It was this past September, training camp for the Devils, and before they could even get on the ice, they were buried under predictions picking them to finish last. First-year general manager Ray Shero walked in, shoulder-to-shoulder with first-year coach John Hynes. They didn’t hide the press clippings, but put them in the face of the players so they knew everything that was out there.
“Even to the prospects,” Shero said, recalling his message in a phone conversation with The Post this week, “if you think you’re the answer, The Hockey News has you rated 30th. So we’re all in this together basically.