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October 7, 2025 • 26 mins
John Tortorella made the prediction that the Devils will win the Stanley Cup. Do you agree?

By Sam Woo

https://pucksandpitchforks.com
https://www.LetsGoDevils.com

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Happy Devils Tuesday. This is the Woo Report, The Woo Report,
Episode four fifty seven, coming to you live live from
the Primetime Radio studios inside the Bunker in an undisclosed location.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Beautiful New Jersey.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
Stream it live on Facebook Live, YouTube Live, x Live,
and Twitch. John the Let's Go Devil's Network doing a
little Woo Report tonight on this beautiful, beautiful Tuesday evening
in Beautiful New Jersey. As the NHL season starts today,

(01:41):
triple aheader on EESB and hockey is back. We don't
have to worry about our other sports teams in other
sports losing. We start fresh, ah and we're gonna be
talking about what we call predictions. Predictions baby, And that's

(02:08):
kind of the topic right now. The topic of this podcast,
of this Woo Report, which we haven't had in a while,
is will this be the year.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
The Devils win the Cup?

Speaker 1 (02:22):
Now, about four or five years ago, during the pandemic,
I told Scotty. I told Scotty that the Devils will
win the Cup in twenty twenty five, but I didn't
say which side A twenty twenty five. It was all
funny games back then. You had a young Jack Hughes

(02:45):
you had Nikoheesher just becoming captain. It was about four
or five years ago. And I'll tell you today when
ESPN came out with their predictions, out of all people,

(03:07):
and I have a lot of respect for John Tortorella,
but John Tortorella went against the status quo. He didn't
go with a safe pick. He put his reputation on
the line and said the New Jersey Devils will win

(03:34):
the Stanley Cup.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
Now think about that.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
John Tortorella. You remember the days in twenty twelve, the
line brawl, the arguments that he was having with Peter
de boor Devil's head coach. In the regular season, the
line brawl, and then the playoffs when the Devils won
that game six and double overtime to stick to the Rangers.

(04:04):
But to win the Stanley Cup. Now, I believe about
a year or two ago, I forgot who. But they
put it in some AI computer about a couple of
years ago about future Stanley Cup winners, and I forgot
which publication did this had the Devils winning back to

(04:26):
back twenty five and twenty six and twenty six and
twenty seven. So we got me thinking, and I want
everybody on the Facebook Live you two live Twitch x Live.
I want your opinions right now. Do you think this

(04:47):
will be the year when the New Jersey Devils take
a gigantic leap forward and actually win the Stand League Cup.
I don't think the Devils are that far off. To

(05:08):
be really honest with you, I don't. At least on paper,
they are not far off. We talked about the team
being balanced, the team having depth both veterans and young
up and coming stars of the NHL. I don't think

(05:36):
the Devils are far off. If you looked at the
roster they came out yesterday, the one thing that stood
out to me, and I talked to Chico Rush about
this as well today. The one thing that stood out

(05:58):
to both of us was the top six that Dandenoff,
who was a veteran, is on the line with Jack
Hughes and Jasper Bratt. I think that could be the

(06:21):
missing link. I know Chico has expressed that as well,
because if you look at the second line of Niko Hischer,
Timo Meyer, and Dawson Mercer, that's a solid second line.
Third line. Cody Glass, who they acquired last year via trade,

(06:45):
signed on the off season to re signed, and you
have Andre Palott at left wing and Connor Brown at
right wing. Now on the original roster sheet that I

(07:05):
saw that you know Scott la Chance, but he was
sent down today to Utica and we'll get to that
a little bit later. But the fourth line of Paul
Cotter and it's escaping me. Who's on the other side.

(07:25):
Got to get to my uh got to get to
my list here that I had from yesterday, Just gotta
I don't have my phone on me, but let's see here,
and uh, Gritzick, you've got some young talent on that
fourth line, good Sheldon Keith roll four lines. But if

(07:51):
you put Dan and off either on the third or
fourth line, and you get a sniper that has eluded
Tom Fitzgerald. And it's not like you can get them.
They're not a dime a dozen, folks, But could you

(08:12):
get that player in the top six to complete this
well rounded team from the top six to the bottom
six to the first, second and third pairing on the
blue line, and you've got two to one A and

(08:37):
well you got one A and a one B goaltending
tandem with Nico Dawes as being kind of the emergency
goaltender if need to be called up. He has experience,
He cleared waivers, Thank goodness when Nason comes back, when

(08:58):
Covid Seviach comes back. I don't know how they're gonna
do the math with a salary gap. I I leave
that up to Tom Fitzgerald. You can't put the lot
on that first line. You got to get Jack Hughes
a left winger. And I'm gonna ask this question throughout
the season because it's gonna be a long season, folks,

(09:19):
And I'm from time to time here on the Woo Report,
I'm gonna ask you who is that player by trade deadline,
assuming all goes well, because there were a couple there
were a couple of people that picked the Devils to

(09:39):
win the Metropolitan Division over the Carolina Hurricanes. Who is
that marquee player or does it have to be a
marquee player to make that first line so potent and
draw a lot of attention where the second, third, and

(10:04):
fourth lines can just dominate and wear out the opponent,
especially in the playoffs. I want to know, is it
Jason Robertson Down in Dallas, we talked about Brady Kuchuk,
but not gonna happen. Not realistic. I'm not sure if

(10:25):
he would give up the center position to go left wing,
or would Jack Hughes do that. But you never know.
You're gonna have to do a lot of convincing. But
Jack Hughes is the face of the franchise along with Nikohesher.
You've got the centers down the middle. Can they stay healthy.

(10:48):
I'm hopeful. I'm hopeful. I'm not optimistic. I'm not pessimistic,
but I'm hopeful. One extra year does a lot for
a player that is entering their prime. Jasper Bratt Steve

(11:15):
Angels as left wing, need a right wing. You can
put Jessper Bratt anywhere at this point, Oh my goodness,
says Gritch will move to the first line after he
gets settled in and acclimated. There's a lot of pressure
on this kid, coming from the KHL, playing the North

(11:36):
American game. It's gonna be adjustment. But I think you know,
he's got the right attitude about it. He seems pretty confident.
He's learning on the fly. They brought Dan and Off
to kind of mentor him throughout the season. But this

(12:01):
is a good team, at least on paper. But when
John Tortorella put down that the New Jersey Devils would
win the Stanley Cup. How awesome is that?

Speaker 2 (12:18):
Take that.

Speaker 1 (12:19):
It's on ESPN dot com right now. Take that. That
is a bold prediction from a man that I respect.
He's done so much for USA Hockey. He's won Stanley Cup,
he's improved teams. The guy knows what he is talking about.

(12:43):
Sure he's colorful, Sure he's opinionated. But I think John
Tortorella is a smart guy and he wouldn't just put
his name on the line and just put New Jersey
Devils take that. No, I think he knows what he's
talking about. He's getting in right now.

Speaker 2 (13:07):
He's all in right now on the Devils.

Speaker 1 (13:11):
And I give him a lot of credit for that
because that's not a very popular pick. I mean, you've
got other teams out there that have a lot of depth,
experience and credentials going far deep into the playoffs. In
the past, I don't know ten twelve years, the team

(13:32):
has only went to the second round once, and that's
when they beat the New York Rangers in seven games
a couple of years ago.

Speaker 2 (13:47):
A little bit of John.

Speaker 1 (13:48):
Twittera, I've told this story before you know, he has
his reputation of being a hard ass, a hot head,
and I, you know, I kind of bought into it myself.
But back in twenty thirteen, twenty fourteen, twenty fourteen, the

(14:10):
New York Rangers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
I was covering the finals. They're playing the La Kings,
and I've told this story before that you know, in
Masson Square Garden, there's not much room to run around
in the press box. And I was fortunate enough to
be in the elevator with John Tortorella. And I guess

(14:36):
there was a story there's this little boy in a
wheelchair that he'd befriended and I got to win. You know,
the elevators. The elevators are slow, slow going. You're going
down down to the ice level.

Speaker 2 (14:56):
And I see this.

Speaker 1 (14:58):
Magnificent guy treat a New York Rangers fan with such respect.
A kid in a wheelchair, saw the humanized side of
John Totorella. And then when the elevator doors open and
the press was there and everyone's asking questions, like there

(15:21):
was John Toterella, you know, being John Toterella again. But
I think he's a great coach. He knows what he's
talking about. And I don't think the Devils are that
far off, to be honest, at least on paper. They
still have a lot of work to do. They have
a lot to prove. Sheldon Keief is in his second year.

(15:43):
There are no excuses you put one of the best
winning coaches in the regular season. He's in his second
year with the new Jersey Devil. Sheldon Keef. He's got
his guys right now, which you know his assistant coaches.
They're gonna have. Look, the defense improved last season under

(16:07):
Ryan McGill, but now they got to do better. Even
with the injuries. Seamous Case is gonna be out for
a while, Covid sevag is gonna be out for a while.
But you still have the second overall pick in Shimon Nemets,
which he definitely worked out during the offseason. Select the

(16:36):
Boy says, playoff experience doesn't mean much when you get
over confident at sometimes and sometimes inexperience can actually help
a team during the playoffs because whatever you don't know
doesn't kill you. Sometimes you just don't know that you're
not supposed to be there, and I can equally make

(16:59):
you danger in the playoffs. But this team has speed,
it has some grit, it has goaltending, it's got great coaching,
it's got the money to pay players. But I think
the Devils are just one impact player off and Chico

(17:19):
Resh brought that up to my attention. I'm like, you
know what, You're right because I didn't notice Dananoff on
that first line.

Speaker 2 (17:30):
And no offense to Dananoff.

Speaker 1 (17:31):
But you know, when I think of the future Jack
Hughes and Jasper Bratt, I'd like to see a power forward,
a sniper, a player that can put the puck in
the back of the net.

Speaker 2 (17:47):
That's what I want to see.

Speaker 1 (17:51):
But Grit Sick is gonna be key. He has a
lot on his plate. What he needs to do is eight,
don't go outside of your element, but just play your game.
Speed speed, speed will kill. And I think right now

(18:21):
as we approach this season, there wasn't a big splash
in the offseason. There was a big extension with Luke
Hu'es signing for seven years, nine million AAV. But this
team has a little bit of roster consistency right now.

(18:45):
Will Dougie Hamilton kick it up a notch like to
the numbers he had a couple of years ago. You
want a Seagin Thaler. Will he build upon his improvement
last season where he was a defensive defenseman and you

(19:07):
could trust him on that blue line? Still a lot
of questions. Brett PESHI he's a blocking machine. Paired up
with Luke Hughes. I love that parent, love that parent.

(19:29):
And you round out with Brendan Dillon, who I think
could be the sleeper in that third pairing along with Shimonemets.
If the Devils can stay healthy and they're winning games
and Tom Fitzgerald's able to pull off that impactful player

(19:53):
trade by trade deadline, and there's a lot of ifs,
the New Jersey Devils will win the Stanley Cup, Stanley
Cupp or bust. No more excuses. And I think John
Twitderell sees the talent. He sees that they're hungry, they

(20:16):
have a lot to prove, and he knows Sheldon Keith
is a damn good coach to lead the way. Well,
I want to thank all those tuning in to this
Woo report. Got a new microphone, testing it out, got
to make some adjustments to it. Have you heard the

(20:40):
Morning Wu, Yes, the Morning Wu every morning? Well, I
shouldn't say every morning, but.

Speaker 2 (20:47):
In the morning.

Speaker 1 (20:50):
Before you go off to work or you're going off somewhere,
listen to the Morning WU. You're on Facebook Live, YouTube,
Live x Live, Twitch, on all of our podcast as pages,
Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music Prime, Audible, and
on the iHeart app as well. Thank you so much.

(21:12):
The boy Mike sounds good though, Sam, Thank you. I'm
also testing out my Bow's headset as well because we
want to give you more. Also, congratulations to the Let's
Go to This podcasts crew and fans. We hit over

(21:33):
one million downloads and we could have done it without
you guys. Also, Ancrew Brew is being brewed right now.
I talked to Brian from Departed Souls. Million downloads suddenly
we're brewing anchorw brew should be ready by October sixteenth

(21:57):
or seventeenth. This is amazing. Also a little update. I
know a lot of people were concerned, but I just
want to give you a last update. Thomas Mack, the
Devil's fan that was missing, was found. That's all the
information that I have. That's it, but I just wanted

(22:22):
to let you all know, and I talked to Chico
about this this afternoon that we are a community. We
are a Devil's community. We're Devils fans. We love we bleed, red,
white and black, and sometimes we'll use this platform to

(22:44):
do good. And I'm glad he's found and I hope
he gets to go to a Devil's game soon.

Speaker 2 (22:52):
And thank you.

Speaker 1 (22:54):
For all those that were sharing the message around social media,
because the more, the merrier you get the attention out there.
And that's all I have to say about that. But yes,
thank you, thank you, thank you. One million downloads. Well,

(23:17):
we'll give you the exact date, but we're looking about January,
one of the home games. In January, we're gonna have
our million party. Yes, a million party. Remember a half
million party? How fun that was. This is gonna be
two times better, two times better than our half million party.

(23:39):
It's gonna be crazy. There were some suggestions we should
have a ticker tape parade on Edison Place in celebration
of our one million downloads and counting changed the social
media page as well.

Speaker 2 (23:53):
Yes, one million downloads. That's a lot of downloads.

Speaker 1 (24:00):
Because we are Devils fans, we can't get enough of it,
Just can't get enough.

Speaker 2 (24:06):
Yeah, just can't get enough of it.

Speaker 1 (24:09):
Tomorrow, stay to the fan address with Nick Folano at
Pucksinpitchforks dot com. Two hours, two one hour, power hours,
two hours of just season preview of your New Jersey Devils.

(24:34):
Oh yeah yeah. And then Thursday we're back to it.
It's probably gonna be a tripleheader Happy Devil's Thursday with
the Morning Woo Game Day Live, Devil's after Dark. It
could be quadruple if news breaks out, I'll just do

(24:55):
a war report somewhere in the middle of it.

Speaker 2 (24:58):
Some would say it's all WU all the time.

Speaker 1 (25:02):
No no, no, no, no, It's not about me.

Speaker 2 (25:04):
It's about you.

Speaker 1 (25:06):
It's about our New Jersey Devils. Because John Tortorella is
predicting that the Devils will win Lord Stanley Cup. I'm
gonna drop the podcast in about twenty minutes. As of now,

(25:31):
it's a two nothing score. Toronto Blue Jays Hockey just
came at the right time because I talked about the
sports suffering in the area. Oh I can't take it anymore,
but we got Devils hockey folks.

Speaker 2 (25:51):
Just around the corner.

Speaker 1 (25:53):
All right. Thank you, everybody, thank you, thank you, thank you.
One million downloads and counting. This is the Woo Report.
Or until next time. Let's go Devils,
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