In Lou We Trust

• If you have anything New Jersey Devils' related, then it's fair game. Jerseys are standard. Hats, jackets, coats, sweat pants, flags, big foam fingers, socks, underwear (not on the ourside, you're not Quail-Man), horns, rings, pins, and so on and so forth.
  
• For your sake, keep the Scott Gomez Devils jersey in your closet. Unless you "modified" it.
  
• If this is your first hockey game, you probably don't have a Devils jersey yet. So take a tip from the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and try wear red if you have no Devils attire. Not blue, not green, not yellow, not grey, and definitely not any other hockey jersey you own. Unless the Colorado Avalanche are at The Rock and you are a fan of them, then you need to keep it at home.
• If you're planning wearing a Rangers or a Flyers jersey, it better say "LOSERS" on the back or something to take them down a peg. Or else you'll be shunned- yes, shunned and maybe even ridiculed - at the game.
  
• This is never inappropriate. In fact, this is encouraged.
• Lastly, buy tickets. Don't be that loser quitely and creepily asking "You got any tickets? Any extra?" The idea is to support the team, not be sketchy in Newark.
  

• Show up to the game. On time if you can; this isn't a party. Being late means you miss some Devils hockey - potentially missing a goal, a highlight save, or a rockin' Mike Rupp forecheck is never fashionable. Nobody one likes your tardy style, Latey Thoneverontimepson.
  

• Show some respect. This is not the time to yell - or worse, boo - anything. I don't care how obnoxious someone else may be, booing anthems is right out.
• Singing the anthem is perfectly fine.
  
• Arlette wants to sing the anthem, not hear her name. If it's not Arlette out there, then the singer doesn't want to hear a question regarding her location.
• If you're wondering out loud about how it should be "God Bless America" or "America the Beautiful" or "Berserker," then you can go pound sand, eat a carton of eggs, and kiss Mike Ricci on the nose. The National Anthems of either country aren't going to change.

• Rule One: Support The Team. Remember, you are fans of the Devils. The Devils can and do feed off the crowd's energy. If you're not sure on what to scream or when to do so, just quietly ask yourself: would this support the Devils or hurt them.
• In that vein, doing the Rangers Suck chant when the Rangers aren't at the game makes you look like a fool. It gets a part of the crowd to yell "Rangers Suck" for approximately 2 second and then the noise dies down afterward. Yes, the Rangers suck and we all love it when they fail. But when the Devils are playing the Washington Capitals, it doesn't really help New Jersey to say that the Rangers suck. Try yelling Capitals suck or Let's Destroy or something else.
• What? The Rangers do a similar chant about Denis Potvin at their home games? Well, Devils fans there's your reason to cut back. You don't want to be like the Rangers fans do you? Be better than the fans of Our Hated Rivals.
• Oh, the Rangers are playing? Then by all means, let them know exactly how much they suck - early and often.
  
• Chanting "Kill" during Devils penalty kills is cool, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
• Yelling "SHOOT!" whenever someone has the puck on a power play is not cool. Most of the time, it's a bad shot or the player can't get it off cleanly anyway.
• Screaming in favor of the team after goals is a good idea; high-fives, fist-bumps, flag-waving, and dancing are optional.
  
• Cussing: this is always tricky. It may be best to inquire the people around you as to whether it would be appropriate to get a little tawdry with what you have to say. Remember, you got to support the team - not start a situation in the stands with an angry parent.
• Heckling is always a pastime of fans of pro sports all around the world. But be creative; anyone can yell "___ sucks!" I find that the truth hurts the best. Consider: "PHILAAAA-DEL-PHEEE-AAAAA DISC-EEEE-PLIIIIINE" (best yelled after a Flyer penalty) works a lot better than "Flyers swallow."
  
• Regarding who is and is not a bum: Viktor Kozlov is a bum. Chris Simon is a bum. Sidney Crosby, despite how you despise him, is decidedly not a bum. Scott Gomez is a traitor who prefers to hold up comically large bags of money instead of Stanley Cups - not bum material though.
  
• Don't sing; this isn't a soccer game.
  

• Be nice. Light chatter pointing out the failures of their team works best.
  
• Only shove a Devils win or a goal in their face if they are being a jackass. You paid for that seat; don't let them tell you to shut up.
  
• Except if Devils fans are telling you to shut up; then you're being annoying.
• Never boo an injury. But do heartily laugh if a player falls down on his own and looks like a fool.
  
• Don't start a fight, let the idiot get himself thrown out of the game.
  

• Well, you can't stay there. So go home.
  
• Be excited and high five ushers and other Prudential Center workers after wins.
  
• Look glum and forlorn after losses.
  

• Watch the game on TV. Don't be afraid to yell at it.
  
• Listen to it on the radio. Again, don't be afraid to yell at it.
• Talk/complain about it a lot on the Internet™. Don't yell at it though, that would be silly.
• But none of this excuses you from supporting the team - see Step One about getting ready for that.
  

Labels: Devils Game, Hockey - General, Prudential Center

# posted by John Fischer @ 9:04 PM 2 comments