The New Jersey Devils will host their Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Night on January 14, 2025, when they face off against the Florida Panthers for a 7:30 p.m. contest at Prudential Center on ESPN+/Hulu and Devils Hockey Network. The club’s third Hockey Is For Everyone game of the season will include custom designed jerseys, unique food options from Heritage Kitchen, concourse performances, and more.
Jerseys for the Devils’ Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Night were custom designed by local artist, Sumana Ghosh-Witherspoon, from South Orange, New Jersey. Inspired by the colors, textures, and folk art of India, Sumana uses a carving method from rubber stamps to create a woodblock print effect, similar to the block-printed fabrics found in India. The custom design represents a variety of Asian cultures through colors and symbolism. In her words:
“I love that the New Jersey Devils are dedicating a night to celebrating our culture. It’s been really special to be able to showcase Asian culture by seamlessly merging its artistic traditions with an American cultural tradition like hockey. The Devils very graciously gave me complete freedom to express myself through my art and the end result is both bold and graceful, like the Asian community and its diverse cultural traditions.”
The custom designed jerseys available to wear during player arrivals will be auctioned between January 14 and January 21, with proceeds benefiting AAPI New Jersey, who will also be the night’s 50/50 beneficiary. Fans will be able to place their bid at newjerseydevils.com/auction.
In honor of the Devils’ Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Night, there will be a pregame mixer event for invited groups within the API community. The National Anthem will be sung by Hrishi, singer-songwriter and South Indian musician, who will also perform a postgame concert on the main concourse by Section 19. Joining Hrishi for the National Anthem will be 10-year-old Charlie Ro from the Montclair Blues as the Junior Captain of the Game. DJ Vishal Dholakia will perform a pre-game in-arena set in Section 125 at 6:15 PM. Korean Traditional Dance of Choomnoori will also perform on the main concourse during the first and second intermissions. The night’s Hero of the Game will be United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Don Valdez, a second generation Filipino-American.
Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Night will also introduce the fourth Heritage Kitchen pop-up food and beverage stand, Ms. Fu’s Yummy Food Truck. Founded by Fumiji Aoki, her food truck features classic and new creations of mixed culture dishes such as Japanese, Korean, Thai and Chinese. The pop-up can be found across from The Foundry Bar on the main concourse near Section 21. Ms. Fu’s Yummy Food Truck will mark the fourth small, diverse business highlighted by the Devils and hospitality partner, Levy, for Heritage Kitchen, which will embrace global cultures and cuisines throughout theme nights this season from Eastback Kitchen.
Special content pieces posted on the Devils’ social media channels will feature New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler and the three-day Ice Hockey Summer Camp he hosted last summer in Thailand. As the National Hockey League’s first player of Thai descent, Siegenthaler is also the first NHL player to host a hockey camp in Thailand. Additional content pieces will highlight Sumana Gosh-Witherspoon’s inspiration for creating the custom designed jerseys and feature Ms. Fu’s Yummy Food Truck.
