Greetings From the Garden State

The New Jersey Devils' Commitment to the Community

March 26, 2024 Ham Radio Productions Episode 122
The New Jersey Devils' Commitment to the Community
Greetings From the Garden State
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Greetings From the Garden State
The New Jersey Devils' Commitment to the Community
Mar 26, 2024 Episode 122
Ham Radio Productions

We're joined by Jake Reynolds, president of the Jersey Devils, and Devils legend, "Mr. Devil" Ken Daneyko. Together, they delve into the ongoing season and the distinctive community engagement initiatives spearheaded by the Devils.

Reflecting on the franchise's journey since its inception in 1982, Daneyko shares insightful perspectives on the evolution of the team and their profound impact on the state of New Jersey. He underscores the pivotal role of victories in fostering a dedicated fan base and reminisces about his personal transformation from player to broadcaster over the years.

Jake Reynolds sheds light on the Devils' unwavering commitment to community service and their profound integration into the cultural fabric of New Jersey. The conversation delves into the vital work of the Devil's Youth Foundation, which focuses on addressing pressing issues such as food insecurity, nutrition, and promoting healthy lifestyles in underserved communities across the state.

Despite the challenges encountered during the current season, both Jake and Dano exude optimism about the team's future trajectory. They emphasize the importance of cultivating a strong supporting cast to bolster the growth of the team's young core. The discussion concludes on a note of gratitude for the unwavering support of fans and the broader community, coupled with a palpable sense of anticipation for the exciting prospects that lie ahead for the Devils. Join us as we explore the Devils' enduring commitment to community impact and their bright outlook for future achievements both on and off the ice.

nhl.com/devils

GET YOUR JERSEY FEST TICKETS NOW! https://www.seetickets.us/event/jersey-fest/588283

Music: "Ride" by Jackson Pines
jacksonpines.com

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Contact the show: mike@greetingsfromthegardenstate.com

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Show Notes Transcript

We're joined by Jake Reynolds, president of the Jersey Devils, and Devils legend, "Mr. Devil" Ken Daneyko. Together, they delve into the ongoing season and the distinctive community engagement initiatives spearheaded by the Devils.

Reflecting on the franchise's journey since its inception in 1982, Daneyko shares insightful perspectives on the evolution of the team and their profound impact on the state of New Jersey. He underscores the pivotal role of victories in fostering a dedicated fan base and reminisces about his personal transformation from player to broadcaster over the years.

Jake Reynolds sheds light on the Devils' unwavering commitment to community service and their profound integration into the cultural fabric of New Jersey. The conversation delves into the vital work of the Devil's Youth Foundation, which focuses on addressing pressing issues such as food insecurity, nutrition, and promoting healthy lifestyles in underserved communities across the state.

Despite the challenges encountered during the current season, both Jake and Dano exude optimism about the team's future trajectory. They emphasize the importance of cultivating a strong supporting cast to bolster the growth of the team's young core. The discussion concludes on a note of gratitude for the unwavering support of fans and the broader community, coupled with a palpable sense of anticipation for the exciting prospects that lie ahead for the Devils. Join us as we explore the Devils' enduring commitment to community impact and their bright outlook for future achievements both on and off the ice.

nhl.com/devils

GET YOUR JERSEY FEST TICKETS NOW! https://www.seetickets.us/event/jersey-fest/588283

Music: "Ride" by Jackson Pines
jacksonpines.com

Thank you to our sponsors:
New Jersey Lottery: njlottery.com

Make Cool Sh*t: makecoolshit.co

Albert & Whitney CPAs:  awcpasllc.com

Mayo Performing Arts Center: mayoarts.org/events-calendar

Contact the show: mike@greetingsfromthegardenstate.com

Support the Show.

0:20

all right what's up everybody welcome


0:21

back to another episode of greetings


0:22

with the Garden State powered by the New


0:23

Jersey Lottery I'm your host Mike ham we


0:25

are back here at the credential center


0:27

today uh with Jake Reynolds president of


0:29

the Jersey Devils and the credential


0:31

center right and Mr Devil Himself Ken


0:33

Dano K welcome to the yeah thank you


0:36

absolutely uh so season so far you know


0:40

we're rolling right along uh I think


0:44

that look what I love about the Devils


0:46

is like the the community stuff right


0:49

like the nework the vibe that you have


0:51

like around the stadium the stadium


0:52

itself we did the presential center


0:54

episode a while ago with Shan Seda which


0:56

is so far one of our most popular


0:58

episodes of the year which is pretty


0:59

cool um but now we're going to get


1:01

obviously a little bit more into the


1:02

devil stuff so one thing that I do want


1:04

to ask uh you specifically Ken is kind


1:08

of being a part of the organization for


1:10

a long time a long time and kind of


1:13

seeing yeah right and seeing kind of the


1:16

evolution of this franchise from when it


1:18

first got here in ' 82 to Jersey in ' 82


1:21

in East Rutherford then in nework in


1:23

what was that I was 708 uh around then


1:25

yes um so take me through kind of like


1:28

like from your perspective like what


1:30

that Evolution has been like and how


1:31

Jersey itself has kind of embraced the


1:34

Devils well winning certainly helps that


1:37

you know yeah going way back to when I


1:40

was drafted the inaugural year 82 when


1:42

they were brought from Colorado by the


1:44

late grade Dr Mullen um we didn't have a


1:47

team name yet or anything yeah uh


1:49

obviously hockey wasn't you know one of


1:52

the major sports really wasn't on the


1:54

radar I know we had a team across the


1:57

river so if you were a hockey fan you


1:58

rooted for them s but uh and I didn't


2:03

know much about New Jersey to tell you


2:04

the truth but I was just excited to have


2:06

an opportunity and just to see over the


2:08

years fast forward the growth of Youth


2:12

Hockey the growth of uh the impact the


2:14

New Jersey Devils have made in the


2:16

community you me touched on that and um


2:20

or ship and Jake and everybody now as


2:22

well uh how they you know give back and


2:25

and they give back with their hearts


2:27

it's it's seriously to get kids to play


2:30

expensive sport whatever it may be or


2:31

just just doing things in the community


2:33

or around Newark uh that that's always


2:36

that means a lot to me because I've been


2:38

here a long time as you mentioned and


2:40

I'm very grateful that uh the New Jersey


2:43

Devils fans and hockey fans in general


2:45

embrac the team embraced me over the


2:47

years I went through a lot of lean years


2:50

with this team as well where we were


2:51

winning 17 games a year in the 80s to


2:54

becoming a champion and Champion with a


2:56

great group of guys in core group and


2:59

and that's special it's not easy to win


3:01

and and I think that's obviously just


3:03

grown the fan base and just the interest


3:07

of the game of hockey in itself yeah and


3:10

that to me is what it's all about it


3:12

means a lot and I know it's been tough


3:14

this year a little bit because of the


3:15

steps we took last year the monster


3:17

steps the record setting season they had


3:20

more points than any team I'd been on


3:22

but uh uh it's still a learning there's


3:25

still a learning curve for a young group


3:26

they got a good young court but to


3:29

understand what takes every night and I


3:31

never knew it until 10 years after my


3:34

career was over and reflected and I go


3:36

boy do we have a good core and going to


3:38

the Stanley Cup finals four times and


3:39

winning it three times you start to


3:42

appreciate and understand the


3:44

determination the urgency the drive the


3:46

hating to lose all those factor in uh to


3:50

becoming uh a champion and I love what


3:53

we did last year and of course this year


3:55

am I frustrated like the fans am I


3:58

disappointed of course but I'm not going


4:00

to lie I I I I it's one of those things


4:03

like before the season I'm going to we


4:06

kept saying with higher expectations


4:08

comes more responsibility and teams are


4:10

ready for you and it's never easy so


4:13

it's never a clear path to the top yeah


4:16

sometimes it's up sometimes it's uh a


4:19

notch down which we've seen a little bit


4:20

this year but uh but I believe in the


4:22

group and and and again it's just been


4:25

uh been one of those I hope they learn


4:27

from it and keep keep pushing right to


4:29

the end end of the year and see what we


4:30

can do you never know I'm always you


4:32

have to have faith in a believer that we


4:34

can go on a 10- two stretch last that's


4:36

right or or 12 and one or whatever we


4:38

have left 13 gam something along those


4:40

lines I always believe that because I


4:42

look no further than 1988 when we made


4:45

the pl for the first time I believe we


4:48

went 101 and one our last 11 70 And1 in


4:51

our last eight and we were 68 points out


4:54

10 points out with about 12 to go so I


4:58

I'm going a whole ready going to hold


5:00

some hope yeah you know what I mean I


5:03

know it hasn't happened uh we win one we


5:05

lose one we lose a couple but what


5:08

better time than right now that's right


5:10

let's see what happens but no I'm I'm


5:11

grateful to be here grateful for uh this


5:14

wonderful State that's I call home now


5:16

I'm a transplanted jerseyan and uh just


5:20

grateful of devils they're my family and


5:23

I I want these guys to succeed cuz I've


5:25

been at the bottom been at the top and


5:29

it's pretty special when when you do it


5:31

with a group of guys and in front of


5:33

fans which that's what it's all about


5:35

yeah for sure and you did mention too


5:37

testing out the horn which is awesome


5:39

hopefully hopefully that goes off a lot


5:42

yeah a lot a lot um and I did I did like


5:44

that you said that before that you're a


5:46

transplant here and this show is


5:48

specifically about New Jersey which if


5:50

you couldn't pick that up from the name


5:51

of the show um but you're also a jersey


5:54

transplant too from Salt Lake City right


5:56

see research um so take me through kind


5:59

of like because obviously Dan has his


6:01

kind of perspective as a player here for


6:03

a long time but also from your


6:04

perspective too as an executive and you


6:06

know president of the team and all that


6:07

kind of stuff and how you know your um


6:11

perspective on you know some of the


6:12

things that he was talking about but


6:13

also specifically to Jersey and kind of


6:15

how the Devils kind of fit right here in


6:17

in nework absolutely and this is


6:19

actually my second stint in New Jersey


6:21

so I was here 2008 to 2010 with the New


6:24

York Giants and so had the opportunity


6:26

to I don't know if I even knew that and


6:28

then I got to come back Le I loved it


6:30

enough that I came back in the


6:32

opportunity one of my daughters been uh


6:34

was born here now obviously the


6:36

opportunity have three girls being able


6:37

to raise all of them in New Jersey um


6:40

but it's a special State and it's a


6:42

unique State and you know I don't know


6:44

there's anybody better to talk about the


6:46

state of hockey in New Jersey than Ken


6:48

Dano and Mr Devil Himself but you he


6:50

spoke to it just the way he was embraced


6:53

when he first came here the way the


6:55

state has embraced the sport of hockey


6:57

but more so like I look at this and the


6:59

fact that the New Jersey Devils are the


7:02

only professional sports team that


7:04

claims New Jersey that says a lot and I


7:07

think this fan base I think this state


7:10

has reciprocated that same feeling and


7:12

has shown that same passion appreciation


7:15

and support for this hockey team um


7:17

because they know how much that means


7:19

and they know there's a tremendous


7:20

amount of pride in the state even though


7:22

there are a lot of transplants I think


7:23

when people come here they say oh wow


7:25

this is an unbelievable place to live to


7:28

raise a family a root for your favorite


7:30

sports team there is so much that comes


7:32

with being a part of New Jersey not just


7:35

New York right this is like this is our


7:37

own space alone State yeah you know


7:39

you've had Sean Sada on this podcast


7:41

before talking about the entertainment


7:43

side of the business in New Jersey and


7:45

how we wanted to differentiate the


7:47

credential Center in New Jersey from New


7:49

York this is not a standalone Market


7:51

this is a a state and this is a city and


7:53

this is a region that can handle any


7:57

concert you put it can handle supporting


7:58

a sports team like this um but there's


8:01

just so much opportunity to continue to


8:02

grow this it's been pretty fun to see


8:04

how much this fan base in the state is


8:07

is Embrace this team yeah did did you


8:09

notice you know uh cuz when the team


8:12

first came here they were at Brendan


8:13

burn kand delir lines over in East


8:15

Rutherford which is you know honestly


8:17

not that far away but then now being


8:20

right in like downtown Newark at the


8:22

presedential center um and obviously we


8:24

did a whole episode about the


8:25

presedential center itself and why it's


8:27

such a great venue and a top five venue


8:29

in the world also um so you know like


8:32

that shift maybe from being out in East


8:34

Rutherford to now being here and really


8:36

part of like ingrained in this whole


8:38

Community yes and and part of it is just


8:41

like it's accessibility it's how we get


8:43

ingrained and so much of it is like part


8:45

of it is location H right you have the


8:47

arena here then the other piece for us


8:49

as an organization is like how are we


8:50

actually getting out into the community


8:52

and making our presence felt outside of


8:54

the Four Walls of the pentia center and


8:57

whether that is the Ice Race that we


8:58

have and you know our ring partnership


9:00

program or our learn to play where we


9:02

are going out and teaching you know


9:04

obviously the sport and the game of


9:05

hockey to the Youth of New Jersey or


9:08

it's you know one of the things that I


9:09

love most about this organization is


9:11

given that we came here in 1982 every


9:13

employee commits to serving 82 hours of


9:15

community service every year and so at


9:18

least probably once every quarter we'll


9:20

shut down the office and we'll go out


9:22

and serve in the community as a staff


9:24

and as an organization so it's all of


9:27

those little connection points that you


9:28

find that are outside of these four


9:30

walls that find that connection to it's


9:33

obviously the city and and more


9:34

importantly the state for sure did you


9:36

notice was it tough making the


9:37

transition from being a player to them


9:39

being a


9:41

broadcaster yeah I I get asked that a


9:43

lot I mean I I wanted to stay in the


9:45

game in some capacity hockey's been been


9:48

my life growing up in western Canada


9:51

that's what you did coming out of your


9:52

mother's womb you'd better put a Paris


9:53

Kates on quickly because that's all you


9:55

had to do really so so to come all the


9:59

way


9:59

way out east and again I talked not


10:02

knowing much about New Jersey at the


10:03

time in fact I've said it in many


10:06

interviews and shows where I didn't know


10:08

where New Jersey was really when I got


10:10

drafted here but I would have ran the


10:12

2,000 miles or whatever it is and that's


10:14

the truth to get my opportunity to


10:16

fulfill a dream now when I came to


10:18

Jersey I embraced it right away I didn't


10:20

go home in the off season like other


10:22

players because there was so much to


10:23

offer kind of alluding to what Jake said


10:25

we have the Jersey Shore golfing which


10:27

I'm a big golfer they had some of the


10:28

great gol golf


10:30

courses around in the state of New


10:32

Jersey so things that I enjoy like to do


10:36

um just when I came here I was so


10:40

excited like I said to to try to fulfill


10:42

a dream but to be part of something and


10:45

the community and and Jake talked about


10:47

the fans and just the people in general


10:50

embracing us and it took some time I


10:52

think excuse me at the time I came here


10:56

give or take a few few Arenas there was


10:59

six I believe Arenas in the state and


11:02

now there's over 60 along those lines so


11:06

that just tells you right there how the


11:08

game of hockey has grown tremendously


11:11

and and to me that means a lot you know


11:13

obviously means a lot to players whether


11:15

in my time or the guys now as well to


11:18

see uh the youth get involved and and


11:21

all the things the Devils uh


11:23

organization can support which they do


11:25

and and I watching I'm not saying it


11:28

because Jake's sitting here


11:29

you know sometimes you do things just to


11:31

do them and yeah it's you know you mean


11:35

well but you don't put your heart your


11:37

soul into it and you know in


11:40

particular when when the new AIP came in


11:43

and and New Management everything you


11:45

could see I mean that was as important


11:47

number one yeah we want to win and


11:49

that's it's both the New Jersey Devils


11:51

and the team trying to be successful and


11:53

bring another championship here Cu uh


11:56

it's there's nothing like it as can


11:58

attest to the AER um but but as


12:02

important right right there is is making


12:05

sure it's it's a great experience


12:08

whether it's to come to a game whether


12:09

it's to get to be able to try like


12:11

jakeob T touched on to to play the game


12:14

ice hockey I've seen so many kids that


12:15

I've gone in the ice with whether it's


12:17

hockey in new work Kurt or Youth


12:19

Foundation how these kids like have just


12:22

Tak to the game and and it's become a


12:25

passion and it gives them something


12:26

healthy to do and the devil's organiz


12:29

ation


12:30

really especially you know since 20145


12:34

when when new ownersh but every took


12:37

over you could see that


12:39

means almost as much to them yeah as the


12:42

winning and yes don't get me wrong


12:44

they're hungry for a winner here too


12:46

just as I am again because that's why


12:49

you play and that's what it's all about


12:50

and I know the passion of our fans uh


12:52

you know this year they're they're a


12:54

little frustrated I sometimes have to


12:56

have a few chats keep them from going to


12:58

the Washington Bridge possibly and you


13:02

know well but but just you know all


13:05

kidding aside just to to try to help


13:08

them understand because it's what have


13:10

you done for me lately game to game year


13:12

to year living and dying with every so


13:14

on a high last year and winning a


13:16

Playoff round sure I try to remind him


13:19

that it takes time but but you're


13:21

building something here building


13:22

something you know and I think that's


13:23

really the key like you talk about the


13:24

youth and sension is just not like I


13:26

said EXA doesn't just Skyrock you I


13:29

wanted it to be I went the season this


13:31

year thinking we were a contender for


13:33

sure but real reality is it doesn't


13:38

usually go that way you always got to go


13:40

through some bumps in the road but the


13:42

young Corp has got to learn that and uh


13:43

so we'll we'll see where we go from


13:45

there but I know I'm a little all over


13:47

the map but having said that yeah know I


13:50

I love when you're here as long as I


13:52

have been 40 plus


13:53

years you want to you know make people


13:56

feel good too and and I think our


13:58

organization


13:59

really takes the time and and makes a a


14:02

huge effort to to make people feel good


14:06

and have opportunities and and uh you


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shit. remember that's Co notom sure and


15:16

you mentioned the devil's Youth


15:17

Foundation and and all that we talk


15:19

about they getting kids interested in


15:21

hockey and and everything like that um


15:23

take me through kind of maybe Jake this


15:25

is a good question for you uh kind of


15:27

like the pillars of that Community


15:29

involvement that the devil's uh kind of


15:31

champion almost yeah absolutely and so


15:34

and that's what we we rolled out the


15:35

devil's Youth Foundation so three years


15:37

ago and we wanted this to be a new


15:39

platform and a new opportunity where we


15:41

could go out and we could give back to


15:43

the communities in and around New Jersey


15:45

and you know you look at just the need


15:46

that is out there across the board from


15:49

just food insecurity to nutrition to


15:52

kids just understanding what like what


15:54

does a healthy lifestyle look like how


15:56

do they get information around that how


15:58

do they have access to that type of um


16:00

accessibility and needs and so the Youth


16:03

Foundation that has been kind of one of


16:04

its core pillars is how do we bring


16:06

about awareness how do we bring about


16:07

education how do we bring about


16:09

resources to be able to help the youth


16:11

that are underserved and don't have


16:13

those same opportunities so you know at


16:15

the end of the day like one of my


16:16

favorite things about sports is the


16:18

incredible platform that it provides


16:21

like in a world that is divisive and


16:24

getting you know pulled apart every s


16:26

yeah this is one of the few things


16:28

Sports is one of the few few things that


16:29

truly brings people together so to be


16:32

able to have the platform that we do


16:34

with as many eyeballs as we have like to


16:36

be able to use that and leverage that to


16:38

drive meaningful tangible change in the


16:42

surrounding communities it's it's a huge


16:45

responsibility we don't look at it just


16:47

as an obligation we look at this as a


16:48

responsibility like as New Jersey's only


16:50

profession sports team as you know an


16:53

NHL team in this market having our arena


16:56

in an area that needs the help that


16:57

needs the support that can actually make


16:59

a real difference yeah it's like we need


17:01

to own that we need to take that on and


17:03

make as much of an impact as we possibly


17:04

can for sure and so you know as we kind


17:07

of get close to the end because I know


17:08

we're kind of bumping up on the uh when


17:10

you guys got to go do your I can talk


17:11

forever no I know this is good this is


17:14

that's why I got the broadcast yeah you


17:16

answered every single one of my


17:19

questions um I try to stop myself oh no


17:22

you're good you're good it's a good


17:23

warmup for you know your actual like


17:25

getting on the mic for the game actually


17:27

Dan's uh body double OB thing I see I


17:30

can see it I can see it there we go um


17:32

so when uh so towards the end here but


17:35

uh when we're talking about we're


17:36

talking about the community we're


17:37

talking about the Devils we're talking


17:38

about how The Season's gone we're


17:39

talking about all these different things


17:41

um and maybe this can be a question for


17:43

both of you like the things you look at


17:44

for the rest of this season and then


17:45

Seasons coming like what really makes


17:47

you excited about this Devil's


17:49

organization this Devil's team and the


17:51

things that are kind of to


17:53

come you want to take this one first you


17:55

want well well look I mean we're talking


17:58

on the I and everything obviously again


18:01

this has been a trying year I mean after


18:04

a great season of the prior prior year


18:07

but I I'm excited about the young core I


18:09

mean we we still have a very young


18:11

nucleus that is learning what it takes


18:14

on a nightly basis to win


18:16

consistently uh to eventually try to


18:18

become a champion and and again uh the


18:22

guys that that are the pieces that are


18:24

in place are there is it up to


18:27

management and Jake and everybody to to


18:29

make sure we insulate these guys with


18:31

the right role players as I like to say


18:34

a role that I I probably say more that I


18:37

was in I I knew what I was


18:41

and what my role was to help our team


18:45

become a champion you need your stars to


18:46

be stars at times but hockey is that


18:50

unique sport where you can't win without


18:53

without the foot soldiers along the way


18:56

and and that's something I'm being frank


18:58

I think we need a little bit more of cuz


19:01

I I I think we've got a really good star


19:04

studded young nucleus that you have to


19:06

have to win yeah in any sport sure but


19:09

we we need everybody to to come together


19:11

and believe in themselves and and


19:15

getting those those players that don't


19:18

need you know the the accolades or Pats


19:21

and back but they'll just do whatever it


19:23

takes to win yeah and that's even when


19:25

I'm around them I try to express that a


19:27

little bit cuz I try TR with the team


19:30

that it takes a little more it just


19:32

takes a little more and everybody will


19:34

say the right things and even do the


19:36

right things and practice and work their


19:37

tail off but but you have to have a


19:39

burning desire and you have to have


19:41

enough pieces surrounding your young


19:43

star cores your your core group uh that


19:47

that kind of show you the way and but


19:49

I'm excited about it because I think


19:51

this year in particular as tough as it's


19:53

been or uh difficult I I think in a


19:58

weird way and a roundabout way it's good


20:00

for them cuz you've got to burn a little


20:03

bit and you can't have your old success


20:06

and understand that I don't want to feel


20:08

like this again we we expected to keep


20:10

going up H we hit a little bump in the


20:11

road and again I


20:13

I'm 13 games left still good without any


20:17

kind of little bit cuz that's me I'm a


20:19

glass half full guy yeah um but yeah the


20:23

the group they have is is you know I


20:26

think Poise to be a really good team a


20:28

play off team consistently every year


20:30

but they have to make sure they they


20:33

focus and and hone in the fact that it


20:37

got tougher and tougher this year and


20:38

they're finding that out yeah so that's


20:40

is it's never a straight line right it's


20:42

not linear it is up and down and you


20:44

know to Ken's point we looked at a


20:46

number of teams that have had a lot of


20:48

success over the course of of the last


20:50

decade or so and you start to look at


20:51

some of these teams like a a Pittsburgh


20:54

a Tamp Chicago and you start to look in


20:57

every one of those teams when they were


20:59

when they had a young core in place they


21:01

took a huge leap they took one slight


21:03

step back and then they slingshotted to


21:06

the top and won multiple cups and so


21:09

when you're in the middle of that it's


21:11

hard to see anything but what is right


21:13

in front of you so like as you take a


21:15

step back and you look at what the


21:17

trajectory of this team is over the


21:19

course of the next eight years it


21:21

doesn't change anything it's suck losing


21:23

sucks like this season has not been fun


21:25

or enjoyable for anybody like true it it


21:28

is so painful because this is what we


21:30

wake up wanting to we want to win every


21:33

single day so when you're in the middle


21:34

it sucks when you take a step back and


21:37

you look at okay what is coming Dan hit


21:39

it the core the core is intact we know


21:41

what pieces we need and Fitzy and his


21:44

team who have done an unbelievable job


21:45

of building this team in a disciplined


21:49

flexible way that one locks up our core


21:51

but allows us to have the flexibility


21:53

moving forward to add the right pieces


21:56

to make this team what we know it can be


21:59

which is a perennial Stanley Cup


22:01

contending team that we're going to


22:03

address those right things at the right


22:05

time in the right places and so the core


22:07

is there the core is intact the


22:09

trajectory is still there the hope and


22:11

the belief is still there we say it all


22:14

the time it's like we have one of the


22:15

most rare and unique pieces in terms of


22:17

like looking at this core the age the


22:21

stardom and the potential of it like I


22:24

don't know that there's another place I


22:25

would want to be or take a bet on in


22:27

terms of what this organization is going


22:29

to be and accomplish over the course of


22:31

the next 8 to 10 years for sure well uh


22:34

I know we got dorer opening now so uh I


22:38

really appreciate you guys taking some


22:39

time and chatting with me and uh all


22:42

that this was great just to kind of get


22:44

a little bit of perspective from the


22:46

Devils you know like I said we did the


22:47

credential Center and we're just trying


22:48

to cover as many things cool things in


22:50

the state as we can over the two plus


22:53

years that we've been doing this show so


22:54

this what I've always said about this


22:56

and you you know right from day one and


23:00

it's already 17 years old which is crazy


23:02

but it's it's you know a lot of places


23:04

get outdated this one's not like the


23:06

atmosphere and they've obviously


23:07

upgraded and made or Jake and his crew


23:09

of it and ownership of done things to


23:13

keep it relevant but I I i' I've brought


23:16

more friends or or acquaintances


23:19

businessmen whatever may be that maybe


23:21

hockey isn't top of their totem pole of


23:24

sports but they come here cuz the


23:26

atmosphere and can have a great time yes


23:28

you know it's not just yeah just I've


23:31

never had a bad time here so and I say


23:34

that with sincerity because I even when


23:36

I walk around the building or visit


23:37

Suites I'm like this is a great building


23:40

this is a great venue and for concerts


23:42

cuz I go to plenty of them my son's a


23:44

singer a Berkeley College of Music in


23:47

Boston that's his world so I've taken


23:49

him to so many concerts for such a long


23:51

time kids are born and raised here Jake


23:54

mentioned he had uh a daughter correct y


23:58

oh yeah so we all love it but this arena


24:01

in particular is pretty pretty cool vent


24:03

for for so many things and you can just


24:06

have a blast it's kind of like a party


24:08

atmosphere there you but it makes it a


24:10

lot nicer when we hear that horing and


24:12

wi at the end of the all that that's


24:14

what it take totally all I love it um


24:17

well guys thank you again I really


24:19

appreciate you jumping on and and thank


24:20

you to Megan and Bill for getting this


24:22

all set up uh so again we this was the


24:25

green weard say podcast powered by the


24:27

New Jersey Lottery I'm Mike hand we were


24:29

here today at the presedential center in


24:30

New York New Jersey uh with Jake


24:32

Reynolds and Ken Dano thank you for


24:34

listening and we'll catch you next


24:37

[Music]


24:44

time do you all


24:46

right oh tell me before you go the way


24:52

do you want


24:57

ride


24:59

[Music]