Tag: new jersey devils

The Rangers and Devils started an all-out line brawl the second the puck dropped, resulting in 8 ejections

Boy, that escalated quickly.

Well, the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils proved on Wednesday night that they really do not like each other.

Right as the puck dropped at Madison Square Garden for the late-season battle, the gloves came off as a five-on-five line brawl erupted on the ice.

Literally, all of the Rangers and Devils players just started going at it in a fight. The second the puck hit the ice, absolute mayhem broke loose.

It got so bad that this opening brouhaha sparked eight ejections and an actual shouting match between Rangers coach Peter Laviolette and Devils interim coach Travis Green.

Fighting is a part of hockey, but whatever in the world sparked this had to run deeper than a typical scrap between two players. This got ugly fast.

The fighting didn’t even stop after that bizarre opening brawl.

In the first five minutes of the game, a whopping 25 different penalties were assessed between both teams, per SPDN Sports’ Drew Livingstone.

NHL.com’s Dan Rosen noted before the game that both teams started their fourth lines, so something had to be up before this even started.

Maybe this is just part of an intense rivalry, but getting into a fight like this literally at the point of puck drop just doesn’t happen every day.

Perhaps it has something to do with the last time these two teams played on March 11, a game where Rangers forward Matt Rempe earned a four-game suspension for elbowing Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler and giving him a concussion.

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The Hurricanes epically trolled the Devils using Cameo and some New Jersey celebrities

This is seriously so brilliant.

Seriously, this is some genius, right up there with the Titans’ schedule release video and the Chargers’ now-annual trolling anime video.

After the Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night, the winners released a video on social media in which it appears the team hired some very well-known New Jersey celebrities — among them: Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino from Jersey Shore, Teresa Giudice from Real Housewives of New Jersey, Fireman Ed the Jets fan and so on — congratulate Carolina on moving on to the next round.

It would appear that the message they gave to those celebs masked the fact that it was the Hurricanes getting Jersey’s best to troll their own hockey team. Bravo:

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Jacob Trouba blasted Timo Meier with a high hit and NHL fans couldn’t believe it wasn’t a penalty

Jacob Trouba’s hard hit was legal by NHL standards, but fans weren’t happy.

Jacob Trouba is no stranger to borderline hits in big-time playoff games.

On Monday’s Game 7 between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, Trouba rocked Timo Meier with a hit up high in the opening minutes of the third period. With the Rangers down 2-0 in the opening round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with their season on the line, Trouba looked to light a spark in New York with the heavy hit.

Unfortunately, Trouba’s hit was quite the violent one, as Meier was down on the ice in pain after taking a shoulder to the face. Meier did end up returning to the Devils’ bench later in the third, but Trouba absolutely lit him up with a brutal hit.

Yeah, that’s as hard of a hit as you’ll see in the NHL. Trouba wasn’t penalized for the play, as that kind of hit is technically legal according to the NHL rule book. Because Meier was leaning over in a vulnerable position on the play, Trouba’s hit was deemed legal by the referees on the ice.

NHL fans, however, were stunned that that type of hit still remains a legal one given how violent and devastating it is. While Trouba may not have been penalized for the hit due to its legality, hockey fans were quite upset all the same.

Eli Manning admitted he flip flops his hockey allegiance between the Devils and Rangers

This is blasphemous from Eli Manning!

No matter which way this first round series between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers ends, Eli Manning will come out on top victorious.

On Thursday, the Devils hosted the Rangers for Game 2 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs’ first round and the Manning family was in the building for the fun. Since his retirement from quarterbacking the New York Giants, Manning has publicly thrown his support behind many a team from the New York/New Jersey area.

And now, Manning has made his stance known on the Hudson River Rivalry and it’s pretty unique, to say the least. While being interviewed by Jackie Redmond of NHL Network, Manning admitted he flip flops between rooting for the Devils and Rangers depending on where the team is playing and where his family is watching the games from!

Even worse, if you’re a Rangers and a Giants fan, Manning committed the ultimate cardinal sin of chanting “Let’s go Devils” ahead of his first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff game.

The good news? Give it a few days and Manning will be bleeding blue once more!

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Timo Meier trade: Who won the Devils and Sharks deal?

The Devils made a big addition to their Stanley Cup push with the addition of Timo Meier.

We’re less than a week from the 2023 NHL trade deadline and the pieces are moving off the board quickly.

On Sunday, the New Jersey Devils traded with the San Jose Sharks for Timo Meier, one of the most sought-after names ahead of the deadline. After a weekend of activity, Meier is the latest domino to fall as the 3 p.m. ET deadline on Friday, March 3 continues to loom over the season.

The Sharks are one of the biggest sellers coming into the 2023 NHL trade deadline and the Devils have been the biggest rumored destination for Meier for some time now. While the asking price for Meier was quite high, the Devils paid the price to snag one of the top names on the market.

As the dust settles on this major NHL deal, let’s break down the details of the Meier trade and give out grades to both the Devils and Sharks!

NHL fans were blown away with Jack Hughes’ clutch Herculean effort to set up Devils’ OT winner

My word, Jack Hughes…

There’s a reason Jack Hughes is getting Hart Trophy buzz from New Jersey Devils fans this season and this pass should be Exhibit A as to why.

On Tuesday, the Devils hosted the Vegas Golden Knights in what ended up being a tight, highly-contested game. With the score 2-2 after Dougie Hamilton’s tying goal late in the third period, the two teams went to overtime to settle the score.

In overtime, Hughes absolutely took matters into his own hands, as the 21-year-old set up the game winner with an absolutely bonkers pass. Hughes was able to get off a one-handed backwards pass while on his knees and being swarmed by two Golden Knights to a wide-open Hamilton, who finished off the game with a one-timer for the score.

What an effort on this set up from Hughes. The play is nothing too fancy, just good old hard work and effort there from a youngster to keep the puck alive and ferry it over to his teammate. NHL fans were quite impressed with Hughes and his Herculean effort on the Devils’ overtime game winner.

Devils fans angrily threw debris on the ice after 3 disallowed goals in a game

Not a classy look here from Devils fans…

Despite coming into Wednesday night’s game on a 13-game winning streak, New Jersey Devils fans were not happy with the proceedings that followed.

The Toronto Maple Leafs snapped the Devils winning streak with a 2-1 win ahead of the Thanksgiving break. But if you ask the home fans, New Jersey should have won 4-2. Why? Because the Devils had three disallowed goals over the course of their 60 minute contest against the Maple Leafs, something quite unheard of for a NHL game.

In the first period, Jonas Siegenthaler had a goal called back due to goaltender interference. In the second period, another goal was called back after more goaltender shenanigans with Matt Murray in net for the Maple Leafs. And finally, Erik Haula’s goal was taken back in the third period due to an intentional kicking motion, causing Devils fans frustrations to boil over.

After Haula’s goal was called back, Devils fans began throwing debris onto the ice to showcase their anger that their team was down 2-0 instead of up 3-2.

Look, I get being annoyed as a fan, but throwing things onto the ice is not the way to go about showcasing your frustration. While an aggravating situation for Devils fans, the calls on the ice were the correct ones or ones that could have been challenged by head coach Lindy Ruff if he wanted a second look, yet he decided not to.

But hey, chin up, Devils fans. At least your team is still second overall in the NHL!

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Top-Shelf Takes: After years of underperforming, the Devils may finally be legit

Is it time to finally believe in the Devils?

Welcome to Top-Shelf Takes, a weekly series from staff writer Mary Clarke all about the NHL. Lace up your skates as we dive deep into the epic highs and lows of this little sport called hockey.

It wasn’t that long ago that New Jersey Devils fans were calling for head coach Lindy Ruff’s job. In fact, Devils fans chanted “fire Lindy” during New Jersey’s home opener, a 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, to express their displeasure at the team’s state of affairs.

Oh, what a difference a month makes.

One week into November, Devils fans have completely changed their tune after the team shook off two straight losses to start the season. In their last 10 games, the Devils have gone 9-1-0 and sit third overall in the NHL with a 9-3-0 record. For a team that many — myself included! — wrote off entirely for the 2022-23 season, what the Devils are doing right now defies all logic and reason.

For a Devils team that finished seventh in the Metropolitan last season, this result without a doubt passes any and all best case scenarios New Jersey’s upper management had. Seriously, when the Devils have Jesper Bratt making goals like this, there’s something special going on in New Jersey.

Speaking of Bratt, the 23-year-old has been the impetus for the team’s hot start and a big reason why the Devils are fifth in the NHL (3.67) in goals for per games played. Currently, Bratt is on pace for a 113-point season after scoring five goals and 18 points in 13 games played so far, leading the Devils in both categories. All this after coming off the quietest 73-point season in history last year, by the way.

Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier haven’t been slouches either so far, with 12 and 14 points each respectively, but right now it’s Bratt driving the bus for New Jersey.

With the Devils’ offense riding high, what about the rest of the team? New Jersey’s goaltending, which torched them last year after using seven netminders, is actually standing quite tall all things considered. Mackenzie Blackwood’s .880 save percentage is pretty deceiving after a dismal showing against Washington (five goals on 18 shots) but is above .900 if you discard that outlier. And Vitek Vanecek has settled in well with his new team, going 5-1-0 with a .908 save percentage so far.

So, what’s the catch? There’s always one with the Devils, considering they’ve been perennial disappointments and underachievers for the last decade despite some high draft picks and major offseason signings. There’s still room for things to go wrong — it’s early after all — but this Devils team may honestly be legit. You’d like to see the rest of the Devils lineup step up offensively to meet Bratt, Hughes, and Hischier in case they falter, but right now New Jersey is proving the doubters wrong with gusto.

Eric LeGrand and LeGrand Coffee is the new helmet brand for all New Jersey Devils’ road games

The New Jersey Devils are partnering with LeGrand Coffee House.

Former Rutgers football defensive lineman Eric LeGrand’s entrepreneurial brand continues to rise. LeGrand and LeGrand Coffee House announced a partnership with the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.

The NHL team released a statement that LeGrand Coffee has won the ‘Devils Buy Black’ program and the business will be featured as a decal on their road helmets (Prudential Financial is a sponsor of the initiative). According to the Devils, LeGrand Coffee “will earn premier helmet brand positioning on the New Jersey Devils helmets for all road games, providing extensive national media exposure.”

LeGrand Coffee House has a brick-and-mortar location in Woodbridge, N.J. as well as an online presence offering both coffee and merchandise.

One of the voices of Rutgers football home games, LeGrand talked about the significance of this deal with the NHL team:

“It Is an honor to have LeGrand Coffee House be chosen for the Buy Black Program by the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Financial,” LeGrand said in a statement released by the Devils. “I am so thankful to be able to serve Daily Cups of bELieve to the Devils community and inspire them one cup at a time. I will be forever thankful to the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Financial.”

The physical location for LeGrand Coffee House (10 Green St. in Woodbridge) opened in May. Among the dignitaries in attendance included New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano.

 

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In addition to the decal being present on the road helmets, the Devils underscored the impact of this deal with LeGrand Coffee:

“Through the Devils Buy Black Program presented by Prudential Financial, LeGrand Coffee House will also receive expert marketing and business consultation, print and digital advertising exposure, financial wellness counseling with a Prudential Financial advisor, local networking opportunities and more. The Devils are working to have the coffee served at Prudential Center during games and other Prudential Center events, and will also be distributed to Devils players in the team locker room.”

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Why Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin has to sell his stake in the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils

Fanatics has a sports betting operation on the way.

Popular Philadelphia 76ers minority owner Michael Rubin will be selling his ten percent stake in the company that owns the Sixers and New Jersey Devils, he announced in a letter to fans Wednesday.

The CEO of Fanatics, a licensed sports merchandise behemoth, Rubin explained that the expansion of his company into other businesses, including sports betting, creates a conflict of interest for him as a team owner.

“As our Fanatics business has grown, so too have the obstacles I have to navigate to ensure our businesses don’t conflict with my responsibilities as part-owner of the Sixers,” Rubin said. “With the launch of our trading cards and collectibles business this year – which will have individual contracts with thousands of athletes globally – and a soon-to-launch sports betting operation, these new businesses will directly conflict with the ownership rules of sports leagues.

“Given these realities, I will sadly be selling my stake in the Sixers and shifting from part-owner back to life-long fan.”

 

Last June, Fanatics hired former FanDuel CEO Matt King to lead its expansion into online sports betting and gaming. The New York Post reported that the company had been laying the groundwork for a move into gaming several months prior to the hire.

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