Written by Mike Luci

 

 

One of the most anticipated announcements of the Devils offseason has finally been made.

After a 14-year career, which he spent six and a half seasons of in New Jersey, defenseman and team Captain Bryce Salvador made his retirement official. This was a long time coming for the 39-year old, whose last few years have been plagued with injuries and sub-par play. In 786 career games, the Brandon, Manitoba native finishes with totals of 24 goals, 110 points, and 696 penalty minutes.

Salvador’s tenure as a Devil saw him appear in 339 contests, where he tallied eight goals, 47 points, and 283 penalty minutes. He was acquired from the St. Louis Blues at the 2008 trade deadline.

Although he never earned a cup ring, he was in the playoffs eight of his fourteen seasons, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals with the Devils in 2012. In 74 playoff contests, Salvador had seven goals and 18 points. In 38 playoff games with the Devils, he accumulated five goals and 15 points.

He will be most remembered as a Devil for his integral role in the team’s 2012 run to the Stanley Cup Finals. He posted uncharacteristically astounding numbers (for a player of his type) over those 24 postseason contests, getting four goals and fourteen points, while averaging 1.25 shots a game (he averaged .74 shots a game in 50 previous playoff contests).

The three seasons as captain however, will forever be remembered as the inceptive years of the rebuild the organization is currently in. After his reviving performance in 2011-2012, Salvador’s play took a nosedive. He became lethargic, unaccountable, and ineffective, a complete polarized rendition of the player that helped guide New Jersey to the Stanley Cup Finals. His play became the subject of harsh scrutiny and scorn by an anxious, dispirited, and frustrated fan base that was unaware of the darker days lurking in the future.

There could not have a been less convenient time in team history for a player like Bryce Salvador to wear the “C” on his jersey.

Salvador would become the first captain since Don Lever to not see the Devils make the postseason under his watch. After Zach Parise signed with the Minnesota Wild, Salvador was the most sensible choice to succeed him. He was coming off a strong playoff performance, was the most fitting veteran (career-wise) at the time, and the stage his career was in, combined with the term of his contract extension, made him a perfect temporary plug-in as a team leadership icon, until a more identifiable long term candidate emerged.

Nonetheless, the “C” worn on Salvador’s jersey over the past three seasons is justified in spite of how poorly the Devils fared under his leadership. His performance in the 2012 Cup Final run undoubtedly gave him plenty of leverage in being considered because it was a textbook instance of how Salvador could lead by example. He had exhibited this strong leadership quality in the years prior to the 2012 playoffs, such as when he sat out the entire 2010-2011 season. It was uncertain how Salvador would rebound– if he could rebound at all. Wrapping up what was an eventful summer in New Jersey, it was announced that he would miss the beginning of that season. While the timing of his sidelining suspiciously coincided with the Devils’ deadline to adjust their cap issues at the time, Salvador never hit the ice that season when it was determined the nature of his injury was far worse than originally perceived. While the future looked bleak for Bryce, him sitting out the entire 2010-2011 season would lay out the foundation

The future of Salvador’s playing career was shrouded in uncertainty. He ended up having the aforementioned Masterton-worthy season where he was only one of five Devils in 2011-2012 to appear in all 82 contests. Salvador’s article in the Player’s Tribune gave us some tremendous insight of what he battled through over the past few years. The fact that he persevered as hard as he did instead of succumbing to a premature retirement that was facilitated by injury, is a testament to his physical and mental capabilities as an individual and an athlete.

Salvador’s adversities in the latter years of his career and how he fought them as long as he did is another example that separates hockey players from other professional athletes.

We would like to thank Captain Bryce Salvador for his contributions to the New Jersey Devils over the years. He is a team-first player and was a good representative of the Devils. We wish him continued success in his future with the organization.