New Jersey Devils Fans Throw Trash On Ice After 3 Disallowed Goals

The New Jersey Devils went into Wednesday night before the holiday hoping to win their franchise-record 14th straight game. They were facing a very good team in the Toronto Maple Leafs. The streak is in serious jeopardy, with the Devils down 2-0 in the third period.

It appeared that the Devils finally broke the shutout by Matt Murray, but the goal was called off. Erik Haula had a beautiful one-timer off the pass from Nathan Bastian. Murray got over for a ridiculous save. He left a juicy rebound, and Haula skated toward the net. This all came when the team was shorthanded, so when the Devils put the puck in the net, the arena erupted.

Haula’s goal was called for a distinct kicking motion. While that might be true, it seems like there isn’t indisputable evidence it didn’t go off Haula’s stick. The officials in Toronto decided it went off Nick Robertson’s stick, which again doesn’t seem like it is for certain. Not sure if they follow the NFL rules, but it doesn’t seem like it’s the threshold of evidence needed to overturn a goal.

This was the THIRD goal taken off the board for the Devils. For those looking for the simple math, the Devils would be in the lead if all of the pucks that went into the net actually counted.

There is an argument for both sides on all three waived goals. The law of averages says that something should go the Devils way, but it didn’t. On the third waived goal, a very small subset of Devils fans reacted emotionally.

Let this be clear; fans should never throw things on the ice. It’s dumb and puts everyone in danger. However, the reaction will be much greater to this than anything the Devils have done all season. Fans of other teams will constantly bring up the Devils fans throwing beer cans (which cost about $18 a piece) on the ice. This will be the legacy for Devils fans this season until something else usurps it.

It’s sad that the decision of maybe two dozen fans changes the perception of the fanbase as a whole. Others will say this is what happens when a fanbase learns to win for the first time. They will say this is typical New Jersey (which is a cop out, to be honest).  It is what it is at this point. Most fans didn’t partake in the idiocy.

The Devils ended up losing the game. The win streak is over, and now there’s a new narrative for this fanbase. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. It was a one-time mistake, and nobody was hurt. So let this be the last time we see something like this, even if it appears the refs aren’t on “our side.” Keep it classy, and let this be a lesson.