Hamilton, Hughes Lead Devils to Victorious Season Opener

New Jersey Devils, Ice Hockey, Professional

October 16, 2021

The New Jersey Devils kicked off their 2021 season with a full house Saturday night at Prudential Center in Newark. Newcomer, Dougie Hamilton, got off to an explosive start with the Devils by scoring his first goal of the season in the first 17 seconds of the game. The Devils obtained the bonafide defenseman this summer as they signed him to a seven-year, $63 million contract. Hamilton spent his previous three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes. He was voted to the NHL second All-Star team last season after scoring 10 goals and 32 assists.

"I got a lot to learn and get better and get ready for next game,” Hamilton said in the post game interview, even after his explosive swift first goal of the season.

The Devils are coming into this season with a young roster, something that has been their distinguishing feature in the league. No one can display this better than rising star Jack Hughes.

Hughes walked the walk and talked the talk as he scored his first two goals of the season Saturday night, helping the Devils to a 4-3 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks. Hughes' goals were the second and last of the night. His last goal scored in the first minute of overtime was the final nail in the coffin for the Blackhawks as they lost, turning their season record to (0-1-1) placing them at 4th place in the Central Division.

“It’s great to play in front of a full barn again and seeing all those jerseys and Devils fans, it was crazy loud tonight too so for us professional athletes, we really want a full crowd and its special having them back,” explained Hughes. The Devils, along with the rest of the teams in the NHL, could not enjoy the full crowd last season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but it seems things are looking up and perhaps the fans will be the driving force for the Devils to reach new heights this season.