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Comeback complete: Petr Sykora signs one-year deal with New Jersey

Petr Sykora, lya Bryzgalov

New Jersey Devils’ Petr Sykora (40), of the Czech Republic, shoots the puck past Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov (30), of Russia, for a goal during the second period in an NHL preseason hockey game in Newark, N.J., Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011. The Devils defeated the Flyers 2-1. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

AP

This season in New Jersey is going to feel like old times for a lot of Devils fans. Petr Sykora, who had been in camp on a tryout, was signed to a one-year deal to officially rejoin the Devils. The deal is worth $650,000 and for the Devils, they get to keep an experienced goal scorer around this year for a team that is looking to get back to the playoffs.

Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger has the excited words from Sykora about landing back in New Jersey where he won his first Stanley Cup.

“I’m ecstatic,” Sykora told The Star-Ledger. “Of course I’m very happy. It’s something that seemed very far away a couple of weeks ago and it happened.”

Making the moment for Sykora even cooler and showing how much his Devils teammates appreciate his efforts in getting back to the NHL after a year away, Tom Gulitti tweets the scene in Newark when he hit the ice for practice.

Gulitti-Tweet

You want a feel-good story to follow this year? Sykora’s comeback to the NHL at 34 years-old after being tossed aside in Minnesota two years ago and having to play in the KHL and Czech league last year is about as good as it gets. Sykora getting to do it all again with the team he started his NHL career with makes it even sweeter for him and helps give the story more of a Hollywood twist.

Perhaps Sykora can help make it even more storybook by helping be a key part of the team and leading them deep into the playoffs. For now, we’ll enjoy the story for what it is in seeing a guy get to go home once again.