New Jersey Devils Should Honor Dancing Earl Inside Prudential Center

There aren’t many knowns in sports. Favorite players get traded, people leave in free agency, head coaches get fired, and teams can even move out of your hometown. However, to be a fan is to understand there is some disappointment in sports. That is now what the New Jersey Devils fanbase is feeling on Tuesday. This isn’t the sadness of watching a player put on a different jersey, Tuesday the fanbase is feeling a real loss.

Dancing Earl was one of the best parts of every New Jersey Devils game. He would learn the names of season ticket holders, and he would talk to anyone who would lend him their ears. We use the moniker “larger than life” too often. Earl Laycock Jr. was much more than a normal usher, and larger than life just felt right when it came to his presence on the concourse.

Earl obviously danced during timeouts and was a fixture on the jumbotron at The Rock since it opened in 2007. He spent 14 years as a main member of the Devils fanbase. During the pause and ensuing empty arenas due to the pandemic, many wondered when the Prudential experience was coming back. Earl was one of the central parts of that experience.

There are few decisions that teams make that are universally loved. Honoring Earl would be one of those decisions. He deserves at least a plaque at his normal entrance. Maybe the Devils could do even more like name something in the arena after Earl. This man deserves to be remembered after spending so much time working with the franchise and the arena.

Look at the comments on the Devils’ social media posts. They are littered with tributes to the man. He embodied what was great about being a Devils fan. Everyone and I mean everyone, loved this guy. I’ve personally had multiple people private message me about how much they loved Earl.

People will remember his trademark buttons, his positive demeanor, and of course, his dancing on the concourse. He got everyone hyped for a Devils game as they were walking to their seats.

We lost Earl this week. The way in which he passed has not been released, but it did come as a surprise to many. He was at games at the Prudential Center last week. Nobody knew they were watching him dance one last time. Fans will tell of the times they saw Earl’s moves in a timeout or the way he cheered them up when the team was down three goals. Hopefully, the Devils will tell the same stories.