After the doors opened at Prudential Center on Saturday night, a line began to form and wrap around the main concourse of the arena, with fans in Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier jerseys patiently waiting for their turn to approach the black clothed table filled with New Jersey Devils mystery pucks outside of Sections 19 and 20.
Those mystery pucks, sold for $25.00, coincide with one of the most significant nights on the 2025-26 schedule: Hockey Fights Cancer. A joint initiative of the NHL and NHLPA returned for its 27th season to unite the global hockey community through storytelling and meaningful events to fundraise for cancer research, to educate and empower more fans to learn about cancer risk factors, and to take action to get screened for certain cancers.
Among the massive crowd was a gentleman named Ted, accompanied by his family.
Ted is a cancer survivor, with February marking five years since he received the good news that he was cancer-free. Huddled around a small square table in the concourse, the family of eight waited to reveal their mystery pucks together. At the word go, they flipped their pucks over, showing all the players' signatures, including the one they hoped for, Jesper Bratt.
As I spoke to Ted, I shared a personal story: that my father has been quietly facing his own battle for the past several years. Without hesitation, he asked for my father's name so he could pray for him. After a quick embrace, Ted and his family went on to enjoy their night, while I made my way up to the press box to start writing as an overwhelming feeling of gratitude overcame me.
It is fleeting moments like that, among complete strangers, that make Hockey Fights Cancer night bigger than a hockey game.
Of course, at 7:08, a hockey game began as the Devils hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. For the next several hours, the 16,757 hockey fans in attendance, and at least one journalist in the press box, received a welcome distraction from their everyday lives, shifting focus from real-life battles to those on the ice that seem minor in comparison.
For the second time in a week, New Jersey suffered a loss to their Metropolitan Division rival. Simon Nemec, Timo Meier, and Dawson Mercer scored for the Devils in their 5-3 loss. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves on 31 shots for a .871 save percentage.
It was the team's first regulation loss at Prudential Center this season.
The thing is, for people like Ted and me, Saturday night represented more than the numbers on the scoreboard. It is a night of recognition. Recognizing that those in the fight for their life are not alone, and neither are those on the sidelines patiently waiting for test results and anxiously figuring out what to do next.
"It is such a tremendous initiative that the League has done for quite some time,” Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Hockey Fights Cancer. "Obviously, a terrible disease, therefore a great cause to be associated with. And for us specifically, to have a chance to connect with some of our fans over this time is great too."
Turns out, it was not only the players who connected to the fans.
I initially made my way down to the concourse for a trivial reason, to see if there would be one person who would allow me to take a photo of their mystery puck for my article. By happenstance, I experienced so much more than that.
The Devils may have lost the game, but for some, on night's like Saturday, there are other wins that are much more important.
Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.