Warburton, a native of Paterson, New Jersey flew back to the Garden State on Wednesday afternoon, arriving at Prudential Center at approximately 5p.m. From that point, the transformation was on. The 53-year-old actor broke out the iconic red, green and black face paint that his character, David Puddy, made so memorable in the 1995 Seinfeld episode "The Face Painter."
22 years ago, Puddy, the diehard New Jersey Devils fan, delivered so many moments which helped have turn that episode into a cult classic among Devils fans, hockey enthusiasts and Seinfeld viewers. Sporting a Martin Brodeur jersey, Puddy was relentless in his passion for the Devils, terrifying innocent bystanders, berating Mark Messier through the glass and painting a "D" on his bare chest so he, Jerry and Kramer could contribute to spelling out "D-E-V-I-L-S" in the arena stands.
Why was Puddy so over the top in his support of Jersey's Team?
"Because this is the playoffs. You have to let them know you're out there."
Tweet from @NJDevils: Hey, this is the #StanleyCup Playoffs. You gotta let them know you're out there. LET'S GET IT ON! #TBLvsNJD | #NowWeRise pic.twitter.com/Ky8QpQeqhd
That was Warburton's mentality when he arrived at Prudential Center for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday. In an effort to fire up the crowd and generate nostalgia, Warburton absolutely delivered.
Once fully made up, the transformation was complete. Warburton went into a metaphorical time machine and was back to the character that is a household name for so many families of the 90's. "Puddy" got the crowd going to start the game, waving a #NowWeRise Towel and removing his Taylor Hall jersey to reveal a "D" painted on his chest.
Tweet from @NJDevils: ���Don���t mess with the ��! We���re the #NJDevils! We can beat anybody! THE DEVILS!��� -Puddy #TBLvsNJD | #NowWeRise pic.twitter.com/Ldx9ybAOYR
"We're the Devils! The Devils! We can beat anybody!" Warburton shouted into the mic. The crowd went wild. Moments later, a montage of the episode was shown on the Prudential Center jumbotron causing absolute pandemonium at The Rock. One last time, Warburton was shown on screen and received a standing ovation from the Jersey crowd. Although the Devils were not able to pull out a victory in Game 4, Warburton's reemergence as "Puddy" will be remembered by all who attended the game.
Tweet from @NJDevils: YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT! PUDDY APPROVES! #TBLvsNJD | #NowWeRise pic.twitter.com/AHqU0e94KR
Check out the below photos to witness the transformation and the energy from the sold out Prudential Center crowd that started with Patrick Warburton.
