NHL Power Player thrilled to experience Stadium Series

Editor’s note: NHL Power Players is an initiative focused on selecting young hockey fans to help advise the League on hockey-related topics important to their generation. Here, Eva Jurcevic, a 16-year-old from Hillsdale, New Jersey writes about her experience at the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series:

RELATED: NHL Power Players

The NHL finished off its outdoor game schedule with the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. I had the privilege of attending with the NHL Power Players youth advisory board. As a Jersey native and first-year Power Player, I enjoyed watching my first Stadium Series games between local teams in MetLife’s first outdoor games. With one of the highest stadium capacities in the United States., the atmosphere was electric, and rivalries renewed for the Battle of the Turnpike between the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and the Battle of New York between the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders on Sunday.

Prior to festivities inside the stadium, fans attended the New Amsterdam Vodka NHL PreGame. With shooting challenges, sponsor set ups, the NHL shop, and the coveted Stanley Cup, the PreGame had something for everyone. I had a great time testing out my shot at accuracy shooting competitions, made my very own trading card with Upper Deck, and checked out the NHL Shop. Those with a competitive edge, like myself, had an awesome time playing with friends and family at the many attractions PreGame had to offer. There was fun for the whole family Saturday and Sunday. Families and friends gathered to enjoy the pop-up stands, hockey fun, and great food. Whether I was playing super-size air hockey or enjoying a hot chocolate, I loved starting off this amazing weekend of hockey with some interactive fan activities. With special appearances from Devils great Ken Daneyko and Rangers great Mike Richter, PreGame was buzzing with excitement. Hockey fans gathered from all over, whether fans of the participating teams or not, to enjoy the excitement the day would bring to New Jersey.

I made my way inside for the Jonas Brothers pregame concert the minute the stadium doors opened Saturday. The Power Players and I headed down to the field for the show and I instantly became overwhelmed at the sight. Looking up into the stands, I saw tens of thousands of people looking down to where we were standing, and it was truly amazing to experience what the players do when they are on the ice. Seeing the ice up close just increased my exhilaration to see a hockey game played under the bright lights.

Jonas Brothers put on a great show with some of their greatest hits. I was even visited by the G.O.A.T mascot, Gritty! The Flyers legend had a great time cheering on the Jersey natives, taking pictures with fans, and of course, poking fun at everyone in sight. Singing along with the band and the record-breaking number of attendees truly reminded me of the amazing hockey community in the Tri-State Area. I was looking forward to feeling the atmosphere evolve into a more competitive one once the game started.

Postconcert and back at our seats, my family and I caught the end of Devils and Flyers warmups and prepared for the official start of the 2024 NHL Stadium Series. Scoring opened quickly and never stopped for the duration of the game. The Devils brought home the 6-3 win over the Flyers in front of their home crowd. 70,000 plus fans were heard throughout the game, and certainly when the final horn sounded. During the intermissions, fans enjoyed performances from The Gaslight Anthem, who performed their goal song live, and Jonas Brothers once again.

The windy and cold conditions in East Rutherford did not bother fans Sunday when they braved the weather to enjoy the last day of events at MetLife. Sunday’s events began once again at PreGame where Power Players met for a Stanley Cup photo with our families. All gathered together from all over North America, Power Players spent time together exploring the many attractions PreGame had to offer. We headed inside the stadium to prepare for the game. We had the honor of watching warmups by the glass for the Rangers and Islanders game. As a big Ranger fan, I was fascinated to watch my team up close. Their speed and skill blew us away and only furthered our elation for the second Stadium Series game.

Nearly 80,000 fans filled MetLife in anticipation of the Battle of New York. Rangers and Islanders legends Mark Messier and Bryan Trottier dropped the first puck to the excitement of fans in attendance. With the most goals scored in an outdoor NHL game, fans were on their feet for the entire game. The game’s physicality electrified the crowd, encouraging many “Let’s Go Rangers” and “Let’s Go Islanders” chants to break out. An exciting Rangers comeback led to a short-lived overtime with Artemi Panarin scoring 10 seconds into the extra session. The Rangers would come out victorious with a final score of 6-5. Sunday’s intermissions brought a performance from NY natives, AJR, and a tribute to some of New York’s legendary hockey players of the past.

This was truly the experience of a lifetime. I was able to spend time with my family and friends and share this amazing weekend with them. Secondly, I am so thankful to enjoy this year’s Stadium Series with the astounding Power Players board. I am so grateful to the NHL, specifically Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Heidi Browning and Manager of Power Players Brittany Zukowski for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series will certainly go down in the hockey history books, but it will also be one of the most memorable weekends I have ever experienced.