New Jersey Devils fans know the drill. National media outlets love making the Garden State the punchline of lazy jokes, and Newark usually takes the brunt of it. That tired narrative might hit a wall.
USA Today’s 10Best Readers' Choice contest for "Best NHL City" currently has Newark sitting in fourth place overall. Read that again. Fourth. For all of the jokes about crime rates and walking the streets, Newark is very, very close to being honored as a top hockey city in the country, as voted by the fans.
This isn’t like a nothing publication, either. USA Today has serious reach. We’re not talking about the Star Ledger doing a vote. Everyone can take part in this vote, and they have access to the “10Best” list.
Just look at some of the reactions when the New Jersey Devils tweeted about the list, trying to get voted as the best hockey city.
Getting nominated in every category? Pretty on brand for us.
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) August 18, 2026
Now let's handle the voting part. Vote everything Jersey today, then run it back every day through September 14: https://t.co/jpAcVSuvlF#NJDevils | @usatodaysports pic.twitter.com/ywK7gUDT6U
When looking at the arena rankings, the Prudential Center does even better. As of this writing, the home of the Devils ranks third. This means in both city and arena, we’re seeing them outrank traditional hockey markets and proving what every die-hard already knows. They’ve been high in the rankings before, and they deserve it even more now.
Devils fans have sustained through some very crazy years. Whether it’s the night of a million (or three) overturned goals, a turnstile of goalies that can’t hold the crease, or a line brawl because our bitter rival’s most divisive player is trying to hurt people, this fanbase has stuck by this team and held hope despite multiple losing seasons in a row.
The game-day experience in Newark gets ignored far too often. Steps away from the arena, American Whiskey packs in supporters and creates a great pre-game atmosphere. Being right outside a closed street definitely helps the experience.
Holding down a top-four spot shows the strength of this fanbase. However, settling for fourth place is not the goal. Finishing near the top is fine, yet taking the crown is the actual objective.
The clock is running down on this race. Voting for USA Today’s Best NHL City officially closes this Saturday.
Anyone who has ever defended New Jersey against lazy sports takes needs to take action. Anyone who has shouted themselves hoarse at The Rock should cast a ballot. Pushing Newark past the competition is also the best way to frustrate Rangers and Flyers fans.
Now, at the same time, we can’t vote for the food. We’re trying out here, but the food cannot be considered anything but subpar. NJ Devil, the team’s mascot, deserves much better than eighth place that he currently sits in.
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