He looks forward to return

NEW YORK -- As emotionless as he can appear to be on the ice and off of it, Scott Niedermayer isn’t going to pretend that Friday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils is just another to play out on the schedule.

Niedermayer will be back in New Jersey for the first time since he left as a free agent to sign with the Ducks following 13 seasons in which he helped the Devils win three Stanley Cups and emerged as one of the game’s elite defensemen.

“I’m kind of excited about it,” Niedermayer said. “It’s going to be interesting to see the response and what not, having played there as long as I did. It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to it.”

There is a feeling his return won’t necessarily be a love-fest. Often overshadowed by former Devils captain Scott Stevens and future Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur, Niedermayer had occasional contract battles with longtime General Manager Lou Lamoriello.

And there is the fact he turned down more money from the Devils to sign in Anaheim to play alongside his brother, Rob, to try to win a Stanley Cup, which he fulfilled last season.

“My expectations are pretty wide open,” Niedermayer said. “I’m sure there’ll be some boos. But that’s not going to change my outlook and my memories of what I had in New Jersey.

“I’ll accept whatever the fans want to do. It’s their right.”

Many of the Devils that were part of one or all of their titles in 1995, 2000 and 2003 are still there, including core members Brodeur and forwards Patrik Elias, Sergei Brylin, Jamie Langenbrunner, John Madden and Jay Pandolfo.

Niedermayer lamented the travel schedule will cut down on the time he hoped to spend with a few of them. The Ducks will play in New York tonight against the Rangers and head across the Hudson River to face the Devils on Friday.

One part that Niedermayer is looking forward to is the Devils’ new arena, Prudential Center, in downtown Newark.

“I’m definitely anxious to see the new building,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot of great things about it.”

As to whether he hopes that the team will retire his customary No. 27 and put it alongside Stevens’ No. 4 and Ken Daneyko’s No. 3, Niedermayer said he doesn’t give it much thought.

“What I think about much more is being on parts of three championship teams,” he said. “I made a lot of great friends and had a lot of great teammates.”

On Wednesday, Niedermayer was among a convoy of Ducks players, coaches and executives who went to the White House to visit with President Bush in honor of the franchise’s first championship.

The Ducks presented Bush with a black jersey adorned with his name and the number “07.”

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TONIGHT

at N.Y. Rangers, 4, FSN Prime Ticket

Site -- Madison Square Garden.

Radio -- 830.

Records -- Ducks 28-22-7; Rangers 27-23-6.

Record vs. Rangers (2006-07) -- 0-0-1.

Update -- The Rangers are coming off a 4-2 home loss to the Kings on Tuesday. Two years after a monstrous 54-goal, 123-point season, Jaromir Jagr (15 goals, 32 assists) is on pace for the worst offensive season in his 17-year career.

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