The Devils (in a nutshell)

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My view of the Devils?  It’s tough being a Devils fan (especially if you were at game 7 last year). Actually, it’s more complicated than tough. They play in Newark and the team is halfway forgotten in American sports. Although, if we take a closer look at what’s going on in New Jersey, you may begin to scratch your head a little. 

Sports fans are obsessed with fantasy sports these days.  Whether it’s football, baseball, and hockey, its all about scoring or points put up. By the way, I won my league last year with a goalie lineup second to none! Defense wins championships!! (even in fantasy hockey)  The Devils don’t play to a fantasy fan. It’s so structured that its frustrating and amazing at the same time. Sit up top for a Devil game and watch from above. Their game is literally robotic at times, and it’s that play that ends up coming through while players like Heatley are wandering around the ice. 

Newark is not the nicest city in the United States, but I would bet you that the Prudential Arena (aka The Rock) is in the top 3 in the NHL. The Devils play in Ironbound, a Portuguese section of Newark with great culture and fantastic restaurants. The rink is across the street from Penn Station and is easily accessible from anywhere with a train station in New Jersey, as well as both PATH  and NJ Transit trains from the NYC.  Manhattan to Newark by train is 25 minutes. The Devils also run complementary shuttles from the Light Rail Trains at the nearby Broad Street Station. The championship plaza that the Devils are putting together outside the arena is sick. They erected a 22 foot tall “Iron Man” hockey player in front of the arena that looks awesome. It just adds more class to an organization that exudes it. 

So you sit in a brand new arena that is one of the nicest in the country. You have no problem getting to the arena, or getting tickets for that matter. If you don’t see that guy who stands out in front of the arena handing them out (true story), you can get one for $10. Then you watch a team that is a few players away from making a serious cup run. The Devils have the money to spend, you better believe it. But they didn’t sign anyone new?  So sit and enjoy what you have, and watch players like Elias and Parise fly around the ice. Then you lose game 7 with a minute left to Eric Staal. Ughhh  

Your Local Devils Apologist

Michael Bernard