It’s not often that on-ice rivalries take a backseat in hockey.

But Saturday night at Prudential was Hockey Fights Cancer Night for the New Jersey Devils, who hosted their rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. It is one of The NHL’s most beloved initiatives as it not only brings awareness to a terrible disease but it also brings people together to form a sense of community. On the ice, the 5-3 final score represented a loss for the Devils. But what mattered most was the activations the team put together in honor of this night, which we’ll get into in a moment. 

First off, for those of you who want to know what happened on the ice, Jacob Markstrom made saves on 27 of the 31 shots he faced. On the other end, Dan Vladar saved 29 of 32. The game turned in the second period when the Flyers thrice found the back of the net. Matvei Michkov (twice) and Trevor Zegras scored three goals in a span of 12:10 to build a 4-1 lead. Tiimo Meier scored a power-play goal with 27 seconds left in the period to draw the Devils within 4-2. 

Dawson Mercer brought the Devils within 4-3 6:28 into the third period, but Owen Tippett was awarded a goal with under a minute to go after being taken down from behind on a breakaway toward the empty net to give the Flyers their 5-3 margin of victory. (That was Tippett’s second goal of the game; he also scored 5:18 into the first period to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead). Simon Nemec’s goal 12:09 into the first period briefly tied the game and rounds out our scoring summary. Also, courtesy of their 5-3 loss, the Devils have now suffered their first regulation loss of the season at home, preventing them from setting a new franchise record.

Now, as promised, back to the Hockey Fights Cancer activations, as well as thoughts from several hockey people in attendance. 

According to Devils’ PR, the following activations were observed before and during the game:

1) Junior Captain (sponsored by Reno Appliance): Landon Friedman of Red Bank Generals (raised over $12K for cancer research through October Saves).

2) Hero of the Game (sponsored by Prudential): Dr. Archana Sharma – Director of the Pediatric Survivorship Program at the Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center.

3) The New Jersey Devils welcomed 7-year-old Trevor Bobev, who was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma when he was four years old and was treated at Rutgers Cancer Institute. Earlier this week, the Devils hosted Trevor and his family at practice for an exclusive experience with the team. On Saturday, Trevor participated in a ceremonial puck drop and other game day experiences.

4) Marco Escalona was honored as the Campbell’s Hometown Hockey Hero. He was diagnosed with cancer in Spring 2023 and after multiple surgeries and chemotherapy, he is now cancer-free and back to coaching two youth hockey teams this season.

5) Youth hockey goalies across the state of New Jersey finished in first place in North America, raising $195,920 for cancer research through the October Saves campaign, an initiative where Mite to Pro goaltenders across the United States and Canada raise funds through saves made during their games in October. A $15,000 check was presented to the classroom in the pediatric outpatient clinic at the Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center on behalf of the October Saves campaign.

6) Prudential Center’s M&M’s and Citizens towers were lit purple for the night and the sponsor logos on the main ice dasher boards were turned lavender for the night.

7) Citizens donated their dasher board placements and Chick-fil-A donated their Zamboni signage, both to the Devils Youth Foundation in honor of the night.

8) Fans were given the opportunity to take part in a recognition during the game for those who

courageously fought, are currently fighting, or have lost their lives to cancer by holding up Hockey Fights Cancer placards at their seats during the first period.

“It’s a tremendous initiative that The League has done for quite some time now,” Devils Head Coach Sheldon Keefe said before his team hosted Hockey Fights Cancer Night against the Flyers. “Obviously, a terrible disease, therefore a great cause to be associated with and for us, specifically, to have a chance to connect with some of our fans over this time is great too.”

A terrible disease indeed. Among those present who are linked to it are Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News, Sportsology’s Editor-In-Chief Russ Cohen and Devils forward Cody Glass. Among the others to weigh in were New Jersey’s PHWA Chapter Chair, James Nichols and longtime Flyers’ TV Play-By-Play broadcaster, Jim Jackson. 

When asked what The League’s Hockey Fights Cancer initiative means to them, each gave a different reason.

“It means a lot more over the last few years,” Flannery said. “What a lot of people don’t know is that my dad’s currently fighting cancer. It’s a really difficult journey that encompasses a lot of emotions and it’s a roller coaster. Some days are great, some days you feel the world is ending. I think a night like this, it’s important to realize that you’re not alone and everyone has their own story and their own journey and you can find strength and people who can relate to what you’re going through, because, for me, I can’t relate to what my dad’s going through. I would just be there for him. And then, a lot of times, you would feel really helpless in that situation.” 

“I went down to the concourse, I met a family and it turns out the dad is actually five years cancer-free,” Flannery continued. “I went and congratulated him. My dad and him have the same form of cancer. He asked for my dad’s first name and he said, ‘I’m gonna pray for him when I go back to church.’ So it’s things like that that matter. And it’s great that The League does that and gives people the opportunities that I just mentioned.”

For New Jersey’s Cody Glass, his grandmother Judy (father’s side) passed away from cancer at the start of his draft year. As Glass told New Jersey’s Team Digital Reporter Amanda Stein, it was shortly after his grandmother’s passing that he started writing her initials “JG” on his stick before games. 

“I look at my stick every time,” Glass told Stein. “And I know she’s watching. I know if she could, she would be there. And so that’s why it’s a huge thing for me to just have it on my stick and just kind of remind myself, you know, ‘Suck it up’.”

“You want to keep her in memory, always talk about her,” Glass continued. “She was such a good person. I don’t know where I’d be without her. She kept my dream alive. It’s something I’ll always appreciate. She was one of those people that just always cheered me on. She was just an awesome human being until the very end.”

Cohen has not only seen cancer affect multiple family members, but also himself. And it’s one of those things that he is hyper aware about. 

“My mom had breast cancer; she was a breast cancer survivor,” Cohen explained. “That was kind of a shock when she got it. She’s since passed on, but not from breast cancer. She kicked that and that was great. That was something that was a real shock to the system. Right now, my first cousin, Howard Cohen, I wrote his name on the Hockey Fights Cancer towel from Philly, he just had part of his tongue removed because of cancer. He is gonna go through radiation and all those steps. So it hit home and it hit me a couple of times for skin cancer. So, nothing too serious for me, but it’s enough to jar you. So it’s part of my life.”

These stories clearly show how important this cause is and how it extends far beyond the surface of the ice.

“Of all the initiatives The NHL does and they do so many that are worthwhile, this is the one that’s right at the top,” Jackson chimed in. “Because we travel, we get to see several of them during the course of the year, including, obviously, the one in Philadelphia, but then the other ones throughout The League. 

“It’s a tremendous amount of awareness they’re bringing to it. Obviously, the money they’re raising for it, because they personalize it. There’s always a story in every arena of a survivor, or in some cases, sadly, someone who didn’t survive. And then we get to hear about it. There are players who have parents or friends who are battling the disease and their stories; Matthew Schaefer, for instance, on the Islanders. It’s just great to bring awareness to it because it’s a disease that has basically affected all of us, our families, in some way, shape or form.”

As Nichols said, “I think it’s very important for us to have this kind of thing in the game. Recognize people who are going through a hard time, perhaps in their lives and it gives them something to look forward to and something to boost that sense of self-worth because it’s hard to deal with those kinds of things.”

“On a similar note, I have a brother-in-law who’s similarly sick,” continued Nichols. “He doesn’t have cancer, but he understands the daily struggle that goes through something like this. So, to just have some sort of outlet, some sort of event to lift those spirits and be able to look forward to something after going through daily struggles, really helps boost somebody who is going through those hard times. These kinds of things can help lead them toward a recovery. So it’s definitely something important for us to be doing in hockey, and I think we should celebrate it even more if we can.”

While the stories shared are all different and unique to those going through them, the role hockey plays is actually the same. It’s a distraction from the disease. 

“For me, personally, it’s a distraction,” Flannery explained. “It gives me routine. It’s good to come to the rink and focus my energy on something that I can control, which is the questions I ask, how I interview. It’s just a really good way to keep my mind on the things I can control. ‘Cause, on this journey, you can’t control a lot of it and that’s one of the hardest things to accept.”

“It is a nice distraction,” said Cohen. “Anytime you have a group of people who are all getting together about a similar cause, there’s more power in that. But I also think The NHL does a good job with the charity. I’m not gonna name other sports, but there’s other sports that pretend like they back a charity and they just sort of sell jerseys. This sport doesn’t do that. It hits to the core on this one and the players really get behind it. And I think that’s a big deal too.”

The sense of community is one that hockey does indeed do better than most other sports. The players, as well as coaches, scouts, executives, writers, broadcasters, etc. They all band together when one of their own goes through an ordeal like cancer. 

“The analogy is, we’re fighting cancer,” Jackson said. “These players fight on the ice, they fight for loose pucks, they fight for goals, they fight with their fists sometimes. But, in reality, we’re all fighting cancer together. The brotherhood of hockey is really strong. I mean, you see it whenever there’s a tragedy, cancer, or otherwise. 

“A couple of years ago, the Flyers had a player, Oskar Lindblom, who was diagnosed with cancer, Ewing’s sarcoma. To see how the league came together, all the players came together for him, was just tremendous. It was so uplifting, it was so helpful to him. So you see it all the time. The analogy of being fighters, you gotta fight cancer and find a cure. At the very least, make it easier for those who have to deal with the disease.”

“Hockey’s always been about trying to build a community,” Nichols said. “And this is one of those things where it’s not just the right thing to do, but it’s something that we all should be doing for people who need it.”

Well said all around. So, while the Devils may have fallen to the Flyers on the ice, the impact they helped make off it was more than a win on this night. On Saturday night, the Devils and Flyers stood up to cancer, just as we all should, on a daily basis.

photo courtesy of the Devils X account.