Coleman gets video tribute, warm reception in return to Devils home ice

A lot's happened for Blake Coleman since the last time he was on the ice in Newark, but the New Jersey Devils didn't miss a moment in his tribute video.

The Devils selected Coleman No. 75 in the 2011 NHL Draft, and he played for New Jersey for five seasons before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 16, 2020. He went onto win the Stanley Cup twice with the Lightning before signing a six-year contract with the Calgary Flames on July 28.
On a personal note, Coleman's wife Jordan gave birth to their two daughters after the forward's departure from New Jersey.
And it was all included into a touching video the Devils played during their game on Tuesday. There were highlights from the day he was drafted, memorable goals, moments with his family, references to his famous passion for pickles and his milestones even after he left.
A fan favorite, Coleman received a warm ovation from the crowd during the tribute.

"Felt all your love tonight," Coleman wrote on his Instagram account. "Thanks Devils fans. It was good to be back."
Former teammate, Devils forward Pavel Zacha, weighed in on seeing Coleman's reception during his big return.
"It was great to see," Zacha said. "He had a great career and I was really happy for him, happy for him in Tampa and in his personal life, too. Great to see him here and he had the fan's ovation there after that so he was always a great player and teammate in the locker room. It was great that he got the recognition here from the Devils."
NHL.com Staff Writer Mike G. Morreale contributed to this story.