Flying Out of the Gates | 10 TAKEAWAYS

It's been a strange start to the year, a week and a bit into the NHL season the Devils have played just one game (but it was a good one!).
Here we are, hours away from a second game, and nearly an every other day rhythm will take over. But from that singular opening game, there is so much to digest, from records made and magical moments. In this week's 10 Takeaways, presented by Ticketmaster, I share with you a couple of behind the scenes stories, like a team meeting headlined by Scott Niedermayer, the need for an expedited Canadian passport to make sure someone wouldn't miss Dawson Mercer's NHL debut, we once again try and take you behind the scenes of the past week around the New Jersey Devils.

1.
Dawson Mercer had a rather large contingent of family and friends at
Prudential Center
when he made his professional debut on Friday night. And it truly appeared that nothing was going to stop his family and friends, who live more than 1,196 miles away in Newfoundland.
One of the more intriguing guests was one of Dawson's friends who attended the Devils home opener.
With just two days notice between making the team and the season debut, one of his two friends was sitting there with an expired Canadian passport. Apparently, this wasn't going to be an obstacle that would get in the way. He managed to get an expedited passport to be able to cross the border into the U.S. And keep in mind, when you're flying out of Newfoundland to try and get to New Jersey, the options are limited. So not only was he up against getting this temporary, expedited passport but there is just a single flight out to Montreal from The Rock (Newfoundland) that will begin the journey to New Jersey.
It all ended happily with Dawson's friend in the building being able to make it in time to watch his friend play his first professional game and pick up his
first professional point
(an assist on Andreas Johnsson's goal).

2.

There were three pretty distinct decibel changes in cheers during the home opener player introductions when Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton were announced. The decibel levels reached a new pitch and rightfully so. I thought, okay that was awesome, but now my ears are ringing.
And then, just as I was settling into the opening faceoff, the crowd took it to a whole other level just 17 seconds into the game when Hamilton scored his first goal as a New Jersey Devil, fitting too it was the first goal of the year. The building absolutely exploded. It was incredible. The energy felt like it was pumping through your veins. This was a moment the fan base had been waiting for.
Tweet from @NJDevils: WE JUST LEARNED HOW TO DOUGIE! pic.twitter.com/nqSezWRx4g
And it created history, too.
Hamilton's goal 17 seconds into his debut was the fastest goal to start a season-opening game by a defenseman in NHL history.

Not too shabby for Dougie!

3.

And then there was the elation of the overtime winner. A goal that Lindy Ruff described as a "goal that an extremely gifted player can get you. You can't draw that up. It's one heck of a play."
I was here in 2018 for the two playoff games and I'm not even sure that the noise level on those two nights rivaled what this year's home opener was all about. Jack says he
wants to see his game 'pop' to a new level this year
, well that is certainly one way to make an entrance into the 2021-22 NHL season and put your opponents on notice.
Tweet from @NJDevils: JACKPOT pic.twitter.com/pJ9hTSZgXY
What a way to bookend the night, Dougie with his opening history-making goal, and then Jack entering the record books among company. At 20 years and 154 days old, his game-winner on Friday night was the fourth of his career, with only three other players in franchise history to have had more at 20 or younger. Nico Hischier's six, Wilf Paiement's six with Kansas City and John MacLean's five are the only three players Hughes trailed. (via: NHL PR)

4.

Did you see Alex Holtz's AHL debut?
Seven shots. Two goals, one on the power play. It's just one performance but the moment I saw the recap, it reminded me of something that Tom Fitzgerald told me after he had sent the winger to Utica.
"We'll see Mr. Holtz probably sooner, rather than later."
Tweet from @NJDevils: ICYMI: Alex Holtz is a beast.📸: @UticaComets pic.twitter.com/nj0KWMqETI
He's certainly making a case for himself.

5.

Tweet from @gladiauditor: Did you high five Janne through the glass, Amanda?
Can confirm.

6.

When Dawson Mercer made his NHL debut last week, I started to receive a lot of messages from Newfoundland, also known as The Rock, fittingly.
The mayor of Dawson's hometown, Bay Roberts wanted to clarify something. The town of Bay Roberts is extremely proud of their native son, this is a very big deal for them. And so, when they see Dawson listed as from (or really 'birthplace') as Carbonear the folks in Bay Roberts are letting me know that the hospital where Dawson was born is in Carbonear, but he is from and grew up in Bay Roberts.
When the mayor, Walter Yetman contacted me, I figured this would be a good place to spread the word. The thing is, the NHL lists 'birth places' and not hometowns, so technically everyone is right in this scenario.

7.

I'd like to take a moment to recognize the family of the late Jimmy Hayes. His parents, along with his widow, and other
family members were in attendance at the Devils season opener
. There was a
beautiful, heartwarming tribute video to Jimmy
, who truly was the life of the locker room and adored by everyone. I had just one season working with Jimmy and he was always up for anything, he kept everyone laughing and was just an extremely solid human being. It was heartbreaking to watch his family shown on the big screen, to see their pain and in incomprehensible absence that must now exist in their lives. They had the support of so many in the box on Friday night. Tom Fitzgerald (also Jimmy's cousin), his wife Kerrie, and other family were in the suite, as was Miles Wood, also from Massachusetts and knew Jimmy well.

It was also this reminder of how the hockey world comes together in tragedy. For all the competition on the ice, the support when you need it when something like this strikes is truly beautiful to see. I hope it also brings the Hayes family, and extended family some added comfort.

8.

When Scott Niedermayer arrived in New Jersey this week, it wasn't only to surprise Dougie Hamilton (who wore 27 growing up in Niedermayer's honour). But the Hall of Famer also took the time to meet with the team, spend some time around the locker room and talk to the young group of players. I spoke to a couple of players who shared with me what Niedermayer talked about.
He was invited into the Theatre Room in the Devils locker room by Lindy Ruff, where he spoke for a few minutes about what it takes to be a championship building team, the importance of relying on your teammates and the amount of work it will take to get to where they want to go. Not a bad person to have a season-opening pep-talk from, especially when he talked to the team about what it means to leave a legacy with the Devils, much like he and his teammates have done.
When Nieds speaks, people listen.

9.

I hope you recognized the voice.
In case you didn't, that was Patrick Warburton, who you may also know as Puddy from Seinfeld. Always great when we can get him involved!

10.

I would like to take this final takeaway to highlight my friend and colleague Jason Shaya, who does an incredible job with the Utica Comets. This week, Shaya sat down with TSN's Bob McKenzie to share his story.
Shaya is gay and at 41 years old is revealing his authentic self to the hockey world, and the world at large.
I haven't known Jason for very long, but I am so incredibly proud of him for sharing his authentic self with us all. I won't pretend to know what that moment must have felt like for him, but nonetheless, I am so very proud to call him a friend.
Shaya told McKenzie
of the experience of coming out publicly:
"It's been unbelievable," he said. "Every person I've told has been incredibly supportive. Two things have happened. One, it's getting a lot easier for me to say, 'I'm gay.' Two, every time I tell someone, I feel more liberated. I feel way better about myself and my life."
And truly that's all this is really about. It's about a person feeling good about themselves and living their best life. And that's what Jason is doing and I know he will help so many others along the way.
I'm proud of you, my friend!