Non New Jersyians/International Posters- Why Did You Choose the Devils

[Derlique]

Just wondering what about the team appealed to you:

 

1) The success?

2) Players like Brodeur, Niedermayer, Stevens and Elias?

3) The colors?

4) You found them enjoyable to watch? 

 

[RowdyFan42]

I'm a New Yorker, so I guess this applies to me...

I started getting into sports in about 1992 or 1993. '93 was the year the local AHL team, the Capital District Islanders, moved a few miles down the river from Troy to Albany, changed their name to the Albany River Rats (and named their mascot Rowdy, which is where I get my screen name and avatar), and switched their NHL affiliation from the Isles to the Devils. As a result, my main exposure to hockey was the Devils organization, even though this was (and for the most part still is) Rangers country, so I picked the Devils as my favorite NHL team. It helps that they were fairly easy to follow up here, that 1993-94 was a banner season for the Devs, and of course that 1995 brought Cups for both the Devils and the Rats.

And to think, I could have been an Islanders fan (or maybe even a Rangers fan... perish the thought) had the timing been different...

[The Beaver]

I'm from central Mass (Worcester area) and when I was 6 years old (1990) I got a few packs of hockey cards and opened a gem... a Chris Terreri card. I thought he looked cool in his goalie equipment and I loved the Devils jersey as a child. And throughout all the years of my childhood with my dad trying to push me into loving his beloved Bruins i wasn't having it at all. So now we make it a point to get to the Devils vs Bruins games up here. 

[bobilly45]

I'm from Long Island, only 10 mins from the coliseum so one would figure the isles would've been my choice.  My dads an isles fan so I used to go to a bunch of games when I was really young,.  After seeing the isles play a bunch of teams I saw them play the devils (I called them the red team as I was really young and didn't know the teams name).  The devils wound up winning that game, but I got to see someone on the devils (later found out it was stevens) check an islander through the glass which I thought was very cool.  After that game I've been a devils fan, so in my house my dad roots for the isles, im the devils fan, and my brother is a rangers fan (I don't know what went wrong with him)

[Zubie#8]

I'm from Long Island, only 10 mins from the coliseum so one would figure the isles would've been my choice.  My dads an isles fan so I used to go to a bunch of games when I was really young,.  After seeing the isles play a bunch of teams I saw them play the devils (I called them the red team as I was really young and didn't know the teams name).  The devils wound up winning that game, but I got to see someone on the devils (later found out it was stevens) check an islander through the glass which I thought was very cool.  After that game I've been a devils fan, so in my house my dad roots for the isles, im the devils fan, and my brother is a rangers fan (I don't know what went wrong with him)

[vadvlfan]

Although I'm from Point Pleasant beach, I've lived in Virginia since '85 (work brought me down). I used to be Flyer fan in 70's. That's a story for another day.  I never liked surrounding teams (Giants/Eagles) like my brothers and wished we had something to be proud of. Then the devils came along.  I happen to be proud to be from NJ, (most my siblings live there) and very proud of this team, worts and all! Only wish I lived closer so I could be STH instead of a few games a year. 

[GoArmySports]

I'm a proud New Yorker.

 

When I was seven I use to play goalie and my brother recommended to me watching Brodeur if i wanted to get better. The ironic part of this was that my brother was and still is a Rags fan.

[Colin226]

I'm from central Mass (Worcester area) and when I was 6 years old (1990) I got a few packs of hockey cards and opened a gem... a Chris Terreri card. I thought he looked cool in his goalie equipment and I loved the Devils jersey as a child. And throughout all the years of my childhood with my dad trying to push me into loving his beloved Bruins i wasn't having it at all. So now we make it a point to get to the Devils vs Bruins games up here.

That's a pretty awesome story lol.. Although, I plan on raising my kids as Devils fans and if a hockey card sways them, they're getting thrown out!

Edited June 26, 2013 by Colin226

[Rickc18]

I often just browse these boards but since I seen this topic I figured I might as well post something. 

I'm from Nova Scotia, Canada and I became a devils fan back when I was young like age 8 and I was playing sega genesis at my friends house and New Jersey was the first team I ever chose and luckily the devils were actually really good and I could actually watch them on cbc when they made the cup run in 2000 and 2001. I could only watch leafs games on cbc due to only having cable tv during the regular season but I could watch the devils in the playoffs.

[SterioDesign]

I was a 8 years old goalie from a french place in new-brunswick, canada when brodeur made his debut and since he was from montreal they had something on him on tv around here that year and i just clicked on him and thought the devils were a cool name and all (not gonna try to invent cool reasons lol that was part od it) so i started to root for him and 3 years after they won the cup, i was 11 years old and at that age it really leaves a mark so here i am now at 29 still cheering for that same guy who got me hooked. Its pretty special and not a lot of fans get to say that these days.

Edited June 26, 2013 by SterioDesign

[Zubie#8]

I often just browse these boards but since I seen this topic I figured I might as well post something. 

I'm from Nova Scotia, Canada and I became a devils fan back when I was young like age 8 and I was playing sega genesis at my friends house and New Jersey was the first team I ever chose and luckily the devils were actually really good and I could actually watch them on cbc when they made the cup run in 2000 and 2001. I could only watch leafs games on cbc due to only having cable tv during the regular season but I could watch the devils in the playoffs.

Welcome.

[caron14]

I am from Rouyn-Noranda Quebec

 

1) team success

2) i became a fans since brodeur goal in 1997 (i was 6 year old)

3) than i learn and enjoy how Lou and the Devils work.

4) this organisation is really much more than a Hockey team. (They are the Detroit of the East)

5) Kovalchuk was may favorite player in the NHL even if i was watching every Devils game instead of Atlanta's one.

6) The Devils are always in the mix. You always believe this team might make spash this year... Sometime they do, sometime they dont

7) They are never the favorite team, they are always underdog but they find a way to make believers out of us (they are the shawn michaels of the NHL)

 

ANd i have a lot of more reason but im tires and i work tommorow see ya

[munichdevil]

I made my first trip to the USA to watch hockey in 1984, if I remember correctly. It was a trip to New York and I went to a couple of Islander games, a Ranger game and a bunch of Devil games. I wasn't a fan then, but Devil tickets were way cheaper than the others and much easier to get. Anyway, I watched the Devils home games and they lost them all. Ironically, I became a Devils fan at the game at MSG ... the Devils played a great game and they won my heart ... and of course they lost when Reijo Ruotsalainen scored with seconds to play. I made trips to watch the Devils almost every year since, and I believe it took me 3 or 4 trips before I got to see my first win (against the Canucks). I joined the Devils Fan Club, became friends with quite a few of the guys and when they finally won their first Cup it was simply unbelievable after all those years of suffering ;-)  

[njdevsftw]

Norway here!

 

Obviously first got into hockey on a local level.. Got into the NHL around 92-93 when I was in junior high.. I chose the Blackhawks because I liked the logo mostly I guess. I've always been deeply fascinated by the superhuman abilities of hockey goalies, and at the time Ed Belfour was da bomb (or so I thought at least). I also enjoyed watching Chelios and Roenick play.

 

However, once I actually wanted to start watching the games LIVE a few years later, I realized that a western conference team was a very bad idea. (Timezone wise.) So I decided to find an east coast team instead. Still being fascinated by awesome goalies, Brodeur drew me to the Devils, along with their low profile "team and defense first" organisation. (Much like the somewhat successful norwegian soccer national team at the time.)

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

I enjoyed playing the video games before i got into hockey, i also used to play a bit or roller hockey with my friends. 

 

Then, back in the day when Trans World Sport was on Channel 4 of a weekend at like 7am, they showed the Devils winning the cup against Dallas. So that must have resonated with me, but i still didn’t really pick a team, that was until i saw Scott Stevens play. When they used to show NHL games on Channel 5 in the UK i stayed up and watched a game between the Devils and Carolina (i think) and Stevens was taking people out left right and centre!!!

 

After that i was hooked, i followed the team for a few years from the NHL website and wherever i could find it on TV and i eventually found this magnificent place after hockey returned after the first lock out in October 2005.

[njdevs89]

When I was a young lad NHL 94/95/96 were my favourite games to play. My team at the time for whatever reason(I think it was because I loved animals and big cats specificly) was the Florida Panthers. I could own just about every team I played except the Devils always gave me the most trouble. So I thought I would try playing with them. Suddenly my brother and friends didn't like playing against me because it wasn't even fair anymore. I then became familiar with everyone on our team at the time (I rocked with Lemieux). I grew up in a household and family full of leafs fans and my dad being a huge hawks fan..so we were always the odd ones out...but we loved it. I started collecting merch and well here I am...devils fan for 18 years.

[newjerseydamo]

I'm sure you're all going to get a kick out of this, but this is 100% honest.

 

I am 32 years old, born and raised in Australia. When I was 10 or so, the first real person/band I liked was Bryan Adams. This moved to Bon Jovi, then I just moved on to heavy metal after that.

Anyway, during my massive Bon Jovi phase, and knowing he was from New Jersey, one day when I was 12 or 13, I went over to a friends house, and he had a NHL game on his Amiga.

We scrolled through teams, and not knowing any USA cities or anything hockey related at all, I had no idea who to pick.

So as I was scrolling through the list, I saw a team from New Jersey, and having the recognition from Bon Jovi, I chose them.

 

Years later when I got an Xbox (first ever console), and started getting hockey games, I just stuck with New Jersey (I am an extremely loyal person).
Anyways, internet in Australia finally got to a point, that in 2006 I realised I could try searching for games online and try and watch some. So I watched the end of the 2006 season and then the 2nd round playoff exit after sweeping the Rangers in the first round, and my love of hockey was properly born and since exploded.

I saw 3 Devils away games during the Cali 2010 road trip, revisited the USA in October 2012 with the hope the lockout would end before the season start. It didn't but I still visited for a fun and fantastic holiday (saw 3 Yankees games at Yankee Stadium against the Red Sox to finish the regular season).

I am now about to pay for flights to visit again in January 2014 to see the Devils/Rangers outdoor game at Yankee Stadium and more than likely at least one or two more games at the Rock or elsewhere depending on scheduling.

 

I bleed red and black now, and I no longer care for Australian sports, hockey is in my blood.

[Devilsfan118]

That's an awesome story newjerseydamo

But some of these stories worry me..if I ever have a kid who 'decides' to 'follow' the team across the river...needless to say, actions will be taken to prevent that

[Vic Rattlehead18]

I worship satan.

[capo]

I don't really know how it started.  I'm pretty sure Alain Chevrier had something to do with.  I loved goalies as a kid and I would pretend to be him playing with my friends.  Then, I became huge fan of  Brendan Shannahan, Johnny Mac, and Patrik Sundstrom.  Then, the big playoff run. I've been hooked ever since.

[2ELIAS6]

from rockland county NY here.. became a devils fan when i was 5. My father also originally from ny as well but not lives in bergen county nj is a manager for a&p and his vendors such as coke pepsi etc. would throw him free tickets to all different sporting events. Well the first devils game he took me to (mean while my father is not much of a sports person) the seats were great as they always were only a few rows off the glass and i was instantly hooked as a small kid.. loved every second of the fast paced action.. which led me to begging to go to more games led me to playing hockey for a couple years.. One memory ill never forget i was sitting on the glass one game probably 10-11 years old and elias got checked right in front of me caught me not paying attention scared the hell out of me.. but being that close to the players was a whole nother experience.

[aylbert]

I'm 13 months and from just outside NE Philly.   All of my friends are Flyers fans, the people from daycare host Flyers day, my neighbors have orange hockey nets and their sticks are scribbled with garbage (Flyers).    When I see them playing, I like to carry a broom into the action... my way of saying the Devs are going to sweep the season series.

 

This was a pic on my way to my first game in January when we beat the Caps in OT...  I had less hair then because I was pissed at my dad for not bringing me to Flyers game where we shut them out 3-0...  

 

 

 

[2ELIAS6]

cute kid lol startin young i like it

[aylbert]

Thankie.   

 

And me?   I was from Toms River.   I got into the Devils as my first girlfriend took me to the game against Dallas on October 12, 1996... we lost 4-2.  We had seats on the glass; it was awesome.   Before that I was a casual hockey fan, much as I would say I'm a Phillies fan (but I think I can name like two players on the team).  But only if Mike Schmidt's two bad knees count.

 

[Devilsfan118]

That little guy looks pissssssseeeddddd