Devils Take Main Stage at Stadium Series | FEATURE

The Devils are taking their talents to the main stage.

The Devils have built one of the best teams in the NHL, finishing with the third-best record in the League last season. And with that, they’ve also become a big name draw with a young and entertaining roster, led by superstar Jack Hughes (the NHL’s First Star for the Month of October) and captain Nico Hischier.

So, it’s no coincidence that the NHL is asking them to participate in marquee events, including the upcoming 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series against the Philadelphia Flyers at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

“First and foremost, we’re super excited to be here and asked to do something like this in this iconic venue,” Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. “Where our team is at and starting to be asked to do things like this, we’re kicking around maybe going back over the Europe, I believe it’s because of the team we have and where we’re going. We’re fortunate we’ve been asked to be here and part of this.

“Hopefully, there will be more down the road.”

The Devils-Flyers matchup, the 40^th outdoor game played in NHL history, will take place Saturday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. at the mutual home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. It will mark the second outdoor game for the Devils, who played the New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium in 2014, a 7-3 loss.

“It’s surreal sitting in those iconic venues. You’re in awe,” said Devils Hall of Famer goaltender Martin Brodeur, who played in that previous outdoor game for the club. “When you play the game, you play the game. You don’t have time to think about it. You concentrate on what you need to do. It’s the surrounding (aspects), things you’ll remember all your life.”

While the game is the ultimate payoff, much of the allure to the Stadium Series are the events that surround it, from the live band performance, to fireworks, to the team’s entrances.

“It’s an event. It’s not just a game,” Fitzgerald said. “Who will be the most creative to walk off the bus and into the arena, the clothing, the character you dress up as. There’s so much to it. It’s a major event. Everybody, staff, coaches, families, not just the players, have this date circled.”

Part of the experience is the family experience. Both teams will hold a family skate in which the players, coaches and staff can bring their families onto the ice. Most participants will have family in town for the event and will enjoy the unique experience together.

“After practice, spending some time with the kids skating around,” Brodeur said of his fondest memory. “It was a gorgeous day.”

For the Devils, the game is sort of a coming out party. The team’s emergence last year put them on the map as one of the better teams in the NHL. Now they get an opportunity to showcase their stature to the world.

“It’s an important game, an important event for the organization. We’ve arrived,” said Brodeur, a senior advisor. “The players and the team made a lot of hay last season. We’re looking to do some damage this season.”

The Devils will be facing one of their division opponents in the Flyers in the Turnpike Rivalry. Adding a hostile opponent will only add to the drama of the affair.

“Rivalry games, it doesn’t matter who’s hot and who’s not,” Brodeur said. “You’re still going up against the fans on the other side and the team. I always loved playing against the Flyers in my day.”

But the aspect of playing under the bright lights, in the big stadium and on the grandest stage in a fond way really goes back to the sport’s simplest roots.

“They all grew up playing street hockey, hockey in the parks and the ponds,” Brodeur said. “They get a chance to do it again and become kids again for a day. That’s what it’s all about. It’s the love of the game.”