I took the 6:37am train from Bridgewater into Newark Penn, arriving at 7:15am. It was still dark outside and pouring, but did not feel threatened by anyone while walking a few blocks to the arena. i got to the arena at 7:20am, right by the box office and saw a kid my age there(20) with younger kid playing cars on a camping cooler. I asked them if they were waiting on line for the $10 seats and they nodded... I was #3 on line. They, Matt and David, were from the Bronx, but love the Devils. First thing they said to me was "At least we're not the only crazy ones doing this." I laughed and said "Hey, gotta support the team!"(my favorite Seinfeld episode). The kids interviewed by nhl.com actually showed up a little over an hour after we did.
At 11am the box office opened. Everyone on line, about 15-20 of us, were given the option to go inside and see what tickets were available for the game... I was able to snag a $25 ticket in section 231! (A ticket that was originally held for a potential 8 game flex plan package that didn't sell). So with my ticket secured, not having to stand on line in the rain anymore, and having 8 hours to kill before the game, the three of us went exploring around Newark. I bonded pretty fast with Matt and David and we plan on going to a game or two together this year(Matt was wearing a personalized White Devs jersey with Butterworth on the back, I was wearing my white Pro Player Elias Jersey).
One funny moment from Saturday happened when we walked into a local shoe store. A sales associate immediately showed us that they had the new Jordans in and asked us if the Devils still had "Bookers". "Bookers?" Yeah Bookers...that goalie." Lmao
The game was pretty good up until the third period, but the arena is amazing. I had a pretty easy time getting home on the Raritan Valley Line, so I'll definitely take the train in when I go to my next game. It was worth the wait to be a part of history.