DeBoer on Schneider, Brodeur and Jagr

New Jersey Devils coach Pete DeBoer was on Sportsnet 590 The FAN Tuesday morning with Brady & Walker.

On Jaromir Jagr:

"To have Jaromir Jagr and Marty Brodeur on the same team, coaching those guys on a daily basis is something that I'll definitely remember for the rest of my life. That was a unique opportunity for me.

"As far as Jaromir went, when we signed him - you never know with an older player how much is left in the tank. I was hoping we were going to get the Jaromir Jagr who the first half of the year before was a point-per-game guy in Dallas and then went to Boston and fit in more on their third line through the Stanley Cup playoffs.

"We felt if we gave him another high profile role again, if he could fit in on our first line and feel important again that he still had some game left. He did that, plus some. He felt important, felt a big part of it, felt a responsibility to create offense for our team nightly and really rose to the occasion."

On Martin Brodeur's future:

"I don't have any insight into it. It was a real pleasure and honor to coach him for the three years that I had him. The past three years he's a consummate professional. I got to see first hand what separates him from the other goalies in the history of the game. His ability to raise his game at key moments under pressure, at key times - it was a real privilege to witness that first hand. We wouldn't have gotten back in the Finals two years ago without him and what he did.

"I don't know what the future holds. If he comes back, we welcome him with open arms. You can never have enough great goaltending. And if he's not, and decides to move on, then I wish him all the best and I always will appreciate what he did for us during my time in New Jersey."

On Cory Schneider:

"He's the real deal. And as good a goalie as he is, he's a better person and teammate. When you think back to the circumstance of what he went through in Vancouver and coming into not an identical circumstance, but a similar one with Marty and us in New Jersey; how he handled himself and his professionalism throughout and his level of play this past year for us, it's remarkable, too.

"I think he's ready to be a starter. I think he wants to be a starter. I don't think there's any secret about that. We're excited to have him as a part of our organization here."

Source: Brady & Walker, Sportsnet 590 The FAN