New Jersey Devils Fan Spotlight: Nicollette From Rockaway
By David Berger
This week on New Jersey Devils Fan Spotlight we have Nicollette McGinniss from Rockaway, NJ joining us. Last week we met goalie enthusiast Alyssa Romanko and the week before we had Alex McClusky stop by. You can see all our featured fans here! Nicollette, 20, is first and foremost a New Jersey Devils fan, but she also likes the New England Patriots. As a New York Jets fan it pains me in every way to say congratulations – so congrats. When Nicky isn’t hanging out watching her beloved hockey team, she spends her time kickboxing and playing the guitar. She is also attending college as a criminal justice major. Nicollette, a diehard Devils and Patriots fan, is currently dating a big New York Rangers and Jets fan so that dynamic sure is interesting. Talk about opposites attracting right?
So what does Nicollette have to share with us? Let’s find out:
Nicollette McGinniss skates around proudly wearing her Cory Schneider jersey,
1) What made you become a Devils’ fan?
My dad and my grandpa started taking me to games at a pretty young age. We were always lucky enough to receive free tickets. I also grew up in a neighborhood of only boys, so all we ever did was play hockey and watch the Devils. As far back as I can remember, the Devils were always on in my house and I was always talking about them somewhere.
2) What are your thoughts on the season so far?
This has been the most frustrating season I have yet to see. Not only has the team been beyond underwhelming, the front office has been a major disappointment. The lineups, the inability to hold all players accountable for their mistakes and management’s refusal to call up young players has been infuriating. The Devils have gone from one of the most successful teams since the early 90s to a complete joke in the NHL. The only thing I’m remotely excited about from this season is Cory Schneider. Not only has he proven he can handle a large workload, he’s excelled at it. For a team this bad, Cory’s GAA and SV% are quite impressive. I look forward to games solely because of him now.
3) Who is your favorite current Devil? Favorite former Devil? Why?
My favorite Devil right now is Cory Schneider. He has been the only one who shows up consistently night after night. He alone gives the team a chance to win, and he’s the right leader on and off the ice. Cory has been very inspiring all season long.
My favorite former Devil has to be Martin Brodeur. I know that’s cliché, but he’s earned the title as most fans’ favorite Devil. He was everything to the organization and always will be no matter where he retired. My first jersey I owned was his and I will always cherish growing up watching the greatest goalie of all time.
4) What’s your favorite part of attending Devils games? If you haven’t been able to make it out to any games, do you have any plans of doing so in the future? What are you looking forward to?
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My favorite part about going to games is the feeling I get watching my favorite team play. It brings back happy memories from my childhood along with my grandpa, and I go back to that time of my life every time I’m at a game. Although it’s not the arena I grew up attending, the Rock still holds great memories. I always look forward to spending time with my friends and family at games. There truly is nothing better.
5) What’s the most memorable game you’ve ever been at, or remember watching on television?
This is a very tough question, but I have to go back to 2006. I was 10 years old and going to my first game at Madison Square Garden. This was a big deal considering it was Game 4 of the Devils/Rangers playoff series. This was my first playoff game and it was fantastic. I was young so I didn’t get harassed by any fans, thankfully. Seeing the Devils sweep the Rangers in their own house was incredible, and it was one of my proudest moments as a fan. I still have the newspaper from the next day with the words “SWEEP” in bold.
Here is a video (via kryshk on YouTube) of that memorable game. That dangle by Patrik Elias though.
As always we want to thank Nicollette for sharing her fandom with us. If you would like to be featured, contact us on Facebook or on Twitter (@pitchforkedpuck). Let’s go Devils!