Elias to take place among Devils legends

Many of the influential figures from Patrik Elias' life will be at Prudential Center on Saturday to watch the New Jersey Devils retire the forward's No. 26 prior to their game against the New York Islanders (6:15 p.m. ET; MSG+, MSG+ 2, NHL.TV).
There will be family and friends, including a group of about 30 who traveled from the Czech Republic, and a host of his former teammates, among them the four previous Devils to have their numbers retired: defensemen Scott Stevens (No. 4), Ken Daneyko (No. 3) and Scott Niedermayer (No. 27) and goaltender Martin Brodeur (No. 30).

Former New Jersey forwards Jason Arnott and Petr Sykora also will be in attendance.
Once upon a time, they teamed with Elias on one the best lines in the NHL and, perhaps, the best in Devils history. But prior to a reunion at a special Q&A event at Prudential Center on Wednesday, they couldn't remember a time when all three of them had been in the same place since Arnott was traded to the Dallas Stars on March 19, 2002.
Over Elias' 20 NHL seasons, all with the Devils, his time with Arnott and Sykora on the "A Line" represent a small segment of his career, but also one of the most enjoyable.
"The numbers and the fun that we had were unreal," Elias said. "So, it's too bad we didn't have a chance to play together for five years, 10 years. Who knows what we could have been?"
With Elias on the left wing, Arnott at center and Sykora on the right, the line made its debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 6, 1999, and over the remainder of that season, they combined for 95 points (38 goals, 57 assists) in 32 games. Elias had 27 (nine goals, 18 assists), Arnott had 32 (16 goals, 16 assists) and Sykora had 36 (13 goals, 23 assists).

In 1999-2000, Elias had 72 points (35 goals, 37 assists), Arnott had 56 (22 goals, 34 assists) and Sykora had 68 (25 goals, 43 assists) for a total of 196 (82 goals, 114 assists), and the Devils, who were known for their defense, finished second in the NHL with 251 goals; the Detroit Red Wings had 278.
New Jersey won the Stanley Cup that season with Elias setting up Arnott for the Cup-winning goal in the second overtime of Game 6 against the Dallas Stars.
In 2000-01, the Devils led the NHL with 295 goals and the "A Line" combined for 232 points (96 goals, 136 assists), including a New Jersey-record 96 from Elias (40 goals, 56 assists), 55 from Arnott (21 goals, 34 assists) and 81 from Sykora (35 goals, 46 assists).
To them, the big numbers they put up were almost secondary to the joy they had doing it together.
"It's kind of like everything went aside, personal stats and stuff like that," Sykora said. "We always talked about how we can score the goal together or how we can play better together. You'd see that when we played together like that, every single one of us, we'd put up the numbers."
The Devils reached the Stanley Cup Final again in 2000-01, but lost to the Colorado Avalanche in seven games. When they got off to a slow start the next season, Elias, Arnott and Sykora were split up in an attempt to create better scoring balance.
There were occasional reunions after that before the split became permanent when Arnott was traded to the Stars. Sykora followed him out of New Jersey on July 6, 2002, when he was traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
"When you're a player, you know it's the business of the game and things don't stay the same forever," Arnott said. "I would have loved to stay and I'm sure Petr would have loved to stay and I'm sure Patty would have loved us to stay. But in that era, that was Lou. He always tweaked things or made changes and never really made any excuses for it."
Lou, of course, was Lou Lamoriello, general manager of the Devils at the time and now GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"There's always a reason for why things transpire," Lamoriello said when asked why he split up the "A Line." "Nothing negative. It's just part of the game. But they certainly had success in what they did."
And an interesting thing happened after Arnott and Sykora left. Elias kept producing. He helped the Devils win the Stanley Cup again in 2002-03 and reach another Stanley Cup Final in 2011-12.

He skated mostly at left wing but also played significant stints at center and some games at right wing.
"His hockey sense was elite," Lamoriello said. "He knew the game, and he could create things that some people couldn't do. He was a complete player."
Elias teamed with Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta on the "EGG Line" and had 81 points (38 goals, 43 assists) in 2003-04. After contracting hepatitis A playing in Russia during the 2004-05 NHL lockout, and having sports hernia surgery, Elias returned for the second half of the 2005-06 season and played perhaps the best hockey of his career.
He had 45 points (16 goals, 29 assists) in 38 games and 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in nine playoff games.
Gomez and Gionta eventually moved on too, but Elias kept going. He had a chance to leave the Devils twice as an unrestricted free agent, including a serious flirtation with the rival New York Rangers in 2006, but re-signed both times.
He finished his NHL career in 2015-16 as the Devils leader in goals (408), assists (617), points (1,025), power-play goals (113), power-play points (333) and game-winning goals (80). He also ranks first in Stanley Cup Playoff goals (45), assists (80), points (125), power-play goals (21) and power-play points (52), and is tied for the most game-winning goals (6) with Stevens, Sykora, Claude Lemieux and Jamie Langenbrunner.
Elias' regular-season numbers likely would have been higher had he played for a team that wasn't as focused on defense, but he bought into the Devils way as much as any player. Though he never won or was a finalist for the Selke Trophy, his commitment and play on the defensive end matched his offensive skill.
The payoff for Elias was having a chance play for a perennial Stanley Cup contender for most of his career.
"To me, he's one of the best two-way players that I've ever played with," Arnott said, "and maybe too, one of the best two-way players in history, which is big words but it's a compliment to him and what he accomplished in New Jersey."
Ultimately, that is how Elias, now 41, earned the honor of becoming the first forward to have his number retired by the Devils. His success with the "A Line" was a part of it, but there was so much more to him as a player.

"He put winning before numbers," said Lamoriello, who will miss Elias' ceremony because of his responsibilities in Toronto with the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline at 3 p.m. ET on Monday. "I've always said this: You don't remember how many goals and how many assists people got during the playoffs, but you remember who was on the Stanley Cup teams for years. He accepted that fact that you do have to give up somewhat of your identity to have success, because it's a team game."
Elias has no regrets. Ask him which of his hockey achievements he's most proud of and he quickly replies, "That's easy. To play my whole career for one team.
"I was close [to leaving] one time, but as they say, everything happens for a reason. I'm glad looking back now. It was meant to be the way it happened."