How the Great Wayne Gretzky Created a Devils Fan | 40 YEARS WITH STAN

As far as I could determine, my younger son, Simon, never had any intentions of becoming a Devils fan until an afternoon during the winter of 1983-84.
If anything, it made more geographic sense for him to root for the Rangers since we lived just a subway ride away from Madison Square Garden, home of the Blueshirts.
Then again, there also were valid reasons for Simon to hurl his lung power in the direction of Nassau Veterans' Memorial Coliseum.
After all, I had been broadcasting Islanders games for eight years and the Nassaumen had just run off a remarkable record of four consecutive Stanley Cups. They now were heavily invested in a Drive For Five.
Logic thoroughly favored Simon's membership in either the Rangers or Isles Marching And Chowder Society. But, in this case, logic gave way to emotion and the commotion was caused by none other than The Great One, himself, the then Lord Of The Rinks, Wayne Gretzky.
Now I'll tell you how this most unusual of feats unfolded and, remarkably, it began with the Devils in the slough of despond.
This was the Garden Staters second year in the National Hockey League after an opening term that only could be -- very kindly -- described as not very successful.

Alas, and alack, Year Two at Brendan Byrne Arena was enough to turn Sir Byrne's smile upside down into a frown. After 19 games, the Boys of East Rutherford produced a 2-17-0 record for a grand total of four points in 19 games.
Yikes! If that wasn't scary enough, next up were the Edmonton Oilers who dominated Northlands Coliseum as if it was their medieval fiefdom. Ron Low was the Devils choice in goal that night although he probably wished he was vacationing in Tahiti.
Most witnesses would swear under oath that the 13-4 Oilers victory had nothing to do with Low's lowdown goaltending. The Great Gretzky was one witness who eagerly stepped up to testify on Low's behalf.
As it happened Ron and Wayne had been good friends and Gretzky believed that just about every Devil was at fault; with the conspicuous absence of Low. After ripping the New Jersey franchise, up, down, and sideways, Gretz concluded with the incendiary conclusion:
"They had better stop running a Mickey Mouse organization and put somebody on ice."
That did it.
An opus that began as a philanthropic defense of Pal Ron, turned into a cause celebre spreading like a plague of 17-year locusts across the North American continent.
The national newspaper, USA Today ran a headline, GRETZKY TAKES SLAP AT DEVILS ORGANIZATION. The New York Post added the Walt Disney theme to its header: GRETZKY: DEVILS ARE MICKEY MOUSE TEAM.
The Devils as Mickey Mouse became the talk -- call it laughing stock if you will -- of the NHL and beyond. And this not only was a gratuitous kick in the Devils' hockey pants but it boomeranged on suddenly woeful Wayne, himself.
Conspicuously aware of his role model image, Gretzky became the lead witness for his own defense. "You'd have thought I criticized Miss Newark," The Great One explained in atoning tones. "In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have said it."
Ah, but he did and no certified Devils fan was about to let him off the hook; and that's where my younger son, Simon, enters this melodrama from Stage Right; as in right from wrong.
On Sunday afternoon, January 15, 1984, the Edmonton Oilers, of all people, were slated to skate on to the Meadowlands ice. They would be led by Captain Gretzky.
I was working the TV end for that game and invited my wife, Shirley, and Simon to attend. Some 19,000 other fans chose to visit and -- as far as could be determined -- not one of them was planning to give Wayne the keys to East Rutherford.
"They were there," said one reporter, "to taunt Gretzky every which way possible."
Fans were adorned with all sorts of Mickey Mouse paraphernalia not to mention signs such as GRETZKY IS GOOFY.
"My Mom and I had seats right up by the glass," said Simon. "We were directly opposite the goal crease that Chico (Resch) was tending goal for two out of the three periods in that spot. Like everybody else in the place, I was very excited about the whole thing."
The "Revenge Against Gretzky" game emerged as a classic David and Goliath contest. Although the Visitors climbed into a 5-2 lead after two periods, the Devils still had a few more gallons of gas in their tank -- not to mention oil for the Oilers.
"The more I watched," Simon remembered, "the more I was thrilled with the way Chico was playing goal. And when the Devils began storming back, it got even more exciting."
In less than the first five minutes of the third period, the Devils put two pucks past Andy Moog in the Edmonton net. Now the Oilers were in retreat mode.
Simon: "It was a fantastic period and we all were cheering hard for the tying Devils goal, but unfortunately it never came about."
New Jersey's valiant skaters fired a total of 15 shots at Moog before the buzzer sounded and certified a 5-4 Oilers victory. Yet the Devils were so dauntless that even the Edmonton press contingent couldn't write anything but words of praise for the losers.
"For the Devils," noted Dick Chubey in the Edmonton Sun, "it was a moral victory."
And that's how young Simon Fischler became a Devils fan and a keen admirer of Glenn Resch. To this day they're best friends. Then again, so is Gretzky.
"I got to know Wayne when I was working at the Gerry Cosby hockey store in Manhattan," Simon recalled. "He was a great guy; still is."
Then a pause, and a big grin: "But as far as that day at The Meadowlands in 1984 is concerned, let me just say that it was a Devils' game I'll never forget!