Eyewitnesses to the 1982 Season Opener | 40 YEARS WITH STAN

Everything was in place for opening night at Byrne Arena in East Rutherford.
Fans were greeted by a massive structure right off the New Jersey Turnpike.
Even by National Hockey League standards, the Devils new home was gigantic.
It seated 19,004 and its endless parking areas seemed to be able to embrace the same number of automobiles.
"There's so much room," chuckled one fan who arrived early at the parking area, "that you could play a dozen roller hockey games here between tailgating."
Inside, the Devils suited up, led by their new captain Don Lever. The man with the "C" on his jersey moved from player to player one-lining each with a pep talk and a pat on the back. "We're ready," Lever chortled as he led the troops out and on to the Byrne pond.
Lever proved to be an ever-ready, no-nonsense leader. In this milestone game against Pittsburgh, he opened the scoring at 2:21, and then for an encore performance, Don led teammate Hector Marini with a pass and a quick deflection put New Jersey ahead 2-0 at 5:23 of the first period.
You'd have figured that the Devils had won the Stanley Cup by the reaction of 13,663 witnesses.
But, then as now, hockey was a three-period game and in due time the visitors scored three straight goals and led 3-2 until the five-minute mark of the third period.

Fortunately, the Devils possessed a "Magician," named Merlin Malinowski. Early in the third period, Merline beat Pittsburgh's goalie Michel Dion. From that point until the 20-minute mark the teams remained deadlocked. And since overtime was not played in that bygone era, each club was pleased to exit with a point.
Members of the media were pleased as well. The usually acerbic Mark Everson of The New York Post told press box colleagues that he was "shocked" by the result.
Everson: "The Devils were a tough hockey team and not a laughing stock. Most amazing of all, they didn't lose."
Perhaps even more amazing was the club's second game: Sacre bleu!
They played the vaunted, New York Rangers in what launched the evergreen, "Trans Hudson Rivalry."
Matthew Blittner, author of "Unforgettable Devils -- Games And Moments From The Press Box, Ice And Front Office," rated the New Jersey-New York confrontation on October 8, 1982, as "Most Unforgettable," and listed reasons why:
Blittner: "The first of anything in the history of a franchise is always important -- and memorable. And when that franchise first comes against your primary rival, it's made all the sweeter. So, when the newly rebranded Devils began play in their new digs there were some questions that needed answering.
"One, how good would the team be? Two, would the fans embrace this team as their own? Three, could this team compete with its 'Big Brother' rival, the Rangers? And four, when would this team get its first win?"
One witness -- he had the very best sight line for the action -- was New Jersey's goalkeeper Glenn (Chico) Resch. His Devils won, 3-2 after Resch made 21 of 23 saves. Here, in Chico's very own words is how he viewed the opening of this not-so-brief rivalry encounter against the Broadway Blueshirts.
"That moment was as special as any that I had with the Devils because we beat the Rangers. Even though it was just the beginning of the rivalry, it meant so much for us as well as our growing fan base. We were just starting, so we didn't have a huge wide fan base like the Rangers. But our win that night sure got them excited and helped grow the numbers of our supporters.
"I remember celebrating with my teammates after the game and what a good feeling it was. Looking at the big picture, I grant you that over the season, it was a tough year for the franchise but who could forget that first win? Not me!"
New Jersey's first NHL franchise victory was crafted on a first-period power-play goal from Steve Tambellini. Twice, the Blueshirts counterattacked to tie the game, 2-2. But Merlin (The Magician) Malinowsi put the game away for New Jersey with a late second period power play score.
"The 3-2 final," said historian Blittner, "set off a celebration in New Jersey."
But nobody was more jubilant than Resch. As an Islander for six years, Glenn had a first-person feel for what it meant to beat the Manhattan skaters.
Resch: "The great thing about playing the Rangers was that it didn't take any special preparation. The switches automatically turned on and that first night I remember the fans were divided 50-50 but it still was our home game. Our players wanted it badly because we wanted some respect and this was the kind of win that would give us that respect and, of course, fire us up.
"When we walked into the room we all had that special feeling inside us that, yes, this was a Rangers game. We could feel the buzz with the fans and, when we looked back at the 3-2 result, it wasn't as if we were lucky to beat them. And when the horn went off to end the game we started celebrating on the ice because it was the moment that we hockey players play for -- taking on the challenge and then succeeding as we did."
To some critics, it may seem silly to list just the second game in franchise history as one that produced "pressure" among the athletes. But Resch said there was plenty of that "butterflies in the stomach" feeling and he didn't mean maybe either.
Resch: "There was pressure, all right, and we never succumbed to it. Looking back, I can remember many exciting moments in that first win, but, more importantly, we never caved into the pressure. We were confronted and challenged and we stood up to it all and didn't break down and, at the end, we had the first win in Devils history!"
While Resch was making kick saves -- and some beauties -- a young fan named George Falkowski was sitting in the stands biting his fingernails in the hopes that the Garden Staters would prevail. The following are George Falkowski's eyewitness thoughts about the contest:
Falkowski: "I was at that second home game and still have the program and ticket stub because the win was so special to me. Let me explain: I had seen my first NHL game 19 months earlier in March of 1991 when a friend took me to Madison Square Garden to see the Rangers. Wouldn't you know, the game was against the Colorado Rockies and it was the day after Chico Resch had been traded by the Islanders to Colorado.
"Funny thing was that on that night Chico and the Rockies knocked off the Blueshirts on a late goal by Steve Tambellini, another ex-Islander. So here I was -- 19 months later -- and there's Tambellini scoring and there's Chico backstopping the Devils to their first win, 3-2, fittingly against the Rangers.
Obviously, it was too soon for any New Jersey superduper heroes to have emerged but wins like the one against New York produced Garden State role models... One was a sweet, little forward nicknamed "The Magician." And so one Devils idol grew at Byrne Arena; at least in the eyes of one rooter.
Falkowski: "The game-winner came off the stick of the immortal Merlin Malinowski, who became my first favorite New Jersey Devil for obvious reasons. He was the Devils leading scorer for about two weeks and then they shipped him off to Hartford for Rick Meagher, much to my dismay.
"But the most indelible impression from that first win was that for the first time, I saw a New York sports team from the perspective of another fan base. I got to thinking to myself, 'These New York fans are so obnoxious.' I call it our New Jersey pride; a Garden State chip on my shoulder. I was instantly aggravated by the loud Rangers fans in our building and that feeling is something that's never left me."
Falkowski went on to a successful career as a tv producer in New England and in New Jersey. He currently teaches journalism and broadcasting at several New Jersey colleges. Ask him to once again pinpoint his feelings about his first Devils-Rangers game and he'll spin chapters and verses.
"Yeah," he smiled, "that's something that never quite left me. It was so satisfying to be there, seeing first-hand, the Devils winning that game. In fact, they finished the first season with a 3-1-3 record against the Rangers. Not bad for the new kids in The Swamp who would only manage 17 victories all year!"
Up and down the press box, members of the media were enthused as well, but nobody got a bigger kick out of the victory than Doc Mac -- otherwise known as owner Dr. John McMullen of Montclair, New Jersey.
The original -- and long time -- Devils beat writer, Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger, summed up Doc Mac's visceral reaction to his club's first victory.
"Put it this way," Chere concluded, "McMullen hated the Rangers!"