Five years ago, Crystal took Oriana, then just nine years old, to her first Devils game at Prudential Center. A fan herself, Crystal was pleased to see her daughter take to the game immediately.
A third-grade teacher and a track and field coach, Crystal had chances to get tickets to the game through her school. Eager to share the sport with her daughter, Crystal saw a diehard hockey fan born before her very eyes.
A few years later, she got the idea to create some lifelong memories by visiting every single NHL arena to watch their Devils play.
"She had already fallen in love with the sport," Crystal told stlouisblues.com. "I would find her at home watching old games on YouTube, and I decided to go for it."
The two have been to four arenas together, making sure St. Louis was an early priority after watching them play over the last few seasons - Oriana even recognized the Blues' goal song when it played at St. Louis Union Station during their visit. Crystal, a big Jordan Binnington fan on her own, had St. Louis and Columbus at the top of her list of NHL cities outside the Northeast region.
Crystal and Oriana have seen the Devils play at the Islanders' new home at UBS Arena, Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center and now Enterprise Center - as well as their season tickets at New Jersey's Prudential Center.
They have also seen the New York Rangers play the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden - where Oriana got a puck tossed to her from none other than former Blue T.J. Oshie - but their trip is primarily focused around the Devils' road schedule.
To commemorate the trip, Crystal had a customized jersey made for her daughter featuring every team's logo as they check them off the list.
