History With New Jersey
Sergei Brylin is a name many NHL fans might not recognize these days. However, if you come to the tri-state area, Sergei Brylin is a hockey legend. Brylin’s welcome into the NHL as a rookie happened to be in one hell of a season for the New Jersey Devils. Brylin played 26 regular season games in a lockout-shortened season before going to the playoffs and helping the Devils to win their first-ever Stanley Cup Championship. From the 1994-1995 season all the way until the 2007-2008 season, Brylin donned the Devils black, red, and white with honor, respect, and grace. He wasn’t a team-leading scorer, but he was the core of the team that he helped lead to three Stanley Cup Championships. His best plays are usually attributed with his time playing with Brian Rolston and Bill Guerin. Brylins two-way play, especially in the neutral zone, was a thorn in the side of every opposing team. He was a small guy in (at the time) a big guy’s game. When Brylin retired, some thought he had a few more years in him; luckily for Devils fans, he hasn’t left the organization. Sergei has been in multiple different positions within the organization in the AHL and NHL, including his current position as Assistant Coach of the Devils. You most likely won’t see Brylin standing on the bench. Sergei Brylin and Devils Goaltending Coach Dave Rogalski watch the game from above with constant interaction with the coaches on the bench. You can see Brylin and Rogalski going over plays in a private area in the middle area of the arena where they can see the ice and also are able to quietly and privately go over the plays in real time without having to stand on the bench. This is a great way of coaching; we have seen it before, but it is more of a new thing to have these coaches in the ears of the bench coaches at all times. One of Brylin’s other huge achievements was becoming the Assistant Coach of the Devils AHL Affiliates, whichever they may have been at the time. In the world of Hockey, that is a rare and amazing accomplishment on its own. It’s the belief that when Lindy Ruff is taken off the Devils bench, that Sergei Brylin will get the opportunity to get his first NHL Head Coaching position with his long time club.
For anyone who saw the video when they announced Sergei Brylin “Sarge” to the Ring Of Honor, it was an emotional and beautiful thing to see a player who put his heart and soul for so many years into one organization get the recognition he deserves. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a well-known all-star player in the league, so the Ring Of Honor is second best to raising his name to the rafters.
Coaching History
- Albany Devils (AHL) 2012-2017 (Assistant and Associate Coach)
- Binghamton Devils (AHL) 2017-2021 (Assistant and Associate Coach)
- Utica Comets (AHL) 2021-2022 (Assistant and Associate Coach)
- New Jersey Devils (NHL) Named Assistant Coach in August 2022-Present
RING OF HONOR CEREMONY
Despite the horrendous showing by the 2024 New Jersey Devils on Saturday night, there was still something to enjoy. The recognition of Sergei Brylin “Sarge” by the Devils Organization was a beautiful and long-awaited ceremony before a Saturday night backend of yet another back-to-back. To start, some of Brylin’s teammates came on screen to congratulate him. Patrik Elias was in New Jersey just this past week so he was able to congratulate Sergei in person, other players that didn’t show up for the ceremony were suprising. Scott Stevens, Scott Neidermayer, and Martin Brodeur were two noticeable absentees. There was a very short appearance by former Devils GM Lou Lamoriello, who looked like a villain in an old superhero movie. Some notable Devils players who were called to the ice prior to Brylin and his family included a very happy Colin White, Grant Marshall, Petr Sykora, Tommy Albelin, Bruce Driver, Ken Daneyko, Andy Greene, and an appearance by fan favorite Travis Zajac. I will bet the house that Travis Zajac is the next player to be inducted into the Devil’s Ring Of Honor. After these players were announced, Brylin, his wife, and children came out, centering four former teammates on each of his family’s wings. Nico Hischier skated out with a large wine box as a gift for Sergei. Many fans in the arena were nervous that he would fall and break a very large and expensive bottle of wine all over the ice.
“THERE AREN’T MANY STORIES ABOUT BRYLIN, HE WAS A QUIET GUY BUT LET’S JUST SAY HE LIKED TO GET HIS TEETH PURPLE” – Former Devil Colin White during the 2nd intermission
Not to worry, the box was empty, as it would have been a horrible idea to have anyone skate a huge box with an expensive bottle of wine to the center of the ice. It was fun knowing that most fans weren’t aware that Hischier came out with just the box for safety. Good move on whoever made that decision. Back to the unveiling of something amazing (see above X post for unveiling). When two long-time Devils ticket holders were given the go-ahead, they pulled down the curtain, revealing a beautiful work of art that will, as Brylin said himself, be there forever. From now on, when you visit The Rock (the nickname for The Prudential Center), you will see a huge badge-like memorial that says “Ring Of Honor: Sergei Brylin.”, it sits next to the first inductee to the Devils Ring Of Honor, Dr. John McMullen who brought the Devils to the Garden State in the early 1980’s. Brylin is the first player to be inducted. The Devils’ Ring Of Honor is something very special. The Devils organization is known for having a past of putting teams together that meshed well, not just signing all-stars at every turn. For that reason alone, the Ring Of Honor is perfect for the organization because they have so many players and other positions in their past that deserve recognition but not necessarily to the point where you would retire their number. I, for one, believe Brylin should join his four teammates that won all 3 Devils Stanley Cups together in the rafters of The Rock. Fortunately for the league, I am not the one making those decisions. Brylin was notably “extremely nervous” about speaking to the whole arena. Despite his extremely rational fear of public speaking, Brylin spoke a heartfelt thank you to teammates, agents, players, coaches, his family, and more.
FUTURE OF THE RING OF HONOR/MORE HIGHLIGHTS
Of course, we don’t know what the future of the New Jersey Devils Ring Of Honor holds for us. There surely aren’t going to be any more retired numbers in the near future, so that only leaves one thing. As I said before, I believe that Travis Zajac will be the next inductee to the ROH. Before the 23-24 season, I called out that Sergei Brylin would be inducted into the Devil’s ROH in an article here on Inside The Rink. Other notable players or staff that could be inducted are Pat Burns, Petr Sykora, and Jamie Langenbrunner. Only time will tell what comes next, but Zajac makes the most sense. Thanks for checking out this short recap of the Sergei Brylin Ring Of Honor Ceremony, if you want to see more clips live from the arena please go to @DevilsJointX on X and to watch the full ceremony check out this post below.
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Loved Sarge. He was always consistent and such a big part of the championship teams. I agree that TZ should be the next in the ring.
Zajac should absolutely be recognized, he didn’t ask to be traded im late in his career!