The highly anticipated Global Series opens tomorrow (Oct. 4), with the New Jersey Devils opening their season against the Buffalo Sabres at O2 Arena in Prague, Czechia. The puck will drop at around 1:00 PM EDT or 7:00 PM in Prague. For many diehard fans in foreign countries, this will be a rare opportunity to catch a game at a reasonable hour.
I spoke with Devils fans on every continent (except Antarctica) to understand the unique lifestyle of fandom for a team that’s so far away. If you’re from the United States or Canada, you will never take 7 PM puck drops for granted after reading this. Here are their stories.
(Some quotes have been lightly edited for clarity, as English is the second language of many of the interviewees.)
Video Games to Reality in Finland
Distance from Prudential Center: approx. 4,077 miles
A Finnish native, Teemu Tiittanen (28) was first introduced to the Devils via the NHL 2004 video game. Since the Devils were pretty good at the time, he and his Finnish peers often chose them as their team. For Tiittanen, it sparked an unwavering love. “I watch approximately 50 to 60 games per season,” said Tiittanen. A 7 PM EDT puck drop is 2 AM in Finland. “I usually sleep a couple hours before the game, and then try to sleep two to three hours after the game, before heading to work at 8 AM.”
He had his lifelong dream fulfilled in 2018, seeing the Devils take on the Edmonton Oilers at the Global Series in Gothenburg, Sweden. He then visited the United States in 2022 and attended four Devils games, including a Jack Hughes hat-trick against the Washington Capitals. “I bought a Jack Hughes jersey right after the game,” said Tiittanen with a laugh. He owns a ton of memorabilia, including about 15 hats, three jerseys, many t-shirts, and slippers. He’ll be in Prague to watch both Devils games this weekend.
A Polish Devil Dog!
Distance from Prudential Center: approx. 4,204 miles
Dominik Derda (31) lives in Poland, where puck drop is usually around 1 AM. When he was 18, he bought a beanie with the Devils’ logo, which piqued his interest. Before long, he found himself sitting in front of the television at 1 AM, locked in on the red and black. “(It’s) quite challenging to stay awake,” said Derda. “However, it’s worth it.”
When life gets in the way, it’s sometimes not feasible to watch games that late, but he watches as many as he can. He couldn’t name a single favorite player, instead sharing that he enjoys watching fellow Europeans Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Nico Hischier. Like Tiittanen, he’ll also be in Prague to cheer on the Devils in person…for the first time. “(It’s) my first NHL game. I could not be more excited,” he said. He was also quick to let me know that his dog is a big Devils fan too.
Relentlessness Catches Eyes in Australia
Distance from Prudential Center: approx. 9,617 miles
Kacey Hall (35) resides in Brisbane, Australia, where games usually start around 9 AM. She has incorporated them into her morning routine by streaming the games via the NHL app. “And those rare 3 or 4 AM starts? I’m still up for them—there’s no way I’m missing out on Devils hockey,” said Hall.
She tuned in to her first NHL game in 2022 out of curiosity. It happened to be a Hudson River Rivalry matchup, with the Devils taking on the New York Rangers. The Devils didn’t win but clawed until the end, and she was hooked. “What grabbed me wasn’t the score, but the relentless fight the Devils showed. They never backed down, and I loved every second of it.” She then attended the Global Series in Melbourne, Australia (Arizona Coyotes vs. Los Angeles Kings) for her first in-person NHL game.
She said naming a favorite player is “near impossible”, but Hischier takes the cake. Bratt is close. “I’m hoping the NHL brings even more games to Australia. We could definitely use more hockey action down here,” said Hall. Thankfully, she doesn’t have to wait for the Devils to come there, as she’s taking a 21+ hour flight to Newark over the winter to catch a game at the Prudential Center for the first time. She called it an experience she’s been “dreaming about.”
A Fight Turns Into Devils Love in South Africa
Distance from Prudential Center: approx. 7,897 miles
A South African native, Jessica Dobbin (30) also recently got into hockey. Her Canadian friend sent her a video of a hockey fight, and it blew her mind that fighting was acceptable in the sport. “I started watching games and googling the rules…At first…I’d watch whichever teams were playing, but I found some teams kind of boring to watch (sorry Penguins). I started making an effort to stay up to watch the teams I thought played more interesting hockey, and eventually, I was making a point to watch Devils games whenever I could,” said Dobbin.
Games start at 1 AM there, and 2 AM once daylight savings kicks in. If she’s not working the next morning, she stays up to watch the games. “Since last season was my intro to hockey and (the Devils) were so brutal, I figure I’ve got to stick around to see the Devils turn things around,” she said. Her favorite player is Hischier, and she mentioned that she hopes he has less of a reason to “look grumpy” in postgame interviews this season.
Big Devils Dreams From Portugal
Distance from Prudential Center: approx. 3,400 miles
Maria Rita Antunes Ventura (22) is studying Communications and Journalism in Portugal. Many of her classmates reported on the country’s most popular sport, soccer. She wanted to stand out, so she looked to hockey. “(The Devils) have the same colors as my soccer team here in Portugal, SL Benfica….they are one of the hockey teams with a somewhat accessible playing schedule in Portugal’s time zone,” said Ventura. Before she knew it, she was watching all the games despite their midnight start time.
“I started watching hockey two years ago, and I don’t intend to stop. I really fell in love with the sport,” she said. She mentioned that she has a dream of one day getting to see the Devils live at the Prudential Center. In the meantime, she continues to cheer from afar and writes news and recaps relating to the Devils for her studies.
Hudson River Rivalry Runs Strong in Germany
Distance from Prudential Center: approx. 3,897 miles
Danilo Haack (42) has been a hockey fan since he was young, primarily following his hometown squad, Düsseldorfer EG. But in 1995, he played the EA Sports NHL franchise for the first time on his computer. He selected the button to play as a random team, and the Devils popped up.
He quickly became hooked and started collecting Devils player cards and newspaper articles. He attributes a lot of his love for the team to the success of Martin Brodeur. In 2009, 14 years after he became a fan, he saw him play live (vs. Montreal Canadiens) at the Prudential Center for the first time. Then he saw the Devils again in 2010 (vs. Rangers). His father is a huge Rangers fan.
The rivalry remains at the center of some lighthearted quarrels within the Haack family today. It’s been 14 years since he saw the Devils in person, but this weekend, he’s heading to Prague to get that opportunity again.
Hockey Cards to Hockey Love in Sweden
Distance from Prudential Center: approx. 3,923 miles
Eric Borjesson (35) has been coaching junior hockey for 11 years in Sweden. In 1994, when he was just five years old, he began collecting hockey cards. His friends liked to hoard the cards of Swedish legends like Peter Forsberg and Mats Sundin, and he couldn’t keep up, so he started a collection of Brodeur cards instead. The more he collected, the more he realized he wanted to adopt the Devils as his team. “It was unique that I was the only one in my friendship circle who was a Devils fan, and that made it even cooler. I held on to that and will until my heart stops beating,” said Borjesson.
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His favorite player is obviously Brodeur, but he gave an honorable mention to Scott Niedermayer and Patrik Elias, who he says is “one of the most underrated players to grace NHL ice.” With a busy lifestyle, he doesn’t get to see most games, so he catches up with highlights when he wakes up.
However, he has no issue turning into an insomniac for the 1 AM start times when they’re in the playoffs. He’s only seen the Devils in person once when they played in his home country of Sweden in 2018. “It was awesome. I was sitting near a big group of Oilers fans who were a bit cocky, in a fun way, and I was the one who got to celebrate. It was a fantastic night,” he said.
Hughes Era Ushers in Global Audience
Sweden Distance from Prudential Center: approx. 3,923 miles | New Zealand Distance: approx. 8,921 miles
Linn Koch (23) also resides in Sweden and is part of the younger generation of Devils fans being ushered in via the youthful skill of the team’s core. She didn’t grow up watching hockey, but her social media showed a ton of content about J. Hughes. She started researching him and learning more about hockey as a result. “He’s part of a reason why I fell in love with the sport,” said Koch. She watches games on the weekends when she can sleep in after a 1 AM start time. But if she can’t catch a weekday game, she makes sure to watch it in full the next day at a more convenient time.
“I’m currently trying to save up money for a trip to New Jersey so I can watch a game in person,” said Koch. She also mentioned that she has made many online friends thanks to her Devils fandom. Similarly, Abigail from New Zealand latched onto the Devils from seeing TikToks about them, primarily J. Hughes. The games there start around 10 AM, so she views it as a perfect way to start her day (unless they lose, of course).
Swiss Connection Draws in Swiss Fan
Distance from Prudential Center: approx. 3,937 miles
Fabian (42) resides in Switzerland and has been a fan for a while, thanks to Brodeur. But when the Devils brought his countryman Hischier on board, he followed the team even more closely. He watches as many games as possible, depending on his schedule. Like most Europeans, he watches every afternoon game since it’s evening in Switzerland.
“All the readers should know, the Devils have one of the best fan communities across the NHL, and the atmosphere in the Prudential Center is simply amazing,” said Fabian. He keeps up on his news by following fan pages and the team directly but admits it’s a little hard to follow as English is not his native language. After Timo Meier was brought in at the 2023 trade deadline, he has even more reason to watch now.
Tatted Up in Finland
Distance from Prudential Center: approx. 4,077 miles
Lauri Kuittinen (31) first became a Devils fan while reading a magazine at the age of four. He loved the logo and knew he had to follow, so he’d check the morning sports news to see if the Devils played and whether or not they had won. That love boiled over into an obsession, and he now proudly represents his beloved team with a chest tattoo.
He struggled with balancing watching versus sleeping for most of his life, but the development of streaming services has allowed him to keep up very easily. Now, he goes to bed, knowing the game will be over when he wakes. He then gets up and has breakfast while watching the game from start to finish before heading to work.
He has been to New Jersey on three separate occasions to see the Devils and is now heading to Prague to see them open the season. “I hope this upcoming season goes well so I can plan my fourth Devils game trip to New Jersey, this time for the first round of the playoffs,” said Kuittinen.
Underdog Story Resonates for This Slovak Native
Distance from Prudential Center: approx. 4,340 miles
Samuel Švajda (18) lives in Slovakia, where Devils first-round pick Simon Nemec is from. Naturally, Nemec is one of Švajda’s favorite players. His story of becoming a Devils fan was simple: “I liked to support suffering teams, so I chose the Devils,” said Švajda. Slovakia has always been a hockey-centric country but has not had the international results to show for it, so it makes sense that the younger Slovak generation would gravitate towards the Devils.
Adding Nemec, the second-highest-drafted Slovak player of all time, is a great bonus. Švajda watches as many Devils games as he can, making sure to catch every weekend contest. “We are winning the Cup,” he proclaimed.
Lifelong Love for Hockey Rolls Strong in Israel
Distance from Prudential Center: approx. 5,719 miles
Adam Kwestel (30) resides in Israel, where he moved a few years back from New Jersey. “My whole family was a hockey family growing up. I have two brothers that were high school state champions. One of them went on to play juniors in Canada and now plays Division 3 at Buffalo State. A third sibling played club hockey at Ohio State,” said Kwestel. “I was the only one who never played myself, but when I moved to Israel, hockey was a way for me to stay connected with my family, and being from Jersey, I had to support the home team.”
He makes sure to hide any notifications from the previous night so he can watch a game without spoilers. His favorite player is Dawson Mercer, who he thinks is slept on because the spotlight falls on J. Hughes. “(Mercer) is solid on offense and defense, and he had that hot streak two seasons ago…I think that’s his true ability,” he said.
On the Screen to Real Life in Czechia
Distance from Prudential Center: approx. 4,136 miles
Alzbeta Bilikova (18) resides in Czechia and became a diehard Devils fan because of her father. She doesn’t watch most games at their normal midnight start time, but as a morning person, she will wake up early for any West Coast Devils games, which start around 4-5 AM there. Her favorite players are Hischier and J. Hughes.
She had a dream come true in May when she got to see Devils Jonas Siegenthaler, Hischier, and Akira Schmid play at the World Championships, which were hosted in her home country of Czechia. “I was so proud that I could be there and see faces I see on the screen, but in real life,” said Bilikova.
Devils Love Worldwide
Hockey has such a global reach, which is precisely why events like the Global Series are so great for the sport. In addition to the folks interviewed here, Devils fans from the following countries also reached out despite not being able to connect in time for a full interview: Brazil, Mongolia, Honduras, Austria, England, Norway, Netherlands, Mexico, Kuwait, Scotland, Chile, Spain and Hungary.
The Devils are especially present in Australia and Brazil, where social media seems to have brought the team to the forefront of the conversation. The hashtags #njdevils and #jackhughes have had over 80,000 videos created on TikTok alone, with hundreds of millions of cumulative views. A simple clip of J. Hughes fist-bumping a fan after warmups reached 7.9 million views and 1.1 million likes alone. The Devils are benefitting from their talented young core, and it’s setting them up for their fanbase to grow exponentially (both globally and in New Jersey) thanks to social media and streaming.
