Blog Archives
We’ll see you at the Digital Zone
Being one of those people who is probably too honest for her own good, I’m not going to lie. The lockout really upset me. I was mad. Beside myself mad. I was at the point where I was hoping they’d just write off the whole season and let me get on with my life. BUT, being who I am and how big of a fan I am… of course I was first in line to get my tickets to opening night! I couldn’t WAIT to get back to The Rock!
Holiday Gift Ideas for Devils Fans
Wondering what to get for that Devils fan in you life? Here are just a few ideas!
Tickets for an Albany Devils game. The NHL may not be playing, but there is some hard-hitting action in the AHL! The Albany Devils will be playing three games at historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City in January and February. Boardwalk Hall provides an intimate setting to watch the stars of the future and New Jersey Devils players like Adam Larsson and Jacob Josefson. The Albany Devils take on the Bridgeport on January 13, Adirondack on January 20, and Hershey on February 24. Visit ticketmaster.com to purchase tickets.
Everyday items made from recycled hockey sticks. Ever wonder what happens to old hockey sticks? The folks at Hockey Stick Stuff recycle broken hockey sticks into everyday items such as BBQ tools, bottle openers, picture frames, and Adirondack chairs! Check out Hockey Stick Stuff’s Etsy store to see their full lineup!
Checking buddy. Frustrated because there’s no NHL season? Take out your aggressions on the inflatable checking buddy. Throw a check on your buddy, and he’ll bounce right back. Your checking buddy is available in the New Jersey Devils shop on NHL.com.
Tickets to an event at Prudential Center. Missing hanging out at the Rock? There are many events to check out this winter. There’s Seton Hall basketball, Disney on Ice, Jeff Dunham, and many others. Visit ticketmaster.com to purchase tickets.
A Life in Hockey by Marcel Provonost. Marcel Provonost has spent 65 years in the game of hockey, including the last 22 years as a scout for the New Jersey Devils. As a player, he won five Stanley Cups with Detroit and Toronto, and he was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978. He chronicles his life as a player, coach, and scout in A Life in Hockey, which is available at amazon.com.
Save The Date! Devils Generals Party for Sandy Relief
SAVE THE DATE!
Please join The Devils Army Generals for a party
to benefit those affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Thursday, December 6th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
There will be 3 party locations: Clifton, Ramsey and Edison at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza
20% from each check will be donated to benefit Sandy relief for anyone wearing
Devils gear all day long! There will even be a live auction at each location.
Show your Jersey pride by joining us for this special and important event.
Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza
852 St. Route 3 Clifton, NJ
80 Parsonage Road Edison, NJ
984 Route 17th North Ramsey, NJ
Please join us in supporting our families, friends and neighbors.
We are Jersey’s team and most importantly we are Jersey Strong!
RSVP on Facebook.
5 Things I Learned in Albany
I’ve been planning a trip to Albany since what would be the start of the NHL season and I wasn’t letting Sandy get in the way. After waiting in a long line for one of the few open gas stations, I filled up my tank and used that precious fuel to drive up to Albany and watch the Albany Devils take on the Connecticut Whale at the Times Union Center. This was my first trip to Albany, here’s what I learned.
Devils Army (Re)United
I’ve learned over the last couple of years that when you come to love hockey and follow a team closely, sometimes it’s hard to occupy yourself in the off season. After coming down off the roller coaster ride of excitement, I start to get slightly depressed thinking about how much I miss the atmosphere of game day and being with all the great people I’ve become friends with throughout the season (and now, years!).
After experiencing my first playoff run to the Stanley Cup Finals as a fan, it was especially awesome knowing there were people around me who understood the various emotions bursting out. I never imagined I could get so overly emotional over a GAME. Having experienced it first hand NOW, I think I’ll handle myself better in the future, but at the time it was all raw, new and exciting. The upside of all of it is that the bonds I formed with my friends are stronger than ever before, and THIS summer we all made it our mission to see each other more often to ease the boredom and depressing aspect of waiting.
New Jersey Devils Focus on the Fans
The Devils have taken the idea of fan interaction to a whole new level.
If you haven’t been following along on the official Facebook page and Twitter account, you missed your chance to vote for the newest member of the Devils Dancers.
After holding auditions for the upcoming season, the Devils took their top three contenders and let the fans vote on who should get the last spot on the dance team. Gabrielle, Sarah and Sarah-Ashley put their fate in the hands of the Devils Army and the winner was revealed at Texas-Arizona in Hoboken this past Tuesday.
This is just another way the Devils have gotten the fans directly involved with the organization. The most obvious fan-focused program is right here, the Devils Generals and Mission Control. This program is the first of its kind in the sports industry and focuses only on interacting with the fans not only through social media, but through viewing parties and making the Digital Zone the cool place to be during intermissions.
With these events along with featuring Fans of the Week, posting photo submissions on their social media pages (have you seen the official Pinterest page recently?), and letting the fans design last season’s playoff towels, you can’t deny the Devils are really focusing on building the fan community.
As for who the fans chose as our newest Devils Dancer - Gabrielle is a Jersey girl from East Hanover and won her spot with more than 14,000 fan votes. Congrats to Gabby, welcome to the Devils Army!
Summing Up The Season – Finally!
How do you sum up a season in which you had very little expectations? When you consider that the Devils missed the playoffs last year, had the 4th pick in the draft and found out early in the season that they would be without Travis Zajac for quite some time, there was indeed not a lot to be optimistic about for the 2011-12 season. I went into it expecting very little, and the Devils far exceeded anything that I could have ever hoped for as a season full of doubts turned into one that amazed me and left me full of pride by the time the smoke cleared!
Summing Up The Season: The Best Is Yet To Come
From missing the playoffs in 2010-2011, to making it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011-2012, there’s no shortage of things for us Devils fans to be proud of after this season. On the ice and off the ice, this has been one of the most thrilling seasons for me. Whether it was work, school, or family, no matter what was troubling me on a daily basis, I knew I could go home, turn on the Devils game and everything would be alright.
When I sit back and try to think of a favorite highlight from this season, a few come to mind.
Summing Up The Season: I’m Watching the Game
“Hey Chrissy, what are you doing tonight?”
“Watching the Devils game.”
Whether I was in a seat at Prudential Center or on a bar stool, I was watching the game. Even while on a family vacation, I (and a handful of other Devils fans) made their way to the sports bar on a cruise ship to watch a few games of the finals against the LA Kings in the middle of the Atlantic. The Devils took over my life this past season, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
