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More than a week after the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union National Hockey League Stadium Series – the first in the Garden State – the sports world and the region are still buzzing. The popular outdoor event, held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford Feb. 17-18, drew more than 150,000 fans who braved the cold February conditions in North Jersey to watch four rivals take to the ice.

On Feb. 17, the New Jersey Devils skated past the Philadelphia Flyers 6-3 in front of 70,328 fans in attendance, with Devils legend Martin Brodeur dropping the puck. Night one featured a concert from Jersey natives the Jonas Brothers as well as The Gaslight Anthem, who played a set during intermission and performed the Devils’ goal song, “Howl,” live each time New Jersey scored.

In addition to the signage and the Stadium Series Park around the rink, there were New Jersey touches everywhere – both in person and on the national television broadcast – with appearances by local luminaries, such as New York Giants quarterback and Cedar Grove native Tommy DeVito, “Sopranos” star Steven Schirripa, E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg and saxophone player Jake Clemons, along with the obligatory references to pork roll/Taylor ham.

“People make fun of New Jersey. They got nothing on us,” said DeVito during the television intro. “Diners, disco fries, boardwalks, Lawrence Taylor, Taylor ham, the freaking light bulb, and her [the Statue of Liberty]. She’s ours.”

“Tonight, fans will take bridges, tunnels, and turnpikes to be here,” DeVito continued. “It’s the Stadium Series in New Jersey – fuhgeddaboudit.”

On Feb. 18, another 79,690 fans packed MetLife to watch the New York Rangers mount a thrilling late comeback to defeat the New York Islanders 6-5 in overtime.

And on top of the Jersey references, the tone of the event was really set during the Saturday night team entrances. A tradition of the event, the teams show up in matching or themed outfits of some sort to  make a grand entrance in solidarity. While the Flyers had a solid showing in that regard with their “Rocky”-themed sweatsuits, the Devils players went full “Sopranos,” arriving in matching track suits, undershirts and chains. The Rangers also got positive marks for their entrance – escorted by members of the NYPD and FDNY and wearing hockey sweaters of both organizations. Meanwhile, the Islanders were escorted by Long Island’s bravest and finest, but the team opted for a more business-like look, simply wearing suits and not a matching themed outfit.

The fellas absolutely have the makings of a varsity athlete.#NJDevils | #StadiumSeries pic.twitter.com/ptvpzSH3RJ

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) February 17, 2024

“This event is so much about a celebration of New Jersey. You guys wore ‘Sopranos’-inspired outfits walking,” said ESPN hockey reporter Emily Kaplan, a New Jersey native, to Devils Captain Nico Hischier during the post-game interview. “You’ve been here seven years – what have you learned about this state?”

Hischier, who paced the Devils with two goals and an assist in the winning effort, said he loves it here and that New Jersey has become his second home.

“’Sopranos’ – that’s how we roll,” he said. “Thanks for showing up. It was f***ing amazing.”

In the post-game press conference, Hischier was asked about seeing as many Devils fans as there were in the crowd that night. “Just tried to soak it in as much as I can,” he said. “It was such a fun game. Those are the games you will never forget in your career. And I think the win makes it even better. And seeing all the guys showing up and supporting us. We knew we had great fans – didn’t see too many Philly fans. So, it’s a pretty special win.”

Devils Coach Lindy Ruff was asked post-game about the atmosphere at MetLife – especially for New Jersey – which often gets overshadowed by the New York and Philadelphia teams.

“It was awesome – really. What a night. Everything was done to a tee,” said Ruff. “To have 70,000 fans here – to pull up with your bus and you’re driving through and it’s 30 degrees and you probably have 40,000 people in the parking lot drinking Diet Coke probably – it looked like, playing cornhole. I mean, what a day. You use a football stadium – and to tailgate before a game like that – and I thought it was just so well done. The ice was good. You got two teams that competed hard. At the end, we found a way to win a hockey game – and all of our fans that came out and supported us got rewarded with a heck of a game by our club.”

Thanks for showing up and showing out, Devils fans! #NJDevils | #StadiumSeries pic.twitter.com/GzZpoZOepy

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) February 18, 2024

From the small tailgate parties that were roaring through the freezing cold to the larger shindigs all the way to the organized New Amsterdam Vodka NHL PreGame fan festival, as well as activities at American Dream Mall, there were things to do for people of all ages.

At its essence, the event was a Jersey-infused celebration of hockey.

During an interview following the Stadium Series with Michael Strahan on “Good Morning America,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman noted these were the league’s 40th and 41st outdoor games – and that each is unique and special.

“We typically play in front of 18,000 [people] on average. To have that many fans come together to celebrate the sport and to do it in the elements – just made for a really special weekend,” said Bettman. “I don’t know that there’s any regular season game in any sport that gets the amount of attention that this does. This is a big event. And what happens is the players love doing it as well – and they embrace the moment.”

In addition to the huge in-person attendance numbers, the Stadium Series also hit benchmarks in a number of areas, according to the NHL. The back-to-back Stadium Series games on ABC averaged 1.37 million viewers – up 21% from last year’s Stadium Series in Raleigh, N.C. The Rangers/Islanders game was the most-watched Stadium Series game since 2019 – averaging 1.57 million viewers, up 38% from last year’s game.

Merchandise sales during the Devils/Flyers game set a new Stadium Series game day record, which was broken the next day at the Rangers/Islanders game; game one sales were up 11% from last year, game two sales up 17%.

Impressions on social media platforms were up 94% and engagements jumped 79% versus last year’s event.

A number of notable guests and dignitaries were in attendance over the weekend, including Gov. Phil Murphy, who was on hand to cheer on the Devils on Saturday night. “Kicking off the first game of the 2024 @NHL Stadium Series tonight as the @NHLFlyers play the @NJDevils at Jersey’s very own @MetLifeStadium,” Murphy wrote on social media, along with a picture with his wife, First Lady Tammy Murphy, and a backdrop of the MetLife playing surface. “Let’s go Devils!”

The event came on the heels of the recent FIFA World Cup 26 Finals announcement – offering MetLife (or as FIFA would have it, New York New Jersey Stadium) and the Garden State an instant opportunity to showcase the state and its ability to host a major event on a big stage, along with the economic impact.

“Hosting two premier NHL Stadium Series games in just two days shows you how desirable and capable the MetLife Stadium and the Meadowlands Sports & Entertainment Complex are for world-class events,” Jim Kirkos, Meadowlands Chamber CEO, told NJBIZ. “It undoubtedly brought in extra tourism dollars to the area that otherwise wouldn’t have been spent in our communities – but it also proved another very valuable point. While these events do bring in those extra visitors – it also shows the potential for an even greater economic opportunity for the region if we were to develop a convention center on the site of the shuttered arena.”

Lookin' good, MetLife Stadium. 😍

Don’t miss the @NHLFlyers and @NJDevils in the 2024 @NavyFederal NHL #StadiumSeries TONIGHT at 8p ET on ABC, @ESPNPlus, @Sportsnet, and @TVASports! pic.twitter.com/49eWA2OVue

— NHL (@NHL) February 17, 2024

Kirkos has long advocated for a convention center as the final piece to the Meadowlands puzzle. And it is an idea that is gaining support and steam in political circles.

“With a multi-use convention center venue – which could add 250-plus event days per year, New Jersey would reap great financial reward. Our studies thus far have revealed a $30 billion dollar economic impact over the next 30 years if we build a convention center venue along with multiple hotels,” said Kirkos. “We could host fan experience events right on the complex site which would capture visitor and tourist dollars. So, my question is – what are we waiting for? The time to act is now so that after we host the FIFA 2026 World Cup Final, we can continue to attract the world’s largest events right here in the Meadowlands of New Jersey!”

Simply put, New Jersey has heard all of the jokes and punchlines, but the back-to-back of the World Cup announcement and the success of this event have started off 2024 here in the Garden State with a jolt of momentum and excitement about the potential.

“What a weekend it was! Thanks to all who made the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL #StadiumSeries a memorable event,” the NHL wrote on social media in the post outlining the event metrics.

“The fellas absolutely have the makings of a varsity athlete,” the Devils wrote on social media in the post showing the players walking into MetLife donning the “Sopranos”-inspired look. “See you outside Satriale’s.”

What a weekend it was! Thanks to all who made the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL #StadiumSeries a memorable event. pic.twitter.com/vKf6kFoHTK

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 21, 2024