Zach Parise, Devils left wing
Barring injury or fraud in the balloting process that would make Tammany Hall proud, Washington’s Alex Ovechkin is deservedly going to win the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player for the second consecutive season.
That said, Parise, 24, is worthy of being one of the three finalists invited to the June awards ceremony in Las Vegas.
The Avalanche saw why on Thursday night, when the speedy Parise had a goal and two assists in the Devils’ 4-0 victory. The Prudential Center crowd was moved to chant “MVP, MVP” after he scored the third goal of the game in flashy fashion.
“I don’t know, you get a bit of chills, I guess,” Parise told me in the Devils’ dressing room after the game. “I don’t know what to say. I was surprised. It’s a good feeling. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t.”
Parise stayed hot Saturday, getting two goals and an assist in a 7-2 victory against Florida, leaving him with 38 goals and 38 assists through 62 games.
The line of Parise, a natural center now playing on the wing, center Travis Zajac and right wing Jamie Langenbrunner has been productive for the Devils since coach Brent Sutter put it together early in the season.
Parise is listed at 5-feet-11 and 190 pounds but seems smaller.
The son of former Minnesota North Stars forward J.P. Parise was born in Minneapolis. He was the 17th overall choice in the 2003 draft and, after playing two seasons at the University of North Dakota, he signed with the Devils and spent the lockout season with Albany of the AHL.
His isn’t a complete breakout year, since he had 31 and 32 goals in the past two seasons, but he has taken it to another level this season for a Devils team that just keeps plugging along despite considerable turnover.
Parise is a blast to watch, and he will probably be a mainstay for U.S. national teams for many years.
Terry Frei, The Denver Post
