Veronica Ruoff

Social Media Manager

Over the past weekend, yes this cold snowy weekend, was the NHL Stadium Series game. It was held at the Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. They had two games, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.

The Stadium series started in 2014 when they held four games in three different venues. Over the past ten years games have been held in football stadiums and watched outside. This year the first game was the Philadelphia Flyers vs The New Jersey Devils. The second game was the Rangers vs the Islanders.

I attended the Saturday game between the Flyers and the Devils. The day was cold and windy, but nothing stopped the fans from attending, as the stadium was packed to the top. The day started with the parking lot tailgates and everything dressed like we were going to Alaska.

The Jonas Brothers kicked it off with a concert before the game in which some throwback songs were played. After the concert, more and more people piled into their seats to prepare for the game. Red and Orange filled the stadium as far as I could see. They held a fantastic Veteran Ceremony, which included the veterans holding a flag as big as the rink and waving it as Jake Clemons played the National Anthem on the saxophone. The puck drop was at 8 p.m.

They walked out to their songs and walked right into the rink, warming up for the big game. If you ever have played a sport, you know how nerve-racking warming up can be in front of people, let alone an entire stadium and live stream.

Pretty soon the puck was dropped, and the face-off began. Within the first 20 seconds of the game, the New Jersey Devils scored a goal. The crowd went wild as they sang their goal cheer. The “You Suck” chant is something you truly need to experience in person as it rings the stadium with the fans chanting. I have never been to a NHL game before and this was indeed one for the books. You can hear the bangs against the rink as players are pushed into the walls, fighting for the puck. The Flyers needed to answer the goal but fought to do so. The Devils would score one more time before it was answered.

The second period was 3-1, with the Devils in the lead. After the second period, the Jonas Brothers returned for their mini “halftime” show. The crowd went wild once again singing along to all the songs they played. The stadium had fireworks shoot up during their last song.

In the last period, it ended up being 6-3 with the Devils coming out on top. They started strong and finished stronger. It was a game you had to be there for, as it was a close game throughout the whole time. It was an experience I will never forget. If you can get to a game, I would 100% recommend, maybe next year scoop up some tickets for the Stadium Series and experience the rink outdoors!