Devils and Prudential Center to Recognize Juneteenth

According to a post on Facebook put out by the Devils at about 5 PM today, the organization will be closing the offices of both the club and the Prudential Center tomorrow, Friday, June 19, in recognition of Juneteenth.

Juneteenth is an unofficial American holiday (except in Texas where it is an official state holiday), celebrating the official emancipation of the last slaves in the Confederacy following the American Civil War.

On June 19, 1865, Union Army General Gordon Granger read federal orders in Galveston, Texas proclaiming slaves in Texas to be free. Although the Emancipation Proclamation had actually freed all slaves almost three years before, due to Texas’ remote location at the time, enforcement of the Proclamation was difficult for Union forces.

Celebrations of the holiday go back to 1866 and are usually celebrated in most major cities nationwide today.

The Devils and Prudential Center are recognizing it as a permanent company holiday in order for players and staff “to reflect, learn and celebrate Juneteenth as we collectively work toward racial equality.”

There is currently a movement among citizens to get the holiday recognized as a federal holiday in the United States at large.

Devils to Host Virtual Draft Lottery Show on June 26

The Devils sent out a press release today announcing plans for a Virtual Draft Lottery Show to be held on Friday, June 26.

The show, presented by New Jersey Lottery – appropriately enough, will run from 7:30 PM to 8:45 PM EST on the day of the NHL Draft Lottery.

The press release noted that Devils season ticket members, known now as “The Black and Red,” will be able to access “a 30-minute Exclusive Pre-Show at 7:30 p.m. EST prior to the 8 p.m. EST start for the general public.”

The show will be presented on the Devils’ official website (NHL.com/Devils) but will also be accessible via njd.tv and on the Devils’ social media channels (@NJDevils).

The press release then ran down the odds for the Devils: sixth best in the Lottery – a 7.5 percent chance to come out first overall. It also mentioned the Devils’ past success in getting the first overall pick from the Lottery. Of course, 2017 netted us Nico Hischier while 2019 got us Jack Hughes.

The Draft Lottery will be shown on TV itself – NBCSN in the United States and Sportsnet and TVA in Canada. It will also be “streamed across NHL digital and social platforms.”

The press release outlined the Devils’ Lottery Show itself. It will kick off with TJ the DJ playing “iconic songs heard at Prudential Center” and mascot NJ Devil. There will be interactive events for the fans for chances to win prizes. These prizes include such things as “virtually signed photos and retweets from New Jersey Devils players.” The contests will include ‘Lottery Predict the Pick’ and virtual trivia.

There will be an “hour of live programming highlighting exclusive interviews with New Jersey Devil players, Alumni, management and others.” These guests include Hughes, Martin Brodeur and Chico Resch in the 7:30 PM “Black and Red” portion.

When the show starts proper at 8 PM, guests will include Hischier, Travis Zajac, women’s Olympian Meghan Duggan, Interim General Manager Tom Fitzgerald, Devils President Jake Reynolds and more.

According to the presser, the event will be hosted by Devils media personalities Matt Loughlin, Amanda Stein and Chris Wescott.

The release ended with some quotes including this one from Reynolds: “The New Jersey Devils fan base is one of the most passionate in the NHL, and we are reminded of that when one year ago, thousands of Devils fans filled Championship Plaza for the Devils 2019 Draft Festival. The virtual Draft Lottery Show Presented by New Jersey Lottery is one way that we are honoring our fans’ appetite for Draft insights from the best minds in hockey, the stars on our team and special guests. We are thrilled to share this experience with our fans in an innovative and entertaining way.”

James Carey, Executive Director of the New Jersey Lottery said: “As part of the New Jersey Lottery’s ongoing partnership with the Devils, we are always looking to engage with Devils fans around the state in fun and innovative ways. We believe ‘Anything can happen in Jersey,’ and the virtual Draft Lottery is a perfect example of that. We are thrilled to maintain the Lottery’s close connection to Devils fans on various social and digital platforms as part of this exciting event.”