Garden State Of Mind

TOP PROSPECT JACK HUGHES AND A SLEW OF FRESH DEVILS ARE MAKING NEW JERSEY TO PLACE TO BE … AND MAYBE THE TEAM TO COLLECT.

- John Severin

PLANNING A TRIP TO NEW JERSEY? THERE’S SO MUCH TO DO! YOU CAN SPEND SOME TIME STROLLING DOWN THE ATLANTIC CITY BOARDWALK, ENJOYING THE OUTDOOR WONDERS OF THE DELAWARE WATER GAP RECREATIONAL AREA AND MARVELING AT THE ARCHITECTURE OF OLD VICTORIAN CAPE MAY.

And if you time your visit right, you can take in the state’s new top tourist attraction at Newark’s Prudential Center.

After years of neglect, some savvy trading and a bit of draft lottery luck have made the New Jersey Devils a must-see on any trip to the Garden State.

It’s been a long time since fans and collectors have been this excited about the state’s hockey team. Of course, it’s been nearly 30 years since they’ve been treated to a rookie as dazzling as Jack Hughes.

For more than a decade, a Martin Brodeur card was as coveted as any single that could be pulled from a pack. The 1990 first-rounder was a hobby legend almost from the moment he and his spectacular haircut debuted in 1990-91 Score (#439). He went on to win the Calder Trophy as the top rookie in the League in 1994, the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie four times (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008) and was a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Devils (1995, 2000, 2003). By the time he retired in 2015, Brodeur had carved his name into the record books as the NHL’s all-time leader in wins (691) and shutouts (125).

Hughes has a long way to go to make a mark as profound as Brodeur’s, but the anticipation is building with every appearance.