach Parise made his comeback in hockey’s top league by signing a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche. And in this cover story from THN’s March 30, 2009 edition (Vol. 62, Issue 21), this writer profiled Parise as he was in his heyday with the New Jersey Devils.

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In the 2008-09 season, Parise was at his peak. He’d generate 45 goals and 94 points that year – both career highs. At age 24, he helped New Jersey to make the playoffs that year and every year but one season as a Devil. In fact, in 2011-12, his final season with New Jersey, Parise helped them make it to the Stanley Cup final. His Devils teammates and coaches fully understood how valuable he was to the organization.

“He might float under the radar of a lot of people, but he’s one of the best players in the league,” said Parise’s then-linemate, Jamie Langenbrunner. “He’s grown a lot in the last three years, but right from the beginning you could see his work ethic. That’s what’s amazing to me. Sometimes you’ll see a skilled player rely on his skills first and foremost, but Zach relies on his work ethic first and lets the talent take over from there.”

“Every day, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a game or a practice, (Parise) goes all-out,” added Devils coach Brent Sutter. “Why he’s good in games is because he teaches himself through practices. He’s the kind of guy who stays so long in practice he has to get kicked off the ice. He’s the epitome of a player every coach loves to coach.”

In addition to his soft hands and savvy vision for the game, Parise’s dogged determination helped him rise to the top of the list of NHL wingers. He was separated from the puck on rare occasions, but he usually wound up getting it back in short order.

“You see Zach along the boards and nobody gets the puck away from him,” said Devils broadcaster Glenn 'Chico' Resch, who was a teammate of Parise’s father, legendary NHLer J.P. Parise. “His drive to succeed in the corner and grab a loose puck is as great as his drive to score goals around the crease. Most players are good at one of those two things, but not both.

“And his legs are so strong, he kind of reminds me of the Russians we saw in the 1970s…guys who weren’t very tall, but were so strong in their legs. To me, he’s the best at going into traffic and tough areas, and not plowing through, but like a running back might do, he cuts and spins his way into a good position.

Later in his career, Parise became a leader of his team on and off the ice. He spent nine years with the Minnesota Wild and another two seasons with the New York Islanders, and after playing in 1,224 regular-season games and amassing 429 goals and 879 points, the now 39-year-old Parise has what could be his final shot at a Cup. And those formative days with New Jersey gave him the experience he needed to make a difference as a player.

“When I first got here, Scott Gomez was awesome with the young guys,” Parise told THN. “I learned a lot about the league through him and guys like Jamie Langenbrunner. But you know, I feel like I’m still a young guy around here.”

Vol. 62, No. 21, March 30, 2009

By Adam Proteau

Here at The Hockey News, we get all sorts of phone calls from readers. Many are on the overzealous side and usually come from fans intending to inform us of elaborate and sinister plots against their favorite team or player, or from nit-splitting disciples of the game wishing to know, for example, how many players in the NHL’s 1941-42 season used laces made out of Indonesian straw. (Hint: Not many.)

But once in a very long while, you answer the phone and the conversation unfolds like this one did a few years ago:

THN Staffer The Hockey News, Adam speaking…

THN Caller Oh hi, Adam, it’s Zach Parise…

If you understood how rarely we get world-class players calling in – of their own volition, at least – you’d appreciate how shocking it was to hear Parise’s voice. However, the more you discover about the former University of North Dakota star – his dedication, his near-obsessive attention to detail, his hard-nosed tenacity in everything he does – the more sense it makes.

And the more sense it makes, the more you realize why so many organizations and people – the New Jersey Devils and GM Lou Lamoriello, Team USA at the 2010 Winter Olympics and GM Brian Burke – are expecting big things from a player who won’t turn 25 until July.

“I still remember that (phone) call,” said Parise after a game in Toronto in December. “I think we had to do a story for an English literature class (at North Dakota)… My topic was visors in hockey, so I wanted to get some good info.”

Well, Zach, that’s what we like to think we provide around these parts. Care for another useful tidbit? How about this: With nearly a quarter of this season still to play, Parise, son of former NHLer J.P. Parise, already has obliterated his previous career highs in goals (32), assists (33) and points (65), all of which he set last year. (As of mid-March, he was at 39 goals and 70 points in 66 games.)

Most impressively, Parise still could finish the season with 50 goals – a feat that would make him the first 50-goal scorer in Devils franchise history.

For the conversion-challenged, scoring 50 goals in a single season for the normally defense-obsessed Devils is like scoring 500 in a year for the Washington Capitals. But the humble Parise doesn’t see that potential accomplishment as anything but another sign he’s improving personally and as a teammate.

According to those who’ve seen him up close every day since his Devils career began in 2005-06, that improvement has been much fun to watch.

“I definitely think he could be the first one (who scores 50 for New Jersey),” said Parise’s linemate, Jamie Langenbrunner. “He might float under the radar of a lot of people, but he’s one of the best players in the league…He’s grown a lot in the last three years, but right from the beginning you could see his work ethic. That’s what’s amazing to me. Sometimes you’ll see a skilled player rely on his skills first and foremost, but Zach relies on his work ethic first and lets the talent take over from there.”

Added former NHL goaltender and current Devils TV analyst Glenn ‘Chico’ Resch: “Some people have a passion for the game, but that passion is limited to how the league affects them and their role…but not Zach. He’s already near the top of his game, so there’s not going to be any big jumps in his play, but he’s still very interested in improving. And he understands who he is in the game – as a role model, as a representative of his family, his team and himself. He takes it all very seriously.”

Parise’s all-business approach shows up most in practice.

“Every day, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a game or a practice, he goes all-out,” said Devils coach Brent Sutter. “Why he’s good in games is because he teaches himself through practices. He’s the kind of guy who stays so long in practice he has to get kicked off the ice. He’s the epitome of a player every coach loves to coach.”

Added Resch: “You see the finished product with Zach, but you don’t see all the work and preparation that goes into it. Every summer, he’s always looking to get better. Last summer, he’d do a drill on the ice where he’d ask a (teammate) to stand at the blueline with about 20 pucks while he stood in front of the net. His teammate starts shooting the pucks at the net, and Zach tries to tip them in. But after every shot, Zach would skate hard as he could to either corner (as if he were digging the puck out), then he’d skate hard back in front of the net to try and tip in the next shot. And he’d do that until every one of those pucks had been fired at the net.”

Parise’s on-ice life has been made easier this year by the emergence of the Devils’ less-constricted offensive attack.

“This year especially, our ‘D’ are getting more involved, pinching a bit more,” Parise said. “That’s so important on offense, having your ‘D’ involved. It gets tough when you play 3-on-5, you need the ‘D’ jumping in and that’s definitely helped us offensively this season.”

For as much help as he’s received from Devils teammates and coaches, Parise admits his penchant for making the most of every practice has very much helped him become a better player.

“I definitely try to be out there on the ice as much as possible,” said Parise, who spent a year in Albany (AHL) before jumping to the NHL. “There’s a group of us on the team who always try and get on before practice just to get in some extra shots. The league is so tough now and scoring chances are so hard to come by, you have to be ready to capitalize and put them in the net. It’s just about being sharp, being prepared.”

It’s that type of going-the-extra-mile attitude that has made believers out of everyone who’s watched Parise perform. Take Resch, for instance.

“You see Zach along the boards and nobody gets the puck away from him,” said Resch, who was a teammate of J.P. Parise with the Islanders in the late 1970s. “His drive to succeed in the corner and grab a loose puck is as great as his drive to score goals around the crease. Most players are good at one of those two things, but not both.

“And his legs are so strong, he kind of reminds me of the Russians we saw in the 1970s…guys who weren’t very tall, but were so strong in their legs. To me, he’s the best at going into traffic and tough areas, and not plowing through, but like a running back might do, he cuts and spins his way into a good position.

“When I played, only (former Isles great) Johnny Tonelli worked beyond what I thought was humanly possible. Zach is kind of like that. He’s got his dad’s intensity and passion for the game, but where J.P.’s intensity would occasionally boil over, Zach’s temperament very seldom boils over.”

Although Burke’s personality skews more to Parise the father than Parise the son, the Maple Leafs GM – and the man who’ll be choosing USA Hockey’s entry for the Vancouver Olympics – sounds like somebody who’ll be leaning heavily on Parise’s skills.

“There were high expectations for Zach in the draft and he went high (17th overall in 2003), but not as high as some people had thought,” Burke told The Hockey News XM Satellite radio show in February. “Because of his size (5-foot-11, 190 pounds), he slipped down a bit.

“But he’s having a phenomenal year. He’s scoring goals all different ways, he’s scoring goals from out far on hard shots, he’s scoring traffic goals, going to the front of the net and tipping pucks in. He’s having a marvelous year…And no, I don’t think he’s peaked. He’s on the upside.”

Parise finds it hard to hide the excitement of representing his country.

“It’s tough not to look forward to that time,” the Minneapolis native said. “I just hope I get an opportunity to be there, because I think the U.S. is going to have a very good team.”

The Olympics remain months away. By then, Parise imagines he’ll be all the more confident and comfortable in his burgeoning career.

“When you’re more comfortable, you go to better areas on the ice, you’re not overanxious about chasing the puck around,” Parise said. “You become better at deciding when to take chances. You’re just a smarter and more patient player overall.”

Parise sees a leadership role as a natural fit, no matter where he plays. And he owes what he’s learned in that department to a guy he once played with in New Jersey and very likely will play with again in Vancouver.

“When I first got here, Scott Gomez was awesome with the young guys,” Parise said. “I learned a lot about the league through him and guys like Jamie Langenbrunner. But you know, I feel like I’m still a young guy around here.”

That you are, Zach. And that, too, is very good news – not just for the Devils and U.S. hockey, but for the game itself.

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