It’s the start of a brand new work week (hooray?), and the New Jersey Devils have given us some news. No, it’s not Luke Hughes, yet. But I had been wondering when the full promotional schedule would be released, and the Devils have finally released their theme nights and giveaways. Additionally, they have said that the 2025-26 season will be the final year of the black and white “Jersey” jersey. We will start off there.
End of the “Jersey” Jersey
The Jersey Jersey has been controversial at best since it was first leaked in 2021. I would say, though, that the jersey has grown on people more than not since the initial, largely negative, reaction. Any time I go to the Prudential Center, I see no shortage of black-and-white Devils jerseys, but that may very well be the reason they are moving towards retiring the jersey. If thousands of people already have a regular home Jack Hughes jersey and a “Jersey” Jack Hughes jersey, Fanatics and the team are simply going to make more money by releasing a new jersey.
Personally, I am excited for the change. I am not a fan of the all-black look. Maybe it would be better if it had more red to it. But I also think the home jersey would be better with more black in it (as in, the classic bottom stripe on the dynasty-era jerseys). I know the team’s goaltenders are also probably pretty happy with having a change on the way, as the black socks on the black jerseys can make it odd to follow pucks through defensemen trying to block shots. However, they are unique, and I won’t take that away from them. They aren’t a boring black practice jersey masquerading as a game jersey.
Theme Nights
Theme Nights, Community, and Group Nights at the Prudential Center in the 2025-26 season include:
- 10/22 vs. Minnesota Wild — Pride Night
- 11/10 vs. New York Islanders — Military Appreciation Night
- 11/29 vs. Philadelphia Flyers — Hockey Fights Cancer presented by RWJBarnabas Health
- 12/1 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets — People With Disabilities Night
- 12/3 vs. Dallas Stars — Filipino Heritage Night
- 12/11 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning — Jewish Community Night
- 12/13 vs. Anaheim Ducks — Devils Youth Foundation Night
- 12/21 vs. Buffalo Sabres — Ukrainian Heritage Night
- 1/3 vs. Utah Mammoth — Mascot Madness
- 1/14 vs. Seattle Kraken — Faith and Family Night
- 1/27 vs. Winnipeg Jets — Italian Heritage Night
- 1/29 vs. Nashville Predators — Swiss Heritage Night
- 2/3 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets — American Sign Language Night
- 2/5 vs. New York Islanders — Black History Month Celebration
- 2/25 vs. Buffalo Sabres — Devils Down the Shore
- 3/3 vs. Florida Panthers — Educators Night
- 3/4 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs — Irish Heritage Night
- 3/7 vs. New York Rangers and 3/8 vs. Detroit Red Wings — Youth Hockey Weekend presented by RWJBarnabas Health
- 3/12 vs. Calgary Flames — Portuguese Heritage Night
- 3/14 vs. Los Angeles Kings — Polish Heritage Night
- 3/16 vs. Boston Bruins — Women in Sports Night
- 3/29 vs. Chicago Blackhawks — Star Wars Night
- 4/7 vs. Philadelphia Flyers — First Responders Night
- 4/9 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins — Autism Acceptance Night
- 4/12 vs. Ottawa Senators — Jersey Appreciation Night
In addition to these nights, the Devils say they will, at some point, have giveaways for, at the very least, a Jack in the Box, a Brett Pesce bobblehead, and an NJ Devil lunch box. I do not yet see these specifically on the schedule.
Looking at this spread of nights, it looks like the Devils decided to have no shortage of theme and cultural nights at The Rock this year, and I am happy to see it. If all of these nights bring people in to watch New Jersey Devils hockey, the nights are doing their job. Now, I hope that the Prudential Center puts the proper amount of effort into all of these promotions, but the important thing to me is that it really seems like there isn’t anyone left out of the schedule. In a literal sense: you are more likely to attend one of these nights than not if you pick a random New Jersey Devils game to attend this season.
Your Thoughts
What do you think about the sunset for the Jersey jersey? Did you end up buying one of them? Did you like them or dislike them? Do you think you will buy one in their final season? Are there any theme nights you are looking forward to in particular? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.