Devils Co-Host “Hockey Night” at Trenton Thunder

Earlier tonight, the Trenton Thunder, the Double-A Eastern League affiliate of the New York Yankees, hosted Hockey Night at Arm & Hammer Park. The event was co-hosted by the New Jersey Devils and the NHL Network.

As part of the festivities, “Mr. Devil” Ken Daneyko was on hand to throw out one of the ceremonial first pitches and to sign autographs. He was joined by team mascot NJ Devil and three members of the Metropolitan Riveters, champions of the NWHL. Those three players were Rebecca Russo, Kelsey Koelzer and Madison Packer.

The three players threw out first pitches as well and then all five moved to the concourse of the stadium and signed autographs.

The NHL Network auctioned off signed memorabilia including an autographed Alex Ovechkin Capitals jersey. Many of the items were donated by the various NHL teams.

Fans were encouraged to wear hockey team gear and there were representations of the obvious Devils, Rangers and Flyers, but also teams like the Bruins, Red Wings and Coyotes.

The Devils had a presence all night, with a table giving people information about season tickets and the upcoming season as well as Beach Blast.

For the record, the Thunder lost the game 9-7 to the Altoona Curve (affilitate of the Pittsburgh Pirates) after a thrilling ninth inning rally was choked off.

Following the game the Devils presented fireworks and the crowd went home happy, forgetting about the hard luck loss by Trenton.

Devils Co-Promote “Hockey Night” at Trenton Thunder Game

The Trenton Thunder (Eastern League Double A affiliate of the New York Yankees) hosted “Hockey Night” tonight at Arm & Hammer Park co-presented by the New Jersey Devils and the NHL Network.

I was able to be there and it was a great experience (despite the Thunder falling to the Akron RubberDucks – Double A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians – 5-0) seeing hockey mixed with some great baseball action.

From the fans to the employees, everyone got in on the fun and wore apparel for their favorite hockey teams. In addition to the obvious Devils, Rangers and Flyers gear, I also saw people representing the Islanders, Red Wings, Lightning and Stars, among others.

Devils legend “Mr. Devil” Ken Daneyko was in attendance, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch and signing autographs on the concourse along with mascot NJ Devil (who also participated in the requisite between-inning minor league fun with the Thunder mascots).

There was also a raffle to win great hockey-related prizes courtesy of the Devils and the NHL Network. Twenty-four NHL teams donated prizes as well, including a signed Alex Ovechkin jersey courtesy of the Washington Capitals and an Evgeni Malkin signed photo donated by the Stanley Cup champion Penguins. The grand prize was a “Devils fan pack” that included a signed Michael Cammalleri jersey and tickets to opening night at Prudential Center versus the Ducks.

In addition to that, many of the special invited groups were local youth hockey clubs or camps, which made for even more of a hockey flavor to the night. The Devils have been doing more and more in trying to reach out to the community and create awareness of both the team and help out where they can. This was yet another example of that.

It was a fun night of minor league baseball tinged with a little bit of hockey. Kudos to the Devils, the NHL Network and all of the teams that participated tonight, and especially to the Thunder and the Yankees, who helped put it all together.

Minor league baseball is known for its many great promotions – some of which, like Star Wars Night, have even caught on with major league teams (the Devils did their own Star Wars Night last December, in fact) – and it was nice to see them think in a different vein and help promote the game of hockey and the Devils.