New Jersey Devils Fan Spotlight is an article where the goal is to showcase a different Devils’ fan each week and let our readers get to know them. Last week we featured Megan from Bayonne. This week we have Alex McClusky, 22, from Bradley Beach, NJ joining us. Alex, or Clusk as he’s known by his friends, is as big a hockey fan as you can find. Not only does he watch and attend games as often as possible, he goes out and skates with his buddies as well as controls his own destiny while playing NHL15 on Xbox One. Alex – @Alex_McCluskey as he’s known on Twitter – also attempts as best he can to support the New York Jets, so it’s safe to say he knows what it feels like to be disappointed. At least he has the Devils to keep him sane, right? Right?
Let’s see what Alex has to share with us about his Devils’ fandom:
1) What made you become a Devils’ fan?
This question is honestly a lot harder to answer than I thought it would be. Growing up I was involved in Boy Scouts, and every so often we’d get a flyer for discounted tickets to see the Devils play. So I guess I could give the assist to the Boy Scouts for really kick starting my love for hockey and the Devils.
Alex McCluskey meets his favorite player Cory Schneider on the ice at the Rock.
2) What are your thoughts on the season so far?
So far this season has been sub-par at best. The first few games of the season seemed like the Devils were going to be a strong team, but unfortunately the injury and illness bug struck this team hard. One of the biggest positives so far is our goaltending. The team has a great duo with Cory Schneider and Keith Kinkaid, and I’m looking forward to seeing them for years to come.
3) Who is your favorite current Devil? Favorite former Devil? Why?
My favorite current Devil would have to be Cory Schneider. I’ve been a huge fan of Schneider since his days in Vancouver, so you can only imagine how ecstatic I was when we acquired him in that trade. He’s been a huge factor this season in keeping the team in a lot of games they should’ve been blown out in. He’s also a great guy off the ice and I’ve been fortunate enough to meet him a few times.
Favorite former Devil? Scott Stevens for sure. I grew up watching him play and always admired the way he played his position. Not every team has that physical presence on the blue line, so being able to watch him play for your home town team was great.
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?
My favorite part of attending games would be the atmosphere. It’s always a great time at the Rock, win or lose. Everyone comes together to cheer on the only sports team NJ can really call their own. I’ve also been fortunate enough to meet some really cool people thanks to this team. It’s always fun to be able to meet up at games and catch up with everyone.
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5) What’s the most memorable game you’ve ever been at, or remember watching on television?
The most memorable gave I’ve attended would have to be Martin Brodeur’s last game in the Devils’ uniform. I remember the fans chanting his name and “Thank you Marty!” as he did his brief post game interview on the ice. What really made that game even more memorable was that no one really knew if he was going to come back for another season, so getting to see him one last time was really cool.
As for most memorable game I remember watching on TV, definitely watching the Devils win the Stanley Cup in 2000. I was 3 when they won their first cup, so being able to watch and actually remember them winning the cup in 2000 was awesome.
As always, thank you to Alex for joining us on NJD Fan Spotlight. Won’t you be next?