Welcome to New Jersey! Many often joke about how New Jersey is an undesirable place to be and claim New York is far superior. However, the New Jersey Devils don’t subscribe to that line of thinking. To counteract that notion, the franchise has spent decades helping to build up the Garden State community. 

The Late Dr. John J. McMullen – he was the owner who brought the Devils franchise to New Jersey – used to say that he hated New York. He wanted the Devils and New Jersey to stand out on their own, without the specter of the Big Apple hanging overhead. He even promised to fire his radio Play-by-Play broadcaster, Larry Hirsch, if Hirsch mentioned New York live on the air. Dr. McMullen wanted the Devils to be proud to be New Jersey’s preeminent professional sports franchise. He wanted them to take pride in being an active part of the Garden State community. 

Dr. McMullen may no longer be of this Earth, but his wish has come true many times over. The Devils of today are exceptionally proud to be an active part of the New Jersey community. And part of that is hosting events like the Sweep The Deck Gala, which has raised over $1.5 million dollars for the Devils Youth Foundation.

“I think the Devils organization has always had an amazing place in the community,” Team Co-Owner David Blitzer told the media. “State, city, county, you name it. I think Jake (Reynolds) and the team are incredible at their job. (The) same way I think Tom Fitzgerald is incredible at his job leading hockey operations. I feel like this team is totally embedded in the fabric of this community. 

“We rally around the community and the community rallies around the team. The players, the executives, and the employees are all engaged in various community endeavors. They don’t do it because they absolutely have to do it. They do it because they want to do it and they know that they’re giving something back and that’s magnified at the end of the day.

“Things that sports teams do, just get magnified in communities. So, being able to have a mindset, which is, we want to be like that family in the community who is helping out and touching other families’ lives; both as it relates to education, programming, getting kids off the street and into healthier programs, skating and having players go and show up to visit kids in the hospital. It’s the effect that the organization and folks have out there. 

“I think sometimes they almost underestimate it. I’m very proud of the organization. Like anything, we will always take ideas, thoughts, and suggestions. Because, of course, anything that anybody does, you always want to do it better. The world’s changing and communities are changing and I think this team is A+ (in doing all of that).”

In case you’re wondering, Blitzer’s sentiments about his team are shared throughout the organization. Part of the pride the Devils have in being so active in their community comes from their willingness to be innovative and host these unique events. After all, it’s not every day – or night – you can walk into an NHL arena to do some curling, play casino-based games, and take part in auctions. 

“It is incredible,” Team President Jake Reynolds exclaimed. “Sweep The Deck, curling and cards, the opportunity to bring so many Devils fans here and to bring so many community partners here for such an incredible cause and to do it with such a unique event. We’ve all been to Galas before. We know what they’re like, so we wanted to do something that stands out, that gives people something to look forward to. 

“Obviously, we’re able to incorporate many facets of this; bring in the ice (for curling), bring in our players, and have them get the opportunity to interact (with the community). Whether they’re bartending, whether they’re dealing (cards), whether they’re curling, the opportunity for our fans to be able to engage with them on that level makes this type of event really unique.”

Sounds like a great experience for all involved. I wonder, who would be the best curler on the Devils? Well, according to Reynolds, it’s Head Coach Lindy Ruff. 

“I had been picking Lindy’s brain on curling,” Reynolds explained. “And I knew I was in trouble when I came out, Lindy and I were throwing a few rocks and he’s like, ‘yeah, the ice isn’t pebbled enough.’ I was like, ‘All right, I’m in trouble here.’”

Jokes aside, who wouldn’t want to do some curling with Lindy Ruff and the Devils players? It’s a terrific way to allow fans to interact with the team. By the way, only the Devils organization could come up with the brilliant idea to combine curling with a casino. I’ve got to hand it to them, that’s an excellent, albeit, out of the box, line of thinking. 

“It was all about making sure there was something for everyone,” Reynolds explained. “So if you aren’t necessarily comfortable getting out on the ice and curling, there would still be an opportunity for you to still engage, participate, and have some fun with the players as well. I mean, being able to sit there and have some of these guys be your blackjack dealer or you’re throwing craps next to one of these guys, that makes it unique. But if you are a curler and you want to try something new, the opportunity to be able to get out and do something different there is special as well.”

This sounds like so much fun. I almost wish I tried curling – almost. But the idea that really caught my eye was having some of the Devils players be blackjack or poker dealers; especially since some of those players aren’t old enough to go to an actual casino.

“There’s some education that comes along with this,” Reynolds said. “There’s no doubt about it. The good news is, it’s not real money and it’s all for charity. It’s all for the kids.” 

It’s good that it’s “all for the kids.” I wouldn’t want “Big” Ed Deline going “old-school” on any of the dealers or players. (That’s a Las Vegas TV show reference for those of you who might be wondering who “Big” Ed Deline is).

And while we’re talking about throwback TV shows, let’s throw things back with one of the Devils alumni who was in attendance – Martin Brodeur. After all, the Devils didn’t host events like this when Brodeur was a young player back in the mid-90s. 

“It’s different eras,” Brodeur explained. “The way Lou (Lamoriello) ran the ship back in the day, we weren’t really involved with the community or our fans as much. I think this is great. It’s a different way, not just for us, but the whole NHL. The way the players need to interact with our fans, with our sponsors and everybody to really grow our game and grow our sport where we need it to be. It’s exciting to see nights like this with so many people. We have a bunch of alumni here who are probably having a lot of fun, probably even more than the regular players here. It’s all fun.”

A fun night for charity is always good in my book. And it’s great to see the Devils, past and present, take so much pride in being part of their community. 

Brodeur said it best, “That’s why our jersey says Jersey. It’s great for us to be able to represent our state as the top professional team to a certain extent. I’m from Montreal, but I’m from Jersey. This is where my kids were all born. This is where I grew my family and this is where I wanted to get back to when my career was done.”

Jersey through and through, just the way Dr. McMullen always wanted it. After four-plus decades in the Garden State, the Devils are as much a part of the community as any organization and it’s all thanks to the terrific people currently running the franchise and the wonderful events, like Sweep The Deck, that they host. 

If you want to get involved, you can check out https://devilsyouthfoundation.org/sweep-the-deck/

photo by Blittner.