Tag Archives: Battle of the Hudson River

New York Rangers – The Broadway Blueshirts

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Throughout the year, the Sip Advisor will alphabetically travel the National Hockey League (NHL), discovering the best and worst each team has to offer in a variety of subjects. We will also feature a drink based off the franchise. Today, we head to the Big Apple and take a bite out of the New York Rangers:

Establishment Story: The Rangers are one of the NHL’s Original Six franchises, founded in 1926. The club was originally owned by George ‘Tex’ Rickard, who wanted a second team to play out of Madison Square Garden (MSG), which he was president of, based on the success of the New York Americans. Rickard’s team quickly earned the nickname ‘Tex’s Rangers’ and the latter half stuck.

Stanley Cups: The Rangers were the first U.S. team to win the Stanley Cup and have won a total of four championships. The team ended a 54-year drought when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in 1994. Since then, they have appeared in one Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Los Angeles Kings in 2014. Other championship round losses include 1929, 1932, 1937, 1950, 1972 and 1979.

Celebrity Fan: Playing at one of the most famous arenas in the world, in a VIP hub like New York City, brings a lot of star power to games. Some particular luminaries known to drop by MSG, sporting their Rangers threads, includes Liam Neeson, Kate Upton, Spike Lee, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, John McEnroe, Jason Bateman, and others. On any given night, you can spot multiple celebs supporting the Rangers.

Rangers

Super Fan: Bobby Granger was a fictional super fan, created by the Rangers for a series of TV commercials. The character was played by real-life fan Kev Kage, with ads including Granger teaching Rangers players how to say “Fuhgeddaboudit”, learning to speak Czech from Jaromir Jagr and taking a slap shot to the groin from Brendan Shanahan. Granger was also used to pump up the crowd prior to playoff games.

Mascot: The Rangers have never had a mascot in their close to a century-long history. As of the 2022-23 season, the Rangers remain the only team in the league to not have a mascot and that may never change. Some have suggested a Statue of Liberty type, while others lean towards some sort of animal. There’s even an online petition, launched with the hopes of the team adding a mascot.

Tradition: Denis Potvin hasn’t played in the NHL since 1988, but that hasn’t stopped Rangers fans from chanting “Potvin Sucks” at every home game since the former New York Islanders captain inadvertently injured Ulf Nilsson in February 1979. The chant became so popular, spurred on by the organ tune Let’s Go Band, it was released on a vinyl album by the band Bobby Nyse and the Scrotums.

Appearances in Media: The plot of the 1999 movie Mystery, Alaska deals with an amateur hockey team preparing for an exhibition game with the Rangers. The film starred Russell Crowe, Hank Azaria, Burt Reynolds and Mike Myers, while the likes of Phil Esposito, Little Richard, Jim Fox and Barry Melrose appeared as themselves. Unfortunately, the movie did not do well critically or financially.

Potvin Sucks

Events/Scandals: Some believe the Rangers half-century championship drought was due to the Curse of 1940, aka Dutton’s Curse. The story goes that MSG owners paid off their mortgage to coincide with the Rangers 1940 Stanley Cup win, so burned the document in the treasured trophy, resulting in the curse. Another version has New York Americans owner Red Dutton declaring the Rangers wouldn’t win again in his lifetime, after his team was not reinstated into the NHL following World War II. Dutton died in 1987.

Rivalry: The Rangers have long-standing rivalries with a number of their Metropolitan Division adversaries. This includes the New York Islanders (Battle of New York), New Jersey Devils (Battle of the Hudson River), Philadelphia Flyers (Broadway vs. Broad Street), and Washington Capitals. During their founding years, they also feuded with the New York Americans, which they practically drove out of the NHL… and were cursed for doing so.

Tragedy: There is a lot of death surrounding the Rangers. Minor leaguer Wayne Larkin (heart attack in training camp), legendary goaltender Terry Sawchuk (pulmonary embolism weeks after a roughhousing accident with a teammate), forward Roman Lyashenko (suicide), prospect Alexei Cherepanov (heart attack during Kontinental Hockey League game), and enforcer Derek Boogaard (accidental overdose) all died as members or recent members of the organization.

Player Nicknames: At a height of 5’9”, tenacious winger Pat Verbeek was given the nickname ‘Little Ball of Hate’ by teammate Glenn Healy in 1995. Fellow teammate Ray Ferraro was known as the ‘Big Ball of Hate’, standing a whole inch taller than Verbeek. Another popular moniker in the franchise’s history was ‘The King’, attached to goalie Henrik Lundqvist by fans and media during his stellar rookie season.

Curse of 1940

Line: The Rangers have had some really great line names. This includes the Mafia Line (“Godfather” Phil Esposito and his two “Dons” Don Maloney and Don Murdoch), as well as the Czechmates (Petr Nedved, Jan Hlavac, Radek Dvorak). Their most productive line of all-time, was dubbed the GAG Line or Goal-A-Game Line. Comprised of Jean Ratelle, Vic Hadfield and Rod Gilbert, the unit played together from 1968-69 to 1973-74.

Captain: Mark Messier is so synonymous with the term leader in hockey that the Mark Messier Leadership Award has been given to an NHL captain or other leader since the 2006-07 season. Perhaps Messier’s greatest leadership moment was guaranteeing the Rangers would win Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. They did, thanks to a natural hat trick for Messier, then went on to take Game 7 and later won the Stanley Cup.

Enforcer: Jeff Beukeboom played eight seasons for the Rangers, leading the team in penalty minutes in a season three times. Beukeboom sits second for the franchise record for total penalty minutes at 1,157, just 69 minutes behind the leader, Ron Greschner, who spent his entire 16-season NHL career with the club. Beukeboom was used in a popular ESPN This is SportsCenter ad, where he attacked sportscaster Steve Levy, after Levy referred to him as “Puke-a-boom”.

Family Values: The Patrick family is synonymous with the long history of the Rangers. Lester Patrick was the first GM in team history, guiding the club from 1926 to 1946 and winning three Stanley Cups. Lester’s sons, Lynn and Muzz, both played for the team during Lester’s reign, with Lynn later becoming a coach and Muzz a GM for New York. Finally, Lynn’s son Craig served as GM of the franchise from 1980 to 1986, including temporarily coaching the team at times.

Messier

Returning Players: Following the 1996-97 season, the Rangers were prepared to part ways with captain Mark Messier. Messier moved on to the Vancouver Canucks for three disastrous seasons personally and organizationally, before returning to New York in 2000. Messier regained the captaincy from Brian Leetch, as well as his previous playing form. Messier would remain with the team through the 2003-04 campaign, officially retiring in September 2005.

Short Stint: NHL Hall of Fame members Guy Lafleur and Pat LaFontaine played 67 games each for the Rangers. Lafleur had been retired from the league since 1985, when he staged a comeback and joined New York in 1988. After one season, Lafleur left for the Quebec Nordiques. As for LaFontaine, he joined the Rangers for the 1997-98 season, with a history of concussions following him. In a March 1998 contest, he collided with a teammate, suffering another head injury and never played again, officially retiring in 1999.

Undrafted: In 1978, World Hockey Association (WHA) stars Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson were lured to the NHL by twin $600,000 deals offered by the Rangers. Their WHA team, the Winnipeg Jets, simply couldn’t afford to match those offers. Another European fan favourite, Mats Zuccarello (nicknamed The Hobbit, for his 5’8” stature), came to the Rangers organization in 2010, playing with the team for nine seasons.

Trade: GM Neil Smith earned the nickname ‘Big Deal Neil’ during his tenure with the Rangers from 1989 to 2000. His biggest acquisition was trading for Mark Messier in 1991, giving up Bernie Nicholls, Louie DeBrusk and Steven Rice in exchange. Messier would lead the team to their 1994 Stanley Cup, which also included other Edmonton Oilers dynasty members Kevin Lowe, Adam Graves, Glenn Anderson, Esa Tikkanen, Craig MacTavish, and Jeff Beukeboom.

Zuccarello

Signing: For a time, the Rangers seemed to try and sign every top free agent available, often to awful deals they would later regret. Wade Redden (six-year, $39 million), Brad Richards (nine-year, $60 million), Scott Gomez (seven-year, $51.5 million), Chris Drury (five-year, $35.5 million), Bobby Holik (five-year, $45 million), Theoren Fleury (four-year, $28 million), and Kevin Shattenkirk (four-year, $26.65 million) all signed loaded contracts they never lived up to.

Draft Pick: Despite their long history, the Rangers have rarely had a top pick to utilize. The jury is still out on 2020 first overall selection Alexis Lafreniere, as well as 2019 second overall choice Kaapo Kakko. Pavel Brendl, taken fourth overall in 1999, never played for New York and only had 78 total NHL games. Some great picks for the Rangers were diamond in the rough goalie finds Henrik Lundqvist (205th overall in 2000) and Igor Shesterkin (118th overall in 2014).

Holdouts: Mark Messier, who ended up in New York after a holdout with the Edmonton Oilers, became a legend in the city as the team won their first Stanley Cup since 1940. His popularity waned a bit before the next season could start, as Messier wanted to negotiate a new contract with the Rangers. The 1994-95 NHL lockout meant nobody played until January, but Messier was still without a new contract until days into the shortened season.

Buyouts: The Rangers have capitalized on using buyouts to get themselves out of bad free agent deals, but a stunning buyout was that of goalie Henrik Lundqvist, a fan favourite and backbone of the team for years. He was sent packing in 2020, with one year remaining on his deal, landing with the Washington Capitals. Before he could ever play for another team, it was discovered Lundqvist was suffering from an irregular heartbeat, which would eventually lead to his retirement.

Henrik Lundqvist

Unique Game: The Rangers have been featured in many NHL special events, including the 1991 Las Vegas outdoor game vs. Los Angeles Kings, a 2006 pre-season game in San Juan, Puerto Rico vs. Florida Panthers, the 2011 NHL Premiere (two games in Stockholm, Sweden), the 2012 Winter Classic vs. Philadelphia Flyers, a pair of 2014 Stadium Series contests vs. New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders, and the 2018 Winter Classic vs. Buffalo Sabres. The Rangers and Islanders will play as part of the 2024 Stadium Series.

Goal: The Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup would not be possible had it not been for Stephane Matteau’s Game 7 double overtime winner in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. The tally is best remembered for play-by-play man Howie Rose’s call of ‘Matteau, Matteau, Matteau!” Another memorable goal was Marek Malik’s 2005 between-the-legs shootout winner to end the longest shootout in NHL history. Malik was not known for his scoring ability, but ended the game in fashion in the 15th round.

Fight/Brawl: Brawls with the Boston Bruins (1979) and Los Angeles Kings (1981) have already been covered during this project, so we’ll focus on a 1971 melee with the Toronto Maple Leafs, that is best remembered for Leafs goalie Bernie Parent’s mask going missing for 41 years. During the fracas, Rangers captain Vic Hadfield tossed Parent’s face shield into the crowd and it wasn’t seen again by Parent until a memorabilia collector asked him to authenticate the mask in 2012. It was the real deal.

Injury: During a November 1998 game against the Los Angeles Kings, Jeff Beukeboom was sucker punched by Kings enforcer Matt Johnson. This resulted in another concussion for Beukeboom, whose physical playing style had resulted in other head injuries throughout his career. Johnson was suspended 12 games for his actions. While Beukeboom did return to action, another hit to the head in 1999 ended his career, due to post-concussion syndrome.

Matteau

Penalty: During the 2008 playoffs, the Rangers were facing the New Jersey Devils. While on a power play, super pest Sean Avery decided to use a new tactic against legendary goalie Martin Brodeur, by wildly waving his arms and stick in front of the netminder to distract him. The next day, the NHL ruled that this could be penalized as unsportsmanlike conduct in the future, resulting in a minor penalty. The statute is commonly known as ‘The Avery Rule’.

Wildest Story: Tony DeAngelo’s time with the Rangers came with much controversy, especially the end of his tenure. DeAngelo was put on waivers on January 31, 2021, following a reported physical confrontation with teammate Alexandar Geogiev. The altercation stemmed from DeAngelo saying something to the goalie following a loss and Georgiev electing to attack the defenseman. DeAngelo was dismissed from the Rangers and bought out of his contract at the end of the season.

Blooper: Wayne Gretzky played the final three seasons of his career with the Rangers (1996-99). Despite being the most famous hockey star of all-time, on October 30, 1997, for a game against the New York Islanders, the equipment team spelled the Great One’s name GRETKZY on the back of his jersey. Gretzky would have a similar jersey name bar mishap when visiting English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur, who gave him a custom jersey with GRETSKY on the back.

Miscellaneous: On March 13, 1948, Larry Kwong became the first non-white and Asian player in NHL history, breaking the colour barrier, when he played one shift with the Rangers at the end of what would prove to be his only NHL game. Kwong, who played most of his later career in Quebec senior leagues, had previously been invited to training camp with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1942, but the Canadian government declined to process the paperwork needed for Kwong to leave the country.

New York Rangers: The Broadway Blueshirts

The Broadway Blueshirts

  • 2 oz Tequila
  • Top with Coconut Water
  • Splash of Lime Juice
  • Dash of Agave Nectar
  • Dashes of Angostura Bitters
  • Garnish with a Lime Wedge

This recipe comes from Hornitos Tequila, with its name coming from a nickname for the Rangers. For those wanting more Rangers cocktail options, the Blueshirts Bartender on Instagram creates a new Rangers-themed beverage before every game.

New Jersey Devils – Dance with the Devil

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Throughout the year, the Sip Advisor will alphabetically travel the National Hockey League (NHL), discovering the best and worst each team has to offer in a variety of subjects. We will also feature a drink based off the franchise. Today, we head to the swamplands of New Jersey and make a deal with the Devils:

Establishment Story: The Devils came to exist when the Colorado Rockies were relocated to New Jersey in 1982. The franchise had previously moved from Kansas City – where it had been founded in 1974 as the Scouts – to Colorado in 1976. Even while winning their first Stanley Cup in 1995, rumours were circulating that the team could move yet again, this time to Nashville. In response, the state pledged to fund a new arena for the franchise.

Stanley Cups: The Devils have won three Stanley Cups, from five appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals. They were triumphant in 1995 vs. the Detroit Red Wings, in 2000 vs. the Dallas Stars and in 2003 vs. the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Their losses came at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche in 2001 and the Los Angeles Kings in 2012. In a seven year span, from 1995 to 2001, New Jersey appeared in four championship series.

Celebrity Fan: Kevin Smith, creator of the View Askewniverse movies (Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma, etc.), is from New Jersey and has been a lifetime fan of the Devils. He has even blogged about the team for NHL.com. Smith can often been seen in Devils gear and hockey is featured in nearly all of Smith’s movies in some form, including the Devils jersey making appearances in the Clerks film franchise.

Kevin Smith

Super Fan: Mark Baumann, known simply as Baumann, is a long-time season ticket holder and is credited with creating the D-E-V-I-L-S chant in 1995. He wears a Devils jersey with his last name and the number 00 on it. The Devils also have two well-known supporters’ sections at their home games, the Crazies (Section 233) and the Diablos (Section 122), both recognized for their chants and other conduct.

Mascot: NJ Devil is about what you’d expect as a representative of the team. He’s meant to have a resemblance to the mythical Jersey Devil, which is said to inhabit the state of New Jersey. The franchise’s previous mascot was Slapshot, a large puck, but the man inside the suit was accused of touching three women inappropriately and agreed to counselling to settle the lawsuit. As a result, the mascot was retired in 1993.

Tradition: In the mid-1990s, the Devils became known for their implementation of the neutral zone trap, a defensive system which stifles offensive production and led to what is now called the Dead Puck Era (lack of scoring, also resulting from penalties for clutching and grabbing not being called). The trap’s success led to three Stanley Cups for New Jersey in a nine-year span, so the results were there, even if the exciting on-ice product wasn’t.

Appearances in Media: In the May 1995 episode of Seinfeld, titled The Face Painter, character David Puddy reveals his eccentric support of the Devils while taking Elaine Benes to a New Jersey-New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden. His face is painted in the team’s colours and he behaves wildly, removing his shirt and clashing with rival Rangers fans. When Benes says he can’t paint his face anymore, he starts painting his chest.

David Puddy

Events/Scandals: After already being moved from Kansas City to Colorado and then onto New Jersey, the Devils organization continued to struggled. Things were so bad, following a 13-4 Edmonton Oilers victory over the Devils in 1983, Wayne Gretzky called the team “a Mickey Mouse operation” that was “ruining the whole league”. Although Gretzky later apologized for his statements, for the next game between the two clubs, fans showed up wearing Mickey Mouse apparel.

Rivalry: The Devils have two main rivals, largely based on geographic location. First, their feud with the New York Rangers is known as the Battle of the Hudson River, the body of water which separates the states. Second, there’s the Philadelphia Flyers, with the grudge known as the Battle of the Jersey Turnpike, with the Flyers even having their practice rink located in New Jersey. All three teams currently play in the Metropolitan Division.

Tragedy: Pat Burns coached the Devils for two seasons (2002-2004), leading the team to their 2003 Stanley Cup championship, before he was forced to resign his position and focus on his health, following colon and liver cancer diagnoses. Sadly, the cancer returned in 2009 and had metastasized to Burns’ lungs. He passed away on November 19, 2010 and was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.

Player Nicknames: Ken Daneyko played his entire NHL career with New Jersey, earning the nickname ‘Mr. Devil’. Following his retirement, the three-time Stanley Cup winner has even moved into a colour analyst role for Devils game broadcasts. Daneyko holds the franchise records for games played (1,283) and penalty minutes (2,516), with his jersey being retired by the team in 2006.

Mickey Mouse Operation

Line: While some lines scored more, the Crash Line, consisting of Bobby Holik, Randy McKay and Mike Peluso, is fondly remembered for their aggressive checking, neutralizing the top stars of opposing teams. The trio played a very important role in the Devils 1995 Stanley Cup championship, providing secondary scoring to go along with their combined intimidation factor.

Captain: Scott Stevens is the longest-serving captain in franchise history, holding the role for 12 seasons from 1992 until his retirement in 2004. Stevens originally refused to report to the team, following his 1991 trade to the Devils, as compensation for the St. Louis Blues signing away restricted free agent Brendan Shanahan. In the end, his decision to finally play for the organization was a good one, resulting in three Stanley Cup wins.

Enforcer: Nicknamed ‘The Polish Hammer’, Krzysztof Oliwa holds the Devils single-season record for penalty minutes with 295. Oliwa patrolled the ice for New Jersey for parts of four seasons, after being drafted by the team 65th overall in 1993. Oliwa is the only player from Poland to win a Stanley Cup, which he did as a member of New Jersey’s 2000 championship squad.

Family Values: Brothers Jack and Luke Hughes were both high draft picks of the Devils, being selected first (2019) and fourth (2021) overall, respectively. Jack is already a superstar with the team, while Luke is among the club’s top prospects, having made his NHL debut late in the 2022-23 season. Twin brothers Patrik and Peter Sundstrom played part of the 1989-90 season together with New Jersey, while Patrik’s son Alexander was drafted by the Devils in 2005, but never played in the NHL.

Scott Stevens

Returning Players: Brendan Shanahan was drafted by the Devils second overall in 1987. When he became a restricted free agent in 1991, he signed an offer sheet from the St. Louis Blues, which New Jersey elected to not match. 17 seasons later, after not playing for the first half of the 2008-09 campaign, Shanahan returned to the Devils for what would be the final season of his Hall of Fame career.

Short Stint: High-scoring defenseman Phil Housley bounced around the NHL quite a bit over his 21-season career, including 22 games played with the Devils in 1996. He performed well, recording 16 points in those games, but left for the Washington Capitals as a free agent. Somehow, Housely’s time in New Jersey wasn’t the shortest stint of his eight NHL teams, as he only played a single game for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2003.

Undrafted: In 1999, the Sporting News named Brian Rafalski the best hockey player outside of the NHL. The 25-year-old defenseman was signed by the Devils and would go on to be a member of their 2000 and 2003 Stanley Cup championship teams, largely playing with Scott Stevens. Rafalski left New Jersey in 2007, joining the Detroit Red Wings for back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances, before retiring in 2011.

Trade: When the Devils traded defenseman Tom Kurvers to the Toronto Maple Leafs one game into the 1989-90 season, they received a 1991 first round draft pick in return. Little did they know that selection would turn into the third overall choice, bringing Scott Niedermayer to New Jersey. Niedermayer would be an integral member of three Stanley Cup championship teams, winning a Norris Trophy in 2004, his final season with the club.

Scott Niedermayer

Signing: Among the Devils worst signings of all-time was their 17-year, $102 million deal to retain the services of Ilya Kovalchuk, who they had traded for a few months earlier. Since the deal was ruled to have violated the NHL’s salary cap, it was nullified and New Jersey was punished with a $3 million fine and the loss of draft picks. A 15-year, $100 million pact was eventually given to Kovalchuk, who bolted for Russia anyway after three seasons.

Draft Pick: The Devils have benefitted from two first overall selections in recent years, taking Nico Hischier in 2017 and Jack Hughes in 2019. Other top picks that have worked out well for New Jersey include John MacLean (6th overall in 1983), Brendan Shanahan (2nd overall in 1987), Scott Niedermayer (3rd overall in 1991). It’s also hard to believe they landed Martin Brodeur at 20th overall in 1990, given his legendary run with New Jersey.

Holdouts: Scott Niedermayer had two significant contract disputes with the Devils during his tenure with the team. First, Niedermayer missed the first month of the 1998-99 season after rejecting an initial offer of $3.25 million. Niedermayer also sat out the first two months of the 2000-01 season, wanting to be paid an average salary comparable to the best defensemen in the NHL. He finally settled for a four-year, $16 million pact.

Buyouts: The Devils biggest buyout came in 2020, when they bought out the remaining two years of goalie Cory Schneider’s seven-year, $42 million contract. Schneider came to New Jersey to be the heir to Martin Brodeur’s goaltending throne and for a time, he was an apt replacement to the legend. Sadly, a string of injuries hampered Schneider’s performance, including a 21-game losing streak, spanning over a year.

Kovalchuk

Unique Game: The Devils took part in a trio of Super Series exhibition matches against teams from the USSR in the late 80s and early 90s. New Jersey took part in the 2018 NHL Global Series, playing a single game against the Edmonton Oilers in Gothenburg, Sweden, to open their 2018-19 season. The Devils also took part in a 2014 Stadium Series contest versus the New York Rangers. A decade later, they will face the Philadelphia Flyers, as part of the 2024 Stadium Series.

Goal: With Game 6 of the 2000 Stanley Cup finals tied, the contest entered double overtime. A win earned the Devils their second Stanley Cup in franchise history. Jason Arnott provided the heroics, putting away the Dallas Stars. Also, Martin Brodeur holds the NHL record for goalie goals, with two scored in the regular season and one in the playoffs. Only one of his tallies was a shot on goal, while the other two, including one game-winner, were own goals by the opposing team.

Fight/Brawl: While the Devils have participated in a number of brawls over the course of their history, a one-on-one fight has become part of hockey folklore, thanks to its spread on social media. During Brendan Shanahan’s early years in the NHL, he once attacked Buffalo Sabres veteran Rick Vaive after a faceoff. Vaive had no clue what he did to deserve being jumped, but it was soon revealed a 14-year-old Shanahan had asked Vaive for an autograph, but was turned down and this was the long-awaited revenge.

Injury: During an October 2014 game, Devils forward Martin Havlat was hit by Jason Chimera of the Washington Capitals. Havlat fell into referee Darcy Burchell, as well as the boards, which caused the visor of his helmet to push into his face. The result was severe lacerations to his nose and upper lip, requiring numerous stitches to close the wounds. Havlat joked about the incident, saying he didn’t need any mask for upcoming Halloween celebrations.

Jason Arnott

Penalty: In one of the most infamous confrontations in hockey history, Devils coach Jim Schoenfeld got into an argument with referee Don Koharski following his team’s loss in the 1988 playoffs. Koharski fell, but accused Schoenfeld of pushing him. Koharski stated he hoped the incident was caught on video, to which Schoenfeld replied: “Good, ’cause you fell, you fat pig! Have another doughnut! Have another doughnut!” Schoenfeld was suspended one game and fined $1,000, while the team was fined $10,000.

Wildest Story: On January 22, 1987, an extreme blizzard in New Jersey resulted in only 334 fans (of an expected 11,247, based on tickets sold) showing up to a Devils game versus the Calgary Flames. Those that did manage to make the dangerous trek and attend the contest, where New Jersey won 7-5, were all made members of the 334 Club. Each fan was later sent a badge commemorating the unique game.

Blooper: During the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, legendary Devils goalie Martin Brodeur came out of his net to play a dumped in puck. Unfortunately, Brodeur lost the handle on his stick and as it fell to the ice, the puck deflected off it and into the net. It was a rare mistake for one of the best puck playing goalies of all-time. The Devils still managed to win the Stanley Cup, so no harm, no foul, I guess.

Miscellaneous: When New Jersey won the 1995 Stanley Cup, a new tradition was born. For the first time, each player (and some other members of the organization) got to spend a day with the trophy. Since then, children have been baptized in it, dogs have eaten meals out of it, kids have [accidentally] used it as a toilet, and it has travelled the globe, including to some of the most famous sites in the world.

New Jersey Devils: Dance with the Devil

Dance with the Devil

  • 1.5 oz Bourbon
  • 0.75 oz Triple Sec
  • Top with Passionfruit Juice
  • Splash of Lemon Juice
  • Dashes of Tabasco Sauce
  • Garnish with a Maraschino Cherry

It floors me how difficult finding drinks for each NHL team has been throughout this project. Perhaps I’m being too picky, but I thought that aspect would be the easy part of my 2023 mission. Anyway, I was curious about the combo of ingredients in this cocktail, so wanted to see how it all came together.