This season on the Devils Army Blog, we will begin featuring notable fans seen nightly at Prudential Center. These fans of the team have impacted the overall atmosphere of the game and are notable figures within the crowd. This week’s fan Q&A is with two-year Devils season ticket holder Nick Natoli, who can be credited for the vuvuzela, which plays that familiar tune after every Devils goal at the Rock.
I had the chance to catch up with Nick and have him answer a few questions for our blog. Check out my exclusive interview with him below:
DAB: Tell us about how you became a Devils fan. How long have you been attending games and how long have you had season tickets?
NN: I have been a Devils fan and have attended games since I was a little kid. This year is my second year having season tickets.
DAB: Tell us about yourself. Are you a New Jersey native? Where did you go to high school and college? What do you do now for a living?
NN: I was born and raised in New Jersey. My family and I moved to Tampa in 2009, and we came back to New Jersey in June 2014. I attended Saddle Brook High School and graduated from the University of South Florida in 2013. I work in the Accounting field.
DAB: After the change of the goal song, did you instantly decide to start bringing a vuvuzela to games?
NN: Had I been living in New Jersey at the time of the Goal Song change, I likely would have, but unfortunately I was still living in Tampa at the time.
DAB: What do you see your role is by blowing the vuvuzela after every Devils goal is scored?
NN: I see it as bringing back our old Goal Song for fans (and myself to enjoy). Growing up it was always great hearing Rock and Roll Part II played after scoring a goal. I’ve always loved that song, even before the “You [stink]!” chant was added to it.
Yelling “Hey, you [stink]!” is all in good fun. If anybody is offended by that, they should honestly stay at home and watch the game on TV because I’ve heard and seen much worse at games than “Hey, you [stink].” (Most of which has come from opposing teams’ fans).
DAB: How do you feel about now being a staple of the atmosphere at Prudential Center?
NN: I like it. I think its great when it gets the crowd going. Honestly, the current goal song (as well as last year and the year before) have not done a good job of getting the crowd (or myself) excited.
DAB: Would you be interested in starting a vuvuzela quartet at games with members situated throughout the arena?
NN: Probably not. It likely would not be in sync being so far apart.
DAB: What are your thoughts on the team and new management for this season? What strengths and weaknesses have you seen out on the ice thus far?
NN: I think the team has showed improvement over the first 5 games of the season. People need to stop being so negative about every loss and focus on cheering for our team. They’ve played much better as of late.
Management has been better with several things such as planned giveaways, the open practice, and the Twitter Vending Machine.
Conversely, management has been making Prudential Center feel less like the Devils Home and more like a concert venue with the significant reduction of Devils artwork over the past few years.
As for the team: Our strength is our goaltending. KK and Cory have been great so far. The defense could tighten up a bit, but they’re not doing too badly.
Our weakness is still that we have trouble finding the back of the net. I believe improvement will come as the lines develop chemistry. We also need to work on the power play. Failing to cash in on the numerous 5 on 3s we’ve had this season is unacceptable.
DAB: Who is your favorite player on the current roster and why?
NN: I would have to say Jordin Tootoo. He always skates hard, finishes his checks, and he’s always willing to drop the gloves to stick up for his teammates.
DAB: Lastly, please include any additional thoughts you would like to have fans be aware of.
NN: FYI so people don’t find out the hard way like I did; horns cannot be played in Club Seats, Suites, the Goal Bar, and Restaurant Seats. Anywhere else is fair game.
We would like to thank Nick again for his time to sit down with us and answer some questions about what he does as a fan at Prudential Center.
Nick Papadimas is a New Jersey native, New Jersey Devils season ticket holder, and avid hockey fan. He is an aspiring sports journalist who has covered high school sports and local events for TAPinto.net since 2012. Nick can be reached on Twitter (@ngpaps) or by e-mail at papadimasn@icloud.com.