As this is my debut post as a new writer covering the New Jersey Devils for LWOS, I feel that it is only appropriate for me to share with you all the story of how I became a beloved fan of the New Jersey Devils hockey team. Simple answer? I was born and raised in northern New Jersey. But as you will soon see my passion for the team is much more deeply rooted than that.
February 20th, 1992 – Just days after a major snowstorm hit the Tri-State area, all I wanted to do was go sledding with my little brother, just like any other 10-year-old kid would, but no, we were dragged to my aunt and uncle’s house an hour away to visit cousins who were both at least 10 years older than us, and more importantly, too old to be sledding! When we arrived at their house they were watching a consolation round ice hockey match-up between Sweden and Finland in the Winter Olympics. This was the first taste of ice hockey for my brother and I and we were instantly intrigued, mostly with the pace of the game, which was unlike anything we had ever witnessed before.
Sweden won that exciting game 3-2 (thanks Wikipedia) and all I can remember was my brother and I asking our father during the long car ride home, “when can we go to a hockey game?” My father worked at Teterboro Airport which for those of you unfamiliar with the area, is only minutes from Brendan Byrne Arena, which at the time was the New Jersey Devils’ home building.
So the next day during his lunch break, my father stopped at the arena box office and picked up one of those nifty little pocket schedules and we picked out a game as soon as he got home that night. The date of our first hockey game, let alone New Jersey Devils game, was circled on the schedule and tickets were purchased. That fateful day would be March 28th, 1992.
March 28th, 1992 – I remember that day like it was yesterday. My mother, father, grandmother and of course, my younger brother, piled into our gray Toyota Camry station wagon and headed to the arena. The Devils were playing host to the Quebec Nordiques that day and my brother and I had made a sign that simply stated, “Devils Check Quebec,” which we thought was very clever at the time (I still do). Once we arrived in our seats, although they were in the second tier, my brother and I were through the roof with excitement. I don’t think we sat down that entire game, which now looking back, I am sure that the people in the row behind us did not appreciate. The Devils won that game 5-2 (thanks again Wikipedia, my memory is not what it once was). I still have the souvenir puck that my parents bought me at the game sitting atop my dresser. From that day on my brother and I were hooked. I thought nothing could ever top the experience of our first Devils’ game.
June 24th, 1995 – It was a Saturday afternoon and I recall being at one of those end-of-school year pool parties at a friend’s house (believe me that used to be the cool thing to do back in those days), when my mother showed up at the party two hours before it was supposed to end. I was annoyed to say the least, but when she told me what the reasoning for the early pick-up was, I could not dry off fast enough! My friend, Ryan, another Devils’ fan had landed tickets for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals that very night vs. the Detroit Red Wings. Yes, that was the game where the Devils clinched their first Cup so I do not even need to describe to you the atmosphere of that building that evening.
Being a New Jersey Devils’ fan for over 22 years now I cannot even begin to count how many games my family and I have attended, catching countless more on TV. While the aforementioned two games will always hold a special place in my heart as a Devs’ fan, so will the game I attended on April 20th, 2013, when my wife, Michelle and I took our daughter, Olivia, to her first Devils’ game, along with my brother and his girlfriend. Olivia was only 16 months old at the time so, as you can imagine, she wouldn’t sit still. Nonetheless, sharing that experience with my family, especially my daughter, was absolutely priceless.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @lwosJeffH. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
