Members of the Devils Fan Club have seen it all and have stuck with their team. The club’s history can be traced back to 1982 when the Colorado Rockies moved to New Jersey and were rechristened as the Devils. The 1980s were mainly bleak years, but they gave way to the 1990s and early 2000s, during which the team won three Stanley Cups in eight years. The later 2000s and early 2010s saw playoff heartbreaks pile up. And the 2020s have been inconsistent. Through it all, the fan club remains active, despite its dwindling numbers. During its heyday, it had 2,500 members and is now at just a few hundred. 

During every New Jersey Devils home game, like the one on Tuesday night, when the Garden Staters bested the visiting Colorado Avalanche at Prudential Center, 4-3, members of the Devils Fan Club were positioned at their customary table on the main concourse. There, they cheered on their favorite team, greeted fans and hyped up their upcoming events.

The cast of people who help out at the table changes nightly. But through the leadership of longtime President Trudy Stetter, as well as the time and effort put in by members such as Michael Perrone, Christopher Ruzycki, Pat Cheshul and Edward Zyjewski, the Devils Fan Club has remained part of the team’s family. Members attend games, help players and alumni with their charity events, and, in general, live and breathe everything New Jersey Devils. 

Stetter and Cheshul go back to 1990 and 1982, respectively, with the fan club, while Perrone (1998), Ruzycki (2014) and Zyjewski (around 2016) all joined more recently. But regardless of when they joined, they were all bonded by the same passion for their favorite team. 

“I live in New Jersey and was so excited when I found out that New Jersey was getting a hockey team,” Cheshul said. “Which is why I wrote a letter to the Devils and asked about starting a fan club.”

The founding group consisted of 12 members and their names are written into the club’s Constitution and Bylaws. That group of 12 grew to a total of 375 members in 1982 and 1983.

“I was one of the Founding members of the Devils Fan Club,” Cheshul continued. “I have been a member since the beginning. We started the club in 1982 when the Colorado Rockies moved to New Jersey and became the Devils. I was the second President of the Fan Club.”

As Stetter explained it, the DFC applied to become an official organization with the State of New Jersey, but the club had to first meet several requirements. 

“We had to hold meetings of members and produce minutes, etc. That took time to schedule, occur, and provide proof, according to regulations at the time. The Devils Fan Club was incorporated in February 1983, having proven activities since the fall of 1982.”

“I had played field hockey, knew of and liked ice hockey, having seen some collegiate hockey, and the Devils, though I had no spare time to go to games with working full time and teaching most evenings and weekends,” Stetter said about why she joined the fledgling organization. “I was finally able to make some adjustments to my schedules and was able to attend more games. I was hooked! I walked around the concourse at Brendan Byrne Arena, saw the Fan Club table and spoke with them several times. I decided to join as I like to be fully involved in anything I do.”

Those early years were a mixed bag as the Devils slowly climbed out of The League’s basement and built a core that led them to three Stanley Cup titles from 1995-2003. As far as fans are concerned, the team’s goaltending was a massive selling point. 

Ruzycki and Zyjewski both listed Martin Brodeur as their favorite player growing up, while Perrone and Cheshul went with Glenn “Chico” Resch. There must be something about goalies that makes them fan favorites, because Stetter chose Chris Terreri as her favorite from back when she became a fan. 

Of course, it takes more than a favorite player for somebody to stick with a team and to join a fan club for that team. 

“I love the Devils,” Perrone said. “My wife jokes that they take precedence over her. She is right; I’ve been through the bad, ugly and championships and wouldn’t miss it for anything, except family or friends’ events. I feel the Fan Club is like another family of mine.”

“It’s a very difficult task to find true Devils fans with other NHL teams in the tri-state area,” Zyjewski said. “Even younger hockey fans now still gravitate to the Rangers, maybe Islanders. In South Jersey, people tend to be Flyers fans. I looked up where the real Devils fans are, which led me to the Fan Club.”

Joining the club is one thing. But sticking with it and being active is another.

“How could I not!” Ruzycki exclaimed. “I love the New Jersey Devils and this connects me even more!”

The love of the game is what brought them together, but activities like watch parties and road trips are what keep the club together. 

“My favorite is the picture on the ice,” Ruzycki said. “I attend the game every year with my Dad. I frame the picture and add it to my collection of memorabilia!”

“My favorite tradition with Fan Club is going on trips or meeting at the Treasure Box,” Perrone recalled. “I miss when they used to have Dinner with the Devils. That was a great time. The one time I went, I was the person to let the team go in and out of the back door of the event.”

It’s only natural that some traditions have stayed while others have been replaced. 

“The early Fan Club years were fun but difficult,” Cheshul explained. “The team was not very good, so it was rough to watch some of the games. There was a time when the Devils organization gave out Victory cards every time the Devils won a game. If you collected a certain number of cards (I think it was 4), you could redeem them for a free ticket to an upcoming game. It seemed to take forever to collect enough cards for a free ticket! 

“But we still had fun as a club with our monthly meetings featuring player guests. Luncheons and dinners with the team. Road trips to away games. Having a game night table at the arena. A DFC softball team. Putting together a monthly newsletter, etc.  We even hosted the National Hockey League Booster Clubs Convention in 1988.”

Zyjewski summed it up perfectly: “Can’t say there is a tradition I’ve not appreciated.”

Of course, it’s not all sunshine and roses. Over the years, as The NHL has grown, there has been a notable shift by teams away from having dedicated fan clubs.

“There is an NHL Booster Club organization, based in St Louis, as that is where the organization filed,” Stetter explained. “The DFC is a participating member of the NHLBC. Every year, one member club plans a convention for a week during the summer and all members of the member clubs are eligible to attend. Many people use that as their family vacation, though and those numbers are dwindling dramatically today.

“The Devils Fan Club runs trips to away games every year, based on the game schedule. We try to meet up with the local booster club if they have one. Many do not or are not as active as they used to be since most people are not really joiners of organizations these days. But we are passionate for our team and about ourselves believing in who we are.”

That belief shines through most when the DFC volunteers at yearly events like Ken Daneyko’s annual charity golf classic, which benefits the Center for Great Expectations. 

“Our members also participate in voting for the player of the month during the regular season, resulting in Player of the Year, and voting for Rookie of the Year at the end of the season,” Stetter said. “The Devils graciously allow us to present these plaques to the respective player each season…Lots of fun for our members to assist, mingle with the alumni and help the charities.”

Those privileges have come through years and years of hard work. Stetter, Cheshul and other past presidents have worked religiously to build and maintain the club’s relationship with the Devils. However, there have been some rough patches along the way.

“I don’t think management over the years has looked at the Devils Fan Club as a really strong fan entity,” Zyjewski explained. “I think it’s about to get stronger now with Sunny Mehta as GM.   The club has hosted meetings with radio and TV commentators. I don’t recall ever having a current player do a Q&A club meeting. Occasionally, a past player who is part of current management has been featured at a meeting. Had a great meeting with Sam Kasan back in June. Recently (had) a meeting with Sunny in September.”

A revival period between the team and the fan club could be just the ticket to an increase in membership and more activities, like the ones they hosted back in the club’s early days. Every home game is a chance to see and speak with the Devils Fan Club at its customary table. If you stop by, you’ll hear their stories, enjoy the game and maybe, just maybe, a new generation of members will join this decades-old club.