NEWARK — Newark loves an underdog.
And according to hockey fans, that's just what the New Jersey Devils are as they head into the Stanley Cup Finals with the Los Angeles Kings.
According to a state-by-state nationwide poll conducted by ESPN of more than 200,000 hockey fans, only fans in New Jersey said the Devils would win the Cup.
That’s just fine with Newarkers.
Situated next door to one of the largest and most heralded cities in the world — New York — Brick City is used to being an underdog. But as the Devils vie for glory against another sports Mecca — Los Angeles — city residents, for the first time in modern history, are getting the chance to embrace a professional sports team as they try to bring a major title to Newark.
For many Newarkers, the team is not just a signal of sports success, but the re-emergence of their city.
"It’s very exciting. I want the Devils to win. They’ve been playing real well, so I think they will," said Patrick Hannah, 48, who has lived in the city for 23 years. "It brings status. It brings fame. It brings fortune. When Sharpe James built the Prudential Center I knew it was going to mean big things for Newark. We’ve come a long way."
It’s a feeling not lost on the mayor.
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"We’re having a Stanley Cup playoff in Newark, New Jersey. I mean nobody can be anything but thrilled about that," said Mayor Cory Booker, who professes to be a fan despite recent squabbles with
Devils’ owner Jeff Vanderbeek. "The reality is that this is going to be a major international event here in the city of Newark."
The vibe at the Prudential Center has been electric throughout the Devils somewhat-Cinderella run to the finals, Game 1 of which was played last night. But while a raucous fan presence is to be expected, some of the most enthusiastic supporters have been the largely Newark-based arena staff.
Security guards high-five fans after a goal. Ushers dance in front of their sections. Cotton candy vendors wander the aisles, starting chants in between selling their wares.
For them, it’s become more than a job. It’s a party.
"That’s the best part," said Lanazah Murray, an event supervisor who lives in Newark. "Everyone’s high-fiving you, everyone’s hugging. I love it."
"You can feel the energy in the building," said Earl Laycock, an usher from Newark. "It trembles."
The city is well represented at the Prudential Center. Of the 195 arena staffers, 112 call Newark home.
"I think they’ve embraced it," Vanderbeek said. "They’ve been known to break dance on the way out, they’re high-fiving fans. You like to see people who really enjoy what they’re doing. You can’t fake that. I think it rubs off on our fans."
Catherine Lapinski, a Devils fan for nearly two decades, and her mother, Lucia Lewandowska, work as ushers at the Prudential Center. Both are longtime Newark residents.
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"This is the best thing that’s happened here since they closed downtown and took everything away," Lapinski said.
"This is history in the making for the city of Newark," Lewandowska said.
While many close to the team are on board the Devils bandwagon, on Market and Broad Streets hours before last night’s game, signs of Devils fandom weren’t nearly as ubiquitous. In a city still struggling to emerge from a stigma of high-crime and poverty, some said the Devils were the furthest thing from their minds.
"I’ve got too much to worry about to think about a hockey game," city resident Felicia Carter said as she waited for a bus on Broad Street.
It’s a new experience for Newark. The New Jersey Nets never played well in their short stay here. The Giants, Jets and Red Bulls play in neighboring towns and don’t even acknowledge their New Jersey home. The New York Liberty of the WNBA struggled in their one and only season at the Rock. And the Devils have underachieved since moving to the Prudential Center in 2007.
But on the corner of Mulberry Street and Edison Place, where the Prudential Center sits, the feeling is that may be about to change.
"Nobody really expected us to be here," Murray said. "But we’re here in the Stanley Cup, so how about that?"
Star-Ledger staff writer David Giambusso contributed to this report.
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