The world has forgotten the night Zach Parise returned to face the New Jersey Devils

Over the past few years, we’ve seen some of the most visceral responses to returning stars. Hockey is unlike any other sport in how the fanbase reacts to “traitors.” And, no, we’re not talking about Lisa Rinna. We’re talking about John Tavares, returning to Long Island to a chorus of boos that could be heard all the way in Manhattan. 

Recently, The Athletic’s Sean McIndoe ranked some of the great boo-fests of recent memory. This is all to prepare for Mitch Marner’s return to Toronto. See, most expected the Maple Leafs’ faithful to destroy the man who left a trail of fire as he bolted for Las Vegas. Except that’s not at all what happened. In fact, he was given a standing ovation.

After that? There was plenty of booing. Scotiabank Arena was very loud, and it almost helped a Maple Leafs comeback. The Leafs weren't able to enjoy the spoils that Devils fans felt back in 2014.

Back to McIndoe's list for just a second. He ranked big returns like when Jack Eichel returned to Buffalo or when Jaromir Jagr returned to Pittsburgh for the first time after signing with the Washington Capitals. Jagr saw another crazy return. He saw the return of Zach Parise to the Prudential Center. At the time, Jagr played for the Devils.

The thing about McIndoe’s article is that he didn’t mention that return. It was a night Devils fans will never forget, but it wasn’t enough to get the attention of a national media writer, apparently. 

Zach Parise's return to New Jersey deserves to be remembered among the most brutal

The Devils mercifully booed Parise. One must remember that, because of the 2012-13 lockout, the Devils didn’t have a matchup with the Minnesota Wild. So, the Devils had to wait more than two years before seeing Parise return to the Garden State. 

This caused a pent-up aggression from the fanbase that only got worse that offseason. Not only did they lose Parise to “going home,” but Ilya Kovalchuk and David Clarkson followed suit. Devils fans felt abandoned. For good reason, because their stars kept abandoning them. But it all started with Parise. He broke up the core of a Stanley Cup contender. Heck, they were two wins away and a ridiculous penalty away from lifting the franchise’s fourth Stanley Cup. 

He left to sign in Minnesota. He left to be near family. At the end of the day, all that Devils fans care about is that he left. 

And he heard about it. The boos were LOUD. We’ve seen what the Prudential Center can sound like when the fans are angry. Just ask about every referee in the league. 

This was different. This was consistent and visceral. This was purposeful. The booing never stopped. Every single time Parise touched the puck, the boo birds rang from the rafters. It was truly every time he touched the puck. Devils fans were eagle-eyed for No. 11. 

While not at the same level, Devils fans basically booed Parise until the day he retired. They did cheer him once in his return when he got a hooking penalty. Hey, at least he got to hear the old Devils cheer he used to hear all the time. Also, the Devils won the game 4-3 in overtime, giving fans the best night possible.