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DEVIL INSIDE


El Diablo

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My dad and my younger brother are Rangers fans.

I couldn't get behind their ugly looking team when the Devils had better uniforms and a cooler name!

Besides, I couldn't root for the same team they did during that 94 series!

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It started for me when I moved to NJ...I had been talking to this girl online for a long time all the while I was living in TX...I didn't really care for hockey however my step brother played and so it kinda got me into watching a bit but more importantly playing the NHL games on Sega. That introduced me to Roenick when he was back with the Blackhawks.

You have GOT TO BE sh!tTING ME!!! :lol:

that's how I got into hockey also :P

seriously... the girl I was dating wayyyy back in 93 (she had one purpose in my life and that was it :P)... she was getting me into hockey and she didn't have cable TV yet so we were at her friends' house and he gets out NHL 93... and I SUCKED at it... all I could do was hit people... so lo and behold they had me try the blackhawks.. and fittingly enough I began scoring like mad with roenick in his prime (funny how many players on that team then I grew to loathe...).... and it got me into the game... they were all Devils fans... and it kinda grew and manifested over the 94 playoff run... Zelepukin scoring with 7 seconds left SEALED the deal.....

... ironically our engagment party :argh::doh1: was the night of the Devils first Cup.... 6 months later the recaps were born so I didn't need the miserable lil woman in my life :evil: .... and a legend was born B )

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I grew up in Brampton, a suburb of Toronto that also spawned the legendary Mike Jefferson/Danton. With two brothers a year older and two years younger, we were fiercely competitive our whole lives, and so we each had to have a favourite team for every major sport that was different from the others' favourite teams, in order to have something else to fight about.

When I was 4 or 5 years old a friend of my father's from work had the family over for dinner, and he had three boys who were a couple years older than us. They showed us their hockey card collection, and gave us each a card. The card I was given was a Glenn Resch on the Rockies, and I decided he was my favourite player, and that was my favourite team. They became the Devils a couple years later, and I was a Devils fan.

It wasn't that big a deal being a Devils fan in Toronto in the 80s cuz the Leafs sucked so bad in the Ballard years there was nothing to cheer for (unless you count John Kordic, of course). I only got to watch the games when they played Toronto or Montreal (in French!), but all of my hockey sticker books had the Devils page filled first. Then in the magical run of 88 I got to see the Devils make it farther in the playoffs than the Leafs had my whole life!

The early 90s were spent putting up with a Penguins fan who was at my school who lorded it over me. Then there was the horror of 94, the aboslute worst moment of my sports fan life. Then 95, and the victory, the best moment of my sports fan life.

My feelings towards the home-town Leafs were always casual indifference, until they got switched over to the Devils conference. When they faced the Leafs in the playoffs all of a sudden I was an enemy in the midst of the most hockey mad town in the world. Getting it over on them twice in a row was awesome, but it was the Niedermeyer incident in 01 that made my hatred for the Leafs burn deep. The crap people were saying about Nieds faking it, and Domi not deserving to miss the playoffs blah blah blah was sickening.

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From Sweden with love.

I got hooked when I was a kid. I can't remember the exact year but it was during the sundstrom brothers era. The equation was, an uncle living in Verona NJ, my interest in swedish players since I'm a swede and the fact that I played hockey my self at that time. I've only seen two live games during all these years, the Flyers in 98 and the Rangers in 2003 but the Devils are always in my heart and will stay there until death do us apart.

One of my strongest Devils memories is from the 95 cup. I stayed at a friends cabin in the middle of nowhere and my brother called me after the fourth game and I remember getting all excited and tears actually came, wow that night I felt as good as ever! At that time one of my cousins worked at a bar in west orange and one night when I was there in the summer of 96 I saw this great Devils banner (the 95 cup) on the wall and she saw my enthusiasm about it and the next day she brought it home for me. I took it back with me to Sweden and had it on the wall for several years but when a girl moved in with me it had to come down, "it's so boyish". I still have it and once in a while I go down to the basement and look at it and then all the great feelings from the cup night 95 comes back to me!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey Gang! First real post!!!!!! Here we go....

It was early 1983, I was 7, and my father was a Montreal fan. I happened to be up with him one night when Montreal was televised in the Toronto area against New Jersey. Go figure. Me being 7, team called the Devils, and having a cooler logo than a leaf I really like these guys. I mean what more is a 7 year old supposed to judge by, passing skills? I started collecting cards, stickers, newspaper articles featuring my new love, the DEVILS! As time went by, I got to know the names.....Lever, Bridgeman, Driver, then the rookies started coming in......Daneyko, Verbeek, MacLean, Muller. These guys were awesome (at least to a 10 year old)!!!!!!!

I loved these guys through thick, and well mainly thin. Then that glorious night in 1989.....last game of the regular season, New Jersey vs. Chicago. Win and in the playoffs for the first time ever. Lose or tie and it's bye bye. Johnny Mac in the slot, fires the rebound past Pang in OT to send us in......best goal in NJ HISTORY!!!!!!!!!!!! I cried as a man (albeit young) for the first time. Then they go to the friggin' conference finals?!?!?! They could have lost 4 straight to Boston and I would have been just as proud! But to get so close. That's it, LOVE!

I admit, 1994 was hard. That terrible goal to send us out in OT of the conference finals. I couldn't believe it. The following season was just about to collapse, when finally they announced deal done, let's play. It was typical NJ, up and down on the season. But in the playoffs, the just seemed determined. I couldn't believe these guys. Peluso on the bench in the final minutes just expressed what each and every one of us fellow NJ Devils hard core fans were feeling. A once in a lifetime feeling. I mean really, a team just might NEVER win a cup EVER, let alone once!

But then, 2000, an offensive machine! 2001 - so close, and I was so sad and angry at the same time, until Borque (as much as I may hate/appreciate him) made me smile. Finally 2003, just the definition of the hard working everyday average person. Getting the job done. I was so proud of these guys.

What else to say. Here I am, with Centre Ice making my wife friggin' crazy with EVERY New Jersey Devils game (haven't missed one it two years, knock on wood) loving this team....glad to be here on this board, and will post comments on the current team in HELL!

Thanks...sorry for rambling, but I have been reading for too long with no posts.

Adam

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I grew up in Clifton and my family took me to games during the 80s and early 90s when I was a kid. I took skating lessons at the old practice facility (before they turned it into a Rickels or whatever) and encountered many of the players as a young child.

I was seriously hooked in 94 as I came into my teens. Additionally my last name is Peluso, so it was pretty neat to see someone with the same last name playing for a pro team as a kid.

Edited by L
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Watched a few games with my then boyfriend-now husband but couldn't get into it.  Then in 2000 I watched the finals for him as he was away and couldn't see them.  I learned how to follow the action!  And as I've said before, I got hooked and told my husband not to write them off when they were down.  I loved that I got to rub it in his face after.  "Told ya so, told ya so!!"

Truthfully, it was probably the first time I saw Marty's eyes behind his mask.  :wub:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I chuckle to recall your brothers wedding when you got so po'd at me for going down to the bar to watch the Devils win the cup in "95 and how now I can bring it up and you know why I was so intent on watching.

BTW-

I became a devils fan as a result of watching the Islanders and Caps in the playoffs in the late '80's and Pat LaFontaine scoring the game winner in quadruple OT or whatever and remembering the intensity of that game. After that I was hooked but since I lived in NJ I figured I had to be a Devils fan. Support the home team.

Anyway-GO DEVILS!!!

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Devil Inside was a classic Inxs song B ).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Devils used to come out to that song...I think it was the '91-'92 season.

I remember in '93-'94 they came out to...Hold on Loosely. YIKES.

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The fact that they were a NJ team with a NJ name. I like the Giants but it still pi$$es me off to no end that they are still considered the NY Giants.

I've always loved hockey, so rooting for the hometown team was easy even if they did stink at first. It was still New Jersey's team.

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  • 2 weeks later...

:evil:

What an interseting question - how did we become Devils fans? Well, let me give you some background and then I'll tell you a funny story. I was born and raised in Ottawa, and grew up, and still am, a Montreal fan. I'm one of those women who can actually follow the game. I've always had a lot respect for Martin Brodeur - being from Quebec himself - and that got me far in 2003.

I used to be married to a man who worked in an Italian restaurant. All of the Italian men would get together for a playoff hockey pool and in 2003, they were missing a few people. Since I was the hockey fan in my household, I was asked if I wanted in. Of course, they made it very plain that they were willing to "take" my money, since I didn't have a chance of winning - being a woman of course.

When the time came to pick my players - guess who I relied heavily on. I'd been following the Devils all season, and just knew that they were going all the way. So as I picked more and more Devils, the laughing from the men in the pool grew louder and louder. But I guess I got the last laugh, I won the pool, and the next year they refused to let me play with them. So I started my own - went again heavy on the Jersey players - with Brodeur of course, and still won in 2004.

I don't know what made me stay so involved with following the team - I can look out my window at home and see the Corel Centre, where the Senators play - but I'd die before I support them. The Devils just seem to have a heart that's missing in most teams - even with the roster changes this year - they are a joy to watch.

My only complaint is that they don't come to Ottawa very often but thankfully - my seats for those games are second row - right behind Brodeur. Watch for me decked out in my jersey and Devil horns. I'm hard to miss - some even think I've travelled to watch the games - but Ottawa is my hometown - but Jersey is where my heart is.

Looking forward to March 28 - an maybe another wink from our Goalie.

Go Devils Go!!!

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Well played D i O! :evil: Keep up the road support!

I'm the nutjob you might see at the Wachovia when the Devs come down the Tpk to spank Philly.

I grew up in a Northern NJ town and played hockey on a frozen pond whenever my brother would let me go with him. I enjoyed the game but had no home team to cheer. :saddevil: I was cemented in my ANTI-NY way of life in every other sport, ie Cowboys, Patriots, Tigers, Nets. So, :noclue: there was NO WAY I was going to call a NY team "mine". So, when the Rockies came to NJ it was the match I had been waiting for! :boogie:

Been supporting the team ever since!!

LETS GO DEVILS!!!!! :clap:

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My only complaint is that they don't come to Ottawa very often but  thankfully - my seats for those games are second row - right behind Brodeur.  Watch for me decked out in my jersey and Devil horns.  I'm hard to miss - some even think I've  travelled to watch the games - but Ottawa is my hometown - but Jersey is where my heart is. 

What the *#$%@?!!?!

We're soon going to outnumber the fans in New Jersey. We'll relocate the Devils Fan Club to Sparks Street. :)

I don't think I contributed to this thread yet. If I did, too bad.

Grade 8. My Dad offered me $100 if I got 80 or above in all my courses. I figured that would be easy given that I was always getting grades in the 90s. Then I hit "Life Skills", a mix of sewing, cooking, woodworking and drafting. I got a 70 in sewing, 70 in cooking and 90 in woodworking... so I needed a good grade in drafting class. The main project was to make two or three silk-screened T-shirt and all the guys were doing NHL team logos. So, since I needed a real good grade, I picked the team that had the easiest logo to draw. And that's how I became a Devils fan.

I came *THIS* close to being a Hartford Whalers fan. :)

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