You all saw it by now; anyone with a clue thought the same thing…
“WOW, this is sick!”
When I first saw it, I thought it was another one of the internet’s concept jerseys that wasn’t “real”. It seemed too good to be true. I immediately texted the photos to a few of my equally fanatical Devils fan friends. We all thought it was amazing, but not sure if it was legitimate.
After another couple minutes digging further online, I found that this was indeed a real warmup jersey the team was going to wear.
It was designed by one of us, a fan. It all started to make a bit more sense! It was extremely fitting that a longtime fan and master “concept jersey” designer ACTUALLY designed a warmup jersey for “Fan Appreciation Night”.
Enter Backhanded Devil; a longtime Devils fan and Photoshop ninja. (@backhandeddevil on Twitter & @backhandeddevil on Instagram)
He absolutely killed this design. Every aspect of this thing is mint. CRISP. I’m officially in love with this jersey.
Attention to detail and team history were at the forefront of this beauty. The crest on the front of the jersey features a silhouette of the state of New Jersey, with muted black/white Devils logos inside the ring. One shoulder features the same 40th Anniversary patch that is on the regular game jerseys this season. (this is a sweet patch) The other shoulder features a patch which has the Prudential Center behind the Devils’ original home, Brendan Byrne Arena. (which later became Continental Airlines Arena.)
Inside of the New Jersey silhouette features 18 references (in text) to players/events/moments from throughout the franchise’s rich 40 year history. Backhanded Devil did a masterful job of incorporating themes that were from “back in the day”, as well more current tidbits for the newer fans. Many fans of the newer generations may not know what all these references are, and understandably so. Let’s break down each one those who may not know…
Let’s take a trip down memory lane, NJ Devils 101 is now in session…
“Parking Lot Parades”
A reference to the celebrations the Devils had in the parking lot of Brendan Byrne Arena/Continental Airlines Arena after winning *3* Stanley Cups. It originally started as a derogatory term/shot at the Devils by their haters. “You don’t even have a parade. You guys have a parking lot parade!” (most likely originated with jealous Rangers fans) Over time these “Parking Lot Parades” became a badge of honor. It was “our” thing. East Rutherford did not have a Broadway for us to “parade” our Stanley Cup Champions around on. We were in the swamp, and we had a bigggg parking lot. That parking lot is all we needed.
You can watch the TV coverage of the 1995 “Parking Lot Parade” here:
Watch coverage of the 2000 “Parking Lot Parade” here:
Lastly, coverage of the 2003 “Parking Lot Parade” here:
“D-E-V-I-L-S”
The most legendary chant in team history. “GIMMMMEEEE A DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!” BAUMANN is an absolute legend. I was introduced to Baumann and his iconic chant while attending games as a child at the Meadowlands. I would always look forward to when 00 was going to whip the crowd into a frenzy. I had the fortune of randomly sitting next to him for the 1st period of a game earlier this season. Super friendly guy ; we chatted about the glory days for a while and reminisced before I upgraded myself to a nice lower level blueline seat. Sorry Baumann, the 100 level wasn’t cuttin’ it for me. While I could not find vintage footage of prime Baumann screaming his head off at the old barn, check out the video below to see Baumann doing his famous chant at The Rock:
“I Love To Hockey”
Spoken famously by Nico Hischier in an interview moments after being drafted #1 Overall by the Devils in the 2017 NHL Draft. A legend (and future team captain) was born!
You can see Nico’s interview where he drops this gem here:
“Gotta Support The Team”
A huge pop culture crossover moment for the Devils. “Gotta Support The Team” was the motto for David Puddy, Elaine’s boyfriend on Seinfeld. “The Face Painter” episode of Seinfeld is an absolute classic.
You can see the Devils related portion of the episode here:
In 2019 the Devils had one of their best promotional giveaways of all time. A David Puddy Facepainted Bobblehead!
The actor who played David Puddy, Patrick Warburton, attended the game in full face (and chest) painted glory! You can see a video of Puddy supporting the team below:
“Marty’s Better”
This one is somewhat bittersweet, and I will get into that in a moment. Heading into the Stanley Cup Finals, the media was fixated and fawning over the Ducks’ goaltender, Jean Sebastian Giguere. “Jiggy” was having an amazing playoff heading into the Cup Finals, and the nonstop praise he was getting was a tad nauseating. During Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, the home crowd chanted “MARTY’S BETTER!” several times as a taunt to Giguere and the Ducks. You can hear the fans chanting in the below clip:
What makes this chant bittersweet is the fact that is will always remind me that MARTY WAS ROBBED OF THE 2003 CONN SMYTHE TROPHY! This is one of the biggest robberies in pro sports history. Following the Devils Game 7 Stanley Cup Finals win over the Ducks, Gary Bettman came onto the ice to announce the Conn Smythe Winner. All the fans in attendance and the ENTIRE hockey world assumed that Marty was going to be skating over to Gary to collect his trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the playoffs. Mr. Brodeur’s 2003 Playoff Stats were as follows:
16-8-0, with a Goals Against Average of 1.65, a Save Percentage of .934, and *7* SHUTOUTS! (3 of the shutouts were in the CUP FINALS!)
These stats are mind-blowing folks. Absolutely other-worldly numbers! Martin Brodeur was clearly the most deserving player to receive the Conn Smythe. He must be getting this piece of hardware to add to his illustrious resume?
And then…
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman squeaks out “Jean Sebastian Giguere”. Giguere skated over to Bettman to collect his stolen trophy with tears flowing down his heavily bearded mug. I will never forget this crying Cup Finals loser holding the very trophy that should have gone to our beloved Marty.
We were in shock. The arena immediately erupted into a chorus of boos. Most of the Devils players fake clapped for Giguere while he was the benefactor of a stolen award. They knew that their goaltender was robbed in front of the world. Marty immediately started skating around the ice with his arms in the air signaling for Lord Stanley. The “Marty’s Better!” chant started up again. I called the FBI the next morning, in hopes that they would open an immediate investigation into this absolute heist. They told me that this matter was “out of their jurisdiction”.
See the end of Game 7 & Giguere receiving stolen property here:
“Exit 16W”
This was the New Jersey Turnpike exit for the old arena. Coincidentally, it takes 16 Wins to win the Stanley Cup. I would have left this one off because I will forever associate this with the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals. Ray Bourque forced his way out of Boston and onto an absolutely loaded Colorado Avalanche roster in 2000. During the 2001 Cup Finals the hockey media were all rooting against the Devils because they wanted to see Ray finally win a Cup since he failed to do so for an eternity in Boston. “MISSION 16W” was the sickening slogan. For that reason I would have nixed this one, but I respect the decision.
“The Championship to New Jersey”
Mike “Doc” Emrick’s unforgettable call at the end of Game 4 of the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals. The Devils swept the mighty Detroit Red Wings to capture their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Catch the end of the game and the amazing call from Doc here:
“3-4-26-27-30”
The 5 retired jersey numbers in Devils history. Absolute studs. Ken Daneyko, Scott Stevens, Patrik Elias, Scott Niedermayer, and Martin Brodeur. A staggering *14* Stanley Cup Championship rings amongst them. (Elias was a 2x Cup Champ, everyone else was a 3x Cup Champ) Stevens, Niedermayer, and Brodeur are already enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Patrik Elias should eventually join them as hockey immortals in Toronto.
“Bench Toss”
During the January 31 Devils vs. Red Wings game in Detroit; Jay Pandolfo was crushed behind the Wings’ goal and went face first into the boards. The referees not only failed to call a penalty, they failed to stop the play as Jay was on the ice in a bloody heap. The Wings came down the ice and scored a goal to take a 3-1 lead with under 7 minutes remaining in the 2nd period. Coach Robbie Ftorek absolutely lost his mind in rage, and tossed a wooden bench from behind the Devils’ bench and onto the ice in frustration at the refs.
See Robbie’s bench tossin’ skills below:
“1995-2000-2003”
An obligatory reference if there ever was one. The 3 Stanley Cup Championship seasons for the New Jersey Devils. (I hope you all at least knew that one)
“Have Another Donut”
Another coach gone mad incident. Devils’ coach Jim Schoenfield was confronting referee Don Koharski in between periods in the tunnel. Koharski stumbles like a newborn deer and says that he was shoved by Schoenfield. The rest is history. I was shocked that the team embraced the inclusion of this one! (it wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t even understand the reference)
Watch the hilarious run in here:
“St. Patrik”:
A nod to the legend Patrik Elias. On 3/18/09 (vs. Chicago Blackhawks), on St. Patrick’s Day, Patty assisted on a Brian Gionta goal to become the franchise’s all-time leading points leader, passing John MacLean’s 701 points as a Devil. This historic moment was overshadowed by an even more historic moment. On this same night Martin Brodeur would record his 552nd win, breaking Patrick Roy’s record of 551. After the game, Patrik was announced as the game’s 2nd star. (Marty being the 1st star) He skated out of the tunnel to a raucous crowd at The Rock wearing a green leprechaun hat. An iconic image of “St. Patrik” was instantly born.
Watch this glorious St. Patrik moment below:
“334 Club”
“The game between the Calgary Flames and the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 22, 1987 wasn’t expected to be a historic affair. But close to two feet of snow descending on the tri-state area turned it into one of the most unusual evenings in the history of the National Hockey League.
The Devils expected 11,000 fans — the number of tickets sold — for the game. But with horrible weather causing severe traffic congestion, only 334 fans made it to the arena.
The Devils beat the Calgary Flames 7-5 after the game eventually was played, after a delay of several hours. A special bond was forged between the fans and players who were there that night.
They became part of the 334 Club.”
Watch an MSG Segment on the 334 Club here:
“Mr. Devil”
The nickname of Devils legendary player and now commentator, Ken Daneyko. “Mr. Devil” played his entire *20* year career for New Jersey Devils. He was on some horrific teams early on and was part of the turnaround that eventually led to him winning 3 Stanley Cups with the franchise. His blue collar demeanor on the ice, combined with his larger than life persona off of it, made Dano a fan favorite. You can spend days looking up Ken Daneyko videos on the internet.
The clip below is a nice summary of the career of “Mr Devil”:
“Let’s Go, Baby”
First came into Devils lexicon when current Devils superstar, Jack Hughes yelled this out to his brothers Quinn and Luke after he was announced as the #1 Overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft. Jack has subsequently repeated this phrase at various times throughout his career during moments of excitement.
Watch the moment Jack got drafted, along with a few other snippets here:
“The A-Line”
The most storied line in franchise history. Absolute beasts! They were monumental in bringing the Cup to New Jersey in 2000 and were monumental in coming 1 game short of keeping it in New Jersey in 2001. Patrik Elias – Jason Arnott – Petr Sykora. THE A-LINE!
The chemistry these guys had was completely off the charts. They performed David Copperfield-like magic on ice for the Devils nightly.
Watch a segment on the “A-Line” that aired during the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals:
“Woo!”
For the newer generation of Devils fans; paying homage to Rick Flair and the pump up video they regularly play of him at The Rock.
After all, he is “The Stylin’, profilin’, limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ n’ dealin’ son of a gun!”
Watch the Flair in-arena video clip here:
“You’re Next”
One of my favorites that was picked for inclusion on the jersey. In Game 2 of the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals, Scott Stevens absolutely crushed Red Wing player Slava Kozlov with a devastating hit that knocked him unconscious and left him concussed.
Watch Scotty lay the smack down here:
After the hit some of the Wings players were trying to chirp Stevens. (why anyone would do this to Stevens is beyond me!) Dino Ciccarelli happen to catch Stevens’ attention, at which point Scott points to him and yells “You’re Next!”
See the clip here:
WOW! I need a stiff drink now. I have not written this much since college paper days. While skimming through the accompanying videos I got goosebumps repeatedly. It’s been an amazing time as a Devils fan for the past 30 years and Backhanded Devil’s mind-blowing jersey design just took me for a rollercoaster ride through my fandom.
On behalf of Devils fans everywhere, THANK YOU BACKHANDED DEVIL!
You bestowed a gift to the fanbase that will never be forgotten. The photos of the Hughes brothers on this epic evening will live on forever. In YOUR jersey!
Lastly, to the New Jersey Devils Organization…
Sell these warmup jerseys! (or at least make t-shirts and hoodies with this man’s beautiful work) You are always looking to increase revenue, right? This is a no-brainer. Don’t drop the ball on this. AND pay him a fair royalty on all of it!
Maybe you should also consider putting him on payroll; we all know you don’t currently have anyone that can create the magic that he can…
