EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days” blared over the loudspeakers after the New Jersey Devils’ 6-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. One line felt perfect: “I hope when I get old I don’t sit around thinking about it, but I probably will.”
This was a glorious day for New Jersey, one the Devils will sit around thinking about far into the future. Hosting an NHL outdoor game for the first time, they drew 70,328 to MetLife Stadium in the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series. It was the largest crowd in their history, the largest crowd in Stadium Series history and the fifth largest crowd in NHL history.
“It was such a fun game,” said Devils captain Nico Hischier, who had two goals and an assist. “I think after the game, after we knew we won, I just tried to soak it in as much as I could, because those are games you will never forget in your career. And I think, yeah, the win makes it even better.”
The Devils rose to the occasion, and so did their fans.
“It’s incredible, and I don’t think enough gets said about our fans here, and that showed it, and that was on display, and that meant a lot to us,” said Devils defenseman Brendan Smith, who had a goal and an assist. “They were our seventh man out there, and it was great.”
The fans arrived hours before face-off, packing the parking lots to tailgate as if this were a New York Giants or New York Jets game. People threw footballs, but also played street hockey. Devils and Flyers flags flapped in the wind. There were NHL jerseys everywhere.
“I mean, it was awesome, really,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “What a night. I think everything was done to a T. To have 70,000 fans here. To pull up with your bus, and you’re driving through, it’s 30 degrees, and you probably had 40,000 people in the parking lot drinking Diet Coke, probably.”
The Flyers stepped off the bus as if they were stepping out of a “Rocky” training montage — black knit hats, black Chuck Taylor sneakers, gray sweatsuits, towels around their necks, tape around their knuckles. Captain Sean Couturier shadow boxed and jogged into the stadium. His teammates followed. The only thing missing was the song “Gonna Fly Now.”
The Devils couldn’t have been more Jersey. As if this were an episode of “The Sopranos,” they wore Fila tracksuits. Some wore gold chains too.
The Jonas Brothers took the stage in their home state about 90 minutes before face-off, with fans on the field and players kicking soccer balls to warm up. The mascots were in the middle of the madness, NJ Devil jamming, Gritty jumping to the music.
“Yeah, I was out there for maybe one song,” Devils forward Erik Haula said, “and then I was, ‘All right, I better get out of here.’”
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