Don La Greca is finally a member of the team. The same one he fell in love with back in 1987.
As he drove into New York City to fulfill his hosting duties on ESPN Radio on Thursday afternoon, he passed the Prudential Center in Newark.
The arena that the New Jersey Devils call home.
Soon, it will be the arena he will call home, as he added MSG Networks' play-by-play announcer for the Devils to his already extensive resume.
Growing up a fan of the Devils, with a tattoo to prove it, La Greca finally secured his dream job in July 2025 and will join his cherished team in an official capacity.
"To get a full-time play-by-play gig and be the television voice for a team that I grew up rooting for, it is kind of the closest thing to suiting up," he told The Hockey News. "I am not a hockey player, but to know I am going to be with the team, and my responsibility is to be the voice of those games for the people who are going to be watching it, is just so exciting."
The moment when this dream becomes an actual reality may not come until October, when he is positioned in the broadcast booth at Prudential Center, wearing his headset, with friend and in-game analyst Ken Daneyko to his right and statistician Nick Cahill to his left. The moment Tiësto and Black Eyed Peas' version of "Pump It" echoes within the walls of the rink as the players go through their pregame warmup routines.
"It still hasn't 100 percent sunk in yet that this is what the role is because it has been a dream that I have had ever since I first saw my first Devils game," La Greca shared. "It is kind of gradually hitting me, and I think when I first enter the rink to do my first game, that is when it will probably be complete that this is actually happening."
Since the announcement was made, he has been making his rounds, further introducing himself to fans through interviews and podcast appearances. While he is the focus right now, La Greca knows it is ultimately not about him, but the team, his treasured Devils.
Still, that doesn't mean he can't showcase his personality in the booth.
"You are going to get Don La Greca for better or worse," he said. "I am going to be me. I am not going to try to be "Doc" Emrick or Gary Thorne. I am going to be Don La Greca, and part of being that involves growing up as a Devils fan.
"I am really passionate about my job," he continued. "I love hockey, and I want them to know that I am one of them. I am lucky enough to be sitting in that seat calling the game, but I would be as interested and invested in this sport if I pumped gas for a living, or if I were a lawyer. I want that to come across, that I am somebody having fun. Somebody who loves the team, and loves the sport."
You could say La Greca has watched the Devils from afar, as he previously called New York Rangers games on the MSG Radio Network, but that won't be held against him.
He saw Devils' general manager Tom Fitzgerald address his team's needs by acquiring goaltender Jacob Markstrom and signing defenseman Brett Pesce. Like the fans, La Greca has witnessed the development of Luke Hughes on the blue line.
"You started to see it gel, and then the injuries kind of caught up with the team," he said. "You really didn't get to see them full force once they got into the playoffs. The Carolina Hurricanes have been, even going back to the days when I was a fan, a pain in the butt, so to face them in the first round was tough."
Despite a disappointing Round 1 playoff exit, La Greca realizes this is an exciting time to join the Devils family, especially with a team led by Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Jack Hughes.
"To have some of their best players be offensive players, and maybe get a chance to call the first 50 goal scorer in Devils' history, or to call the first 100 point scorer in franchise history, that is going to be really special to be a part of," he said.
La Greca is committed to fully immersing himself in this role and team, attending morning skates and practices in addition to the games.
"When you are calling a game, it is not just calling the action that is there live," he explained. "It is knowing the team, tendencies, storylines, and getting to know the players, too.
"One of the worst experiences I had over the last few years was during the COVID year," he continued. "We were doing the road games off the monitors and not being around at all, I felt lost. Even though I knew the team and called the game, I didn't feel I had the necessary information because there were no morning skates, and we couldn't attend media availabilities. It was really hard, and it crystallized for me how important it is to be around the team and how much easier the job is when you do that."
When asked what players on the Devils roster he is excited to sit down with, the usual suspects were named.
"Jack jumps to mind," he said. "I know that is an easy answer, but I am really looking forward to getting to know him. He has a great story with his brothers in the league and how he grew up. Nico, I think, is a great story too. So those are a couple of guys. Brett Pesce has a cousin who works at the radio station, and I have heard great things about him."
Face-to-face interactions with Hughes and Hischier may not have occurred yet, but that "Welcome to the Devils" moment came in the form of a text message from Fitzgerald, congratulating La Greca on his new position.
In addition to that exchange, La Greca was welcomed by his new MSG Networks teammates, including Daneyko, Bryce Salvador, and Rachel Herzog.
"I really look forward to summer every year, but now I am saying the summer needs to be over so I can jump into this," he said with a laugh.
New Jersey's preseason schedule will kick off on Sunday, Sept. 21, at Prudential Center. It will only be a matter of time until fans get their first chance to hear La Greca as the new television voice of the New Jersey Devils.
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Photo Credit: Don La Greca