Henrique reflected on the trade that sent him to Anaheim on The Cam & Strick Podcast.
"They poke away at it! Still, it's loose! Poked at by Kovalchuk! They score!!! Henrique!!! It's over!!!"
That call from Mike "Doc" Emrick on May 25, 2012, will forever be part of New Jersey Devils' history. It's a moment then 21-year-old Adam Henrique would never forget as he was swarmed by his teammates in celebration in the corner of the ice.
His first NHL season in New Jersey was close to perfect. He earned the trust of his coach and was playing with the team's top talent, contributed big goals during their run to the Stanley Cup Final, and was named a Calder Trophy finalist, an award given to "the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League."
On a recent episode of The Cam & Strick Podcast, Henrique spoke about that whirlwind experience and the difficult years that eventually led to his trade out of New Jersey.
"After (the 2012 playoff run), you're kind of putting band-aids on the holes for a few years," he said. "You're trying to keep the team relevant and in the mix and trying to get in the playoffs."
Some holes included then-captain Zach Parise, who departed for the Minnesota Wild as a free agent, Ilya Kovalchuk, who suddenly retired from the NHL, and goaltender Marty Brodeur who signed with the St. Louis Blues in 2014.
As Henrique stated, then-general manager Lou Lamoriello tried to keep the team relevant by signing veterans Ryane Clowe, Michael Ryder, and Michael Cammalleri over the years.
When Ray Shero took over as general manager, Henrique felt he could be moved.
"When Ray (Shero) came in, I think I had a year left on my deal," Henrique said. "I thought about it a little bit over the summertime, like, okay, maybe I'll get traded this year around the trade deadline."
"New (general managers) come in, and they have to make moves and do their job," he said. "Everybody's got a job to do."
Henrique recalls having little value trade-wise on the team besides himself and maybe another player or two. The idea of a trade did not shock the Brantford, Ontario native, but the timing did.
"I was driving to the rink, packed for a road trip, he said. "I (received) a phone call, and (Shero said) Adam, I traded you. I had no clue it was coming."
The Devils traded Henrique, Joseph Blandisi, and a 2018 third-round pick (Blake McLaughlin) to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Sami Vatanen and a 2019 3rd round pick (Daniil Misyul).
"(New Jersey) needed defensemen at the time," he said. "The only crazy thing was that it happened at the end of November, which is early for a trade, which was why it was so shocking."
Henrique's first stop wasn't Anaheim, California, but Columbus, Ohio. It was there that he joined his new teammates.
"At the time, Anaheim had a lot of injuries," he said. "I showed up in Columbus to meet the team, and there's nobody there. Literally half the team was injured back in Anaheim. There are guys on the team I've never even heard of (because) they were all call-ups. I (thought), these guys really do have a lot of injuries."
In 2018, Henrique signed a five-year, $29.125 million contract extension with Anaheim, and since then appeared in 375 games as a Duck (117 goals, 105 assists). At 33 years old, he is now a veteran on the ice and a husband to his wife Lauren, and a father to his daughter Blake off of the ice. Looking back on the trade that sent him to California, he says it was just part of the business.
"I think it was literally just a hockey trade in the end," he said. "...I don't think it's like (Shero) didn't like me or that sort of thing. Maybe he would have kept me around if things were different. It was a hockey play at the time, and the market changed (as far as) what each team needed."