With the 2024-25 regular season starting in Newark on October 10, the New Jersey Devils announced 20 different theme nights. This post goes over all of them, including a third member being added to the team’s Ring of Honor.
With the regular season starting in New Jersey within the next two weeks, the New Jersey Devils announced their various theme nights for the 2024-25 season this afternoon. The team even had a video featuring the best mascot in the NHL, N.J. Devil, presenting it on X and other social media platforms. This is a good touch to highlight these nights that the team are highlighting.
The big highlight among these theme nights is that there will be a third member being added to the New Jersey Devils Ring of Honor. That will happen on January 22, 2025 when the Devils play Boston. The opponent is likely unrelated to who will be honored. Last season, Sergei Brylin was honored prior to a game against Dallas. An absolutely horrible game against Dallas, at that. This means the possibilities are wide open. With the listing being for a “member,” I assume it will just be one person. Not necessarily a player. This could be Doc Emrick. It could be a former player, of which you can take your pick of Chico, John MacLean, Jamie Langenbrunner, Travis Zajac, Bruce Driver, Andy Greene, Jay Pandolfo (actually, this one would be game-appropriate, he was on Boston’s staff), John Madden, Scott Gomez, and many, many more.
The date is also an odd one as this is a Wednesday night. I am not sure why the team could not find a weekend or a Friday night but if it helps at the gate, then great. I do like the touch that all attendees will get a pin.
Which is another smaller note I appreciate. Not every giveaway announced is solely limited to the first 9,000 people showing up, which has been the tradition. Only four (technically five, you’ll see) of them are and they coincide with one of the theme nights the team has announced.
What I do not appreciate is this part of the announcement from the team.
There will also be several group and heritage nights throughout the season including Jewish Community Night, Ukrainian Heritage Night, Portuguese Heritage Night, Sikh Heritage Night, First Responders Night, ASL Night, and more.
The Devils have done this for years. And it is maddening how bad they are at communicating these smaller nights. They will make a game (Insert Something) Night, sell tickets to a group associated with it, and tell absolutely nobody else about when it will be. It may not be much more than an acknowledgment and some things happening on the concourse, but it is still something. Something that can help get some people interested in a game they otherwise would not be. Something that can get some attention beyond the group aware of it. Something that can help make the team some money and add some fans. The Devils have left money on the table for years by this approach. Which is stupid. Sure, these nights do not really apply to me personally. But I am already all-in on the sport. Many more are not. Something like this can help them get into the great sport of hockey. So don’t just bury some of them on this page and not announce it anywhere else! And, yes, I do mean some of them. I’ll bet you didn’t know November 7 is Filipino Heritage Night. Nothing accessible on the Devils’ site will tell you!
Now that I have done my seemingly annual rant about the Devils’ poor marketing, let me make more one more complaint. It does not appear the NHL lifted their No Special On-Ice Warm-up Jerseys stance. A stance they took after Our Hated Rivals, Chicago, and Minnesota pulled the rug on their respective Pride Nights in 2023. There will be specialty jerseys made but you will not see them on the rink. I will continue to say that this is stupid. A lot of the jerseys are well-designed and they are a much more visual outreach than an auction table. Alas, the softness behind the policy change remains both in the front offices of the league and the fans afraid of seeing something different.
With that all out of the way, let us go over all of the Theme Nights listed by the Devils for the upcoming 2024-25 season. Out of 40 games, 20 of them are listed on that page. They are:
- Thursday, October 10 – Home Opener vs. Toronto – Everyone gets a rally towel! A red carpet arrival and a Fan Fest outside of the Rock (weather permitting) is planned. There will even be a band – which is really two groups combined: The Joe Baracata Band with the Ocean Avenue Stompers
- Tuesday, October 22- Hispanic Heritage Night vs. Tampa Bay – They did this last season against Colorado so expect something similar on this night. Of note, this has a 6:45 PM start time in line with the Frozen Frenzy plan from the NHL. That is the night where all 32 teams will play with staggered times so there is constant hockey.
- Sunday, November 10 – Military Appreciation Night vs. San Jose – The first of four (technically five) First 9,000 Attendees giveaways is on this night. The first 9,000 will get a camouflage military bag. No word if the Devils have to drop and give everyone 20 if they have another bad game against a likely bad San Jose team at home.
- Saturday, November 30 – Hockey Fights Cancer vs. Washington – The Thanksgiving-ish tradition continues. Lavender (not purple as I thought) is the color listed for this one. This is always a well-received theme night and so it should be again.
- Friday, December 6 – Devils Youth Foundation Night vs. Seattle – This is another awareness night, this one being focused on the Devils’ community efforts with the kids in New Jersey.
- Sunday, December 8 – Ukrainian Heritage Night vs. Colorado – This is the 10th time the Devils are doing this. Not that they always mentioned it. They did not last season. If only they could have had this on a game against Washington. Alas. An opportunity to make someone seethe and mald is lost.
- Tuesday, December 10 – Pride Night vs. Toronto – A Tuesday night in December may not be great for the gate. Toronto tends to travel so maybe it will help? But good on the Devils for continuing this night even in the face of the haters and losers who prefer they throw it away into a closet.
- Thursday, December 12 – Jewish Community Night vs. Los Angeles – Someone at the Devils’ website goofed as they just copied and pasted the Ukrainian Heritage Night information here. It happens. I’ve been there. Anyway. Like with the Ukrainian Heritage Night, this was not always highlighted – but it was last year. But good on the Devils for continuing this night even in the face of the haters and losers who prefer they throw it away into a closet.
- Sunday, December 21 – Devils Down the Short vs. Pittsburgh – This is brand new. It does get cold and/or miserable weather-wise. Anything to remind one of the Summer is more than fine with me at this time. No idea if there will be anyone beating up any beats for this game. Or if it will get Video Status. Maybe someone can reach out to The Moo.
- Saturday, January 11 – Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Night vs. Tampa Bay – Ah, the powers that be decided to drop an ‘A’ an an ampersand (the & symbol) to make this ‘API Night.” Fair. Although I would prefer separate nights for the various Asian nationalities in New Jersey than lumping them all together (or not saying anything about some of them). I am from Edison, though, so I am biased in that regard.
- Saturday, January 18 vs. Philadelphia and Sunday, January 19 vs. Ottawa – Next Generation Weekend. This weekend is all about youth players and their fans. Expect adorable/audacious portraits of Devils players, kids being involved in the game day presentation, and more. The first 9,000 to show up on each date gets an Ondrej Palat toy block set. This is why it’s technically five giveaways because this is just a repeated one for two games. And, yes, an Ondrej Palat toy block set. That is an unexpected player to choose for a giveaway.
- Wednesday, January 22 – Ring of Honor Night vs. Boston – Who will be the third member of the Devils Ring of Honor? Will the Devils honor the night by putting up a good performance? Both remain to be seen. The giveaway for this night is for everyone: all fans will get a Ring of Honor pin.
- Thursday, February 6 – Black History Celebration vs. Las Vegas – As expected in February, this night returns. But without a giveaway this year. It is what it is.
- Saturday, February 22 – Jersey Rocks vs. Dallas – This is also new for this year. But kind of not. One of the smartest things the Devils did last season – and something I hope they continue to do this season – is having local bands play on the concourse during intermissions. This night seems to be in line with that in having “several” live performances. I do not know how many that is but it should be an upgrade of that just by quantity alone. It does make sense as New Jersey’s musical history runs deep.
- Thursday, March 20 – Devils Gaming Group Night vs. Calgary – The name is new but the theme is not. This is essentially Video Game Night. Which is always appreciated. Of note, the team is going to host a NHL25 tournament prior to the game and the finalists will play on the scoreboard. Yes, the giant one above the rink. Josh Harris and David Blitzer do own an e-sports team, Dignitas. I wonder if they will be involved in someway? It would be an appropriate synergy.
- Saturday, March 22 – Mascot Madness vs. Ottawa – The best mascot in the NHL and some others will show up for antics, zaniness, and fun that should confirm the superiority of one (1) N.J. Devil. There is also a giveaway for just the first 9,000 in attendance: a N.J. Devil hat.
- Monday, March 24 – Women’s Empowerment vs. Vancouver – The final Hockey is for Everyone night is this one. The title is new, replacing Gender Equality Night. A good call as this title makes more sense about the target for this night. Just like last year, the 2025 NJSIAA Girls High School Ice Hockey State Champions will be recognized.
- Monday, March 31 – Autism Acceptance vs. Minnesota – This one will change how the game day presentation is held. It was not done last year but it was done in the year prior. Maybe they needed a sponsor or something? I’m not sure what the story is about that one.
- Wednesday, April 16 – Made in Jersey Night vs. Detroit – This is effectively Fan Appreciation Night but with a different name. A lot of those activities will return. It is also the fourth (technically fifth) and final giveaway for the first 9,000 in attendance: A bobblehead for Jacob Markstrom. It is also the only bobblehead giveaway for this season as well.
This year’s slate of Theme Nights is a bit more spread out. December has a couple more listed compared to last season. March has more action, albeit all within the second half of the month. I am surprised that there is only one bobblehead being given away. Maybe the team figures all of the major names have them by now so there is no need to do another one? Or tie one into another theme? I am not a big bobblehead person myself but some of the People Who Matter absolutely are. They may be disappointed by that. Still, it is a wide range of themes with a handful of new inclusions or ones with better names. Will some complain about how there are so many? Sure. This is the Internet. There are complaints about everything. But some are more warranted than others.
First, why not bring back Lunar New Year night? It is celebrated across many so it is not an totally obscure night. The Devils host Philly on January 29, which is Lunar New Year in 2025, so it can be done. The jersey made for that night was really cool. Just bring that back if the team does not want to commission someone else to make a jersey for it.
Second, with all of these heritage nights, why not highlight Portuguese Heritage Night given the team is in Newark rather than just lumped into a list in the announcement? And speaking of misses, where, pray tell, is Italian Heritage Night? Can a marketing and promotion department go through a rebuild?
OK, I have had my complaints. For the most part, what the Devils did schedule is consistent with what the team did last season and most of them were well-received and appreciated. Now I turn to you? Which ones are you most interested in? Do you think the Devils should do more giveaways? Or at least raise the threshold of the first 9,000 fans? Who do you want to be the third member – I presume it is just one person – added to the Ring of Honor? Please leave your answers and other comments about the Devils theme nights in the comments. Thank you for reading.