After about 11 years of supporting the greatest team in the NHL, I was finally able to go to my first New Jersey Devils game. While it ended in a rather sad loss (thanks Dallas), it crossed off a bucket-list item.
I first became a fan of the Devils when I was 8 years old. While living with family in San Francisco for summer vacation, I watched the Eastern Conference Final and Stanley Cup Final games between the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings. I just fell in love with Ilya Kovalchuk, Martin Brodeur, and the rest of the gang, and that started a life-long passion for this team. Unfortunately, I haven’t lived in New Jersey since 2008. Luckily last month, I was able to come up north and watch the Devils take on the Dallas Stars in the famous Prudential Center.
After getting off in the Newark station, I walked up Market Street with fellow Devils fans. It felt like home, where I could be free to be a hockey fan. See in Texas, no one really watches hockey like I do, nor care for a team as deeply as I do. So to see so many people wearing jerseys, hats, t-shirts, and hoodies of the team, it felt surreal and almost like a dream.
By far, the most interesting experience was actually watching the game. I have been to a couple AHL games, but the NHL is a different beast. The pace at which the Stars and the Devils were playing at was fantastic.
Sitting in Section 20, I got a good look at how the Devils play in the offensive and neutral zone and see what made us so much better this year. I saw how good and fast Jack Hughes was in transition and how big and mobile Schmid looked in net. Watching the team from a viewing angle gave me a different impression and experience of the team and a new-found admiration.
Now the game itself was very annoying to watch from a results standpoint. The Devils had good chances, but Scott Wedgwood was a wall all night. The Devils gave up another late-period goal, which at the time and still is a big issue. But I thought, in totality, the Devils deserved a point out of the game and got a bit unlucky, which is a sentiment that is getting a little too familiar. Nonetheless, I had a great time, and I encourage anyone who hasn’t seen a Devils game to please consider.
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Lastly, I want to thank the workers and ushers of the Stadium, who were very helpful in finding my seat.