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20 Years ago tonight


eldon

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Hard to believe it's been 20 years, since that great playoff run of 1988.

Culminated with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOzUSdrAioM

I was home listening alone in my room. Sportschannel was a pay channel & I had just started my first job, & my parents wouldn't pay for it. Being Easter, I didn't want to go out & be near any ranger fans. After the goal, I went crazy calling all my friends, woke my parents. The next day, decorated my car with the newpaper headlines. What a ride for us playoff-newbie fans. Knocking out the rangers made it even sweeter. Even though the Cup years are so much bigger & special in their own ways, for some reason 88 is still so memorable to me.

The first playoff home game, I got on NJN when they showed my playoff sign, which I spent hours making.

It had our logo & the Cup & said "New Jersey Devils & Stanley Cup Playoffs-Perfect Together".

Anyway, sometime betw. 10:30 & 11 tonight, I'll be toasting the first great moment in Devils history.

:dance:

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Hard to believe it's been 20 years, since that great playoff run of 1988.

Culminated with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOzUSdrAioM

I was home listening alone in my room. Sportschannel was a pay channel & I had just started my first job, & my parents wouldn't pay for it. Being Easter, I didn't want to go out & be near any ranger fans. After the goal, I went crazy calling all my friends, woke my parents. The next day, decorated my car with the newpaper headlines. What a ride for us playoff-newbie fans. Knocking out the rangers made it even sweeter. Even though the Cup years are so much bigger & special in their own ways, for some reason 88 is still so memorable to me.

The first playoff home game, I got on NJN when they showed my playoff sign, which I spent hours making.

It had our logo & the Cup & said "New Jersey Devils & Stanley Cup Playoffs-Perfect Together".

Anyway, sometime betw. 10:30 & 11 tonight, I'll be toasting the first great moment in Devils history.

:dance:

Yeah it was in the newspaper this moring and that was a great game and year for the Devils. It was nice to hear from some of the old Devils players who played that season and they will never forget that game or that season.

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SportsChannel was a pay channel. However, this game was on SportsChannel2 since the Islanders were on SportsChannel and that was free (as long as you has cable).

Somewhere in my parents house in NJ I have a collection of newspaper articles, tickets, programs and game DVDs from 1988 (transfers from VHS tapes). It was awesome.

Have another donut!

Edited by PeteyNice
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I was a Frosh in college. I was watching in my parents living room.

My brother and I ran outside screaming. Still gets me pumped.

Somewhere I may have a tape of the news reports from that night, including the beezer nearly crying cause we knocked them out of the playoffs.

That run was great. I even remeber ESPN's video tribute to the run. I wish I had that on tape. The video's song was Midnight Blue!

I think the Caps may have that in them this year if they get in. I would not want to play them early.

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I was watching the game with my friend and his Dad, and all I was doing was covering my face not being able to watch what would happen next. I just remember after the goal it was pandemonium. They were also the same two with me in 1995 when they swept the Red Wings in the Finals.

Edited by jscags
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At home, on Long Island. I was watching it on SportsChannel and had to change the channel 'cos my step-dad set the timer to record on the VCR. No sooner did I change the channel is when I ran into my room to turn on the radio. Not 10 seconds later Johnny Mac scored. My celebration had to be muted 'cos said step-father was snoozing. I didn't actually see the goal and the celebration until months later.

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I remember clearly, I was 10 years old. I didn't have cable, so I couldn't watch the game BUT....through the fuzz of the snowy screen I could hear the game. I sat crossed legged staring at the screen like the little girl in "poltergeist." When Mac scored I remember jumping around the living room screaming. It was the first time I felt an emotional rush connected to sports and to this day the Devils are an everyday part of my life.

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I was a high school senior (damn I'm getting old). My father had finally caved in and bought SportsChannel earlier that year, so I was pretty much watching every Devils game I could on TV at that point. For some reason everyone in the house (my parents and younger brother) except for me was tired, so they were all in bed when Johnny Mac scored. I couldn't help myself...I jumped and screamed "YEEAAAAAAAAAAH JOOOOOOOOHNNNEEEEEE!" My dad was pissed that I woke everyone up...he was happy that the Devils made the playoffs, but still annoyed. I was used to getting into trouble at that age (especially my senior year), so I didn't even care that he was pissed. Anyway, that playoff run was incredibly fun to watch...whenever I had school the morning after a game, a really good friend of mine and I would spend all of homeroom talking about the previous night's game, going over the details, the goals, etc. Makes me wish I could get my hands on a DeLorean with a flux capacitor and some plutonium. Just a great and far simpler time.

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I was a high school senior (damn I'm getting old). My father had finally caved in and bought SportsChannel earlier that year, so I was pretty much watching every Devils game I could on TV at that point. For some reason everyone in the house (my parents and younger brother) except for me was tired, so they were all in bed when Johnny Mac scored. I couldn't help myself...I jumped and screamed "YEEAAAAAAAAAAH JOOOOOOOOHNNNEEEEEE!" My dad was pissed that I woke everyone up...he was happy that the Devils made the playoffs, but still annoyed. I was used to getting into trouble at that age (especially my senior year), so I didn't even care that he was pissed. Anyway, that playoff run was incredibly fun to watch...whenever I had school the morning after a game, a really good friend of mine and I would spend all of homeroom talking about the previous night's game, going over the details, the goals, etc. Makes me wish I could get my hands on a DeLorean with a flux capacitor and some plutonium. Just a great and far simpler time.
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Ahh the memories. I was a freshman in high school and I just remember freaking out when MacLean scored. My mom got pissed for making noise (she didn't like it when I watched the Devils and thought all hockey players were animals).

On a side note, I recently watched a retrospective on the NHL Network on the '91 Devils-Pens series. Despite losing in 7, the old highlights are terrific. I got pumped every time MacLean scored and furious when Boschman's goal got waived off in game 6. Yes, still bitter 17 years later. :P

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lol unfortunately at that time I wasn't even two years old... I wish I could have seen that playoff run.

How perfect could it have gone? (til they lost, that is :P) Gary Thorne was our play-by-play, (only play-by-play guy I would want other than Doc) the Devils make the playoffs for the first time, and knock out the Rangers in the process! Magical.

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Ahh...the memories...I was 18 and watching HNIC and only able to see the Devils score on the update roll while being force fed all Canadian teams....

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Watched it at bar with a bunch of Rangers fans who just left the Garden after beating Quebec. They said they had a huge "Let's Go Blackhawks" chant going the entire night. They were still quite jolly....until Johnny Mac sent us to the Promised Land. Oh that night was magic. Sure the playoffs were an incredible reach (anybody remember the Devils late run before that Chicago game?), but just to have the entire place go so silent you could hear a Rangers' fan tear land on his cheek was even sweeter!

Thanks Johnny Mac... Sean Burke (the saviour!)....and the rest of those lovable Devils for putting NJ on the hockey map once and for all.

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