Devils fans around the world unite at Global Series | GLOBAL SERIES

Some games don't even have to take place at Newark's Prudential Center. For the Global Series, Devils fans traveled thousands of miles and across an ocean (or two) to represent the Black and Red.

Mikaela Mackie from Melbourne, Australia, took a 25-hour journey to land in Prague for the game. She connected with other Devils fans from different countries through social media and the group met for the game.

“We all know each other from Twitter. “It’s fantastic to connect with other people and have common interests,” she said. “It makes it easy to start a conversation and get along.”

Their group included people from England, Ireland and Italy. The four had only met on the morning of this interview.

“Met up to hang out today,” she said.

The ladies with Devils flair planned to explore Prague together and attend the Global Series games.

“We can’t just casually go to a game. It’s so meaningful for us to be here,” said Matilda Sampaio from England. “To be here and be with other people who understand it and understand how important it is, I'm going to be sitting with someone I've never met at the game before and I know I'm the best will have time.

“We have been following each other for a while and have the same passion. It makes the experience so much better when you have someone to share it with.”

Sisters Mireya and Noalea came to Prague from their home country of Spain to watch the game. Even though Spain is not a stronghold of ice hockey, the siblings were able to assert themselves with the sport.

“I read a book about a hockey player and found it interesting. I was looking for teams and (the Devils) was the first team I looked at,” Noalea said. “I like the way they play. They are a real team. (Spain has football), but there is not that connection between them. It's super cool. It’s amazing.”

After Noalea's conversion, her sister Mireya followed, including to the Czech Republic.

“It was fun to learn about a game I knew nothing about. It just felt right,” Mireya said. “We watch online on Tik Tok, Twitter and blogs about hockey.

“It's so great to go for a walk and hear people screaming, 'Let's go, devil!'”

This was a common occurrence in the old streets of Prague's Old Town. Black and red filled historic sites and streets throughout the city. The Devils were the common cause for fans from different countries, backgrounds, cultures and languages.

“We met Devils fans today from Scotland, Spain, Florida and California, a group from Mexico, of course a lot of people from Jersey, we came to support them,” Stanton said. “People who don't even speak English but are screaming, 'Let's go, devil!' as soon as you see them. Why don’t you love this?”

East Brunswick native Joe Leonard even added learning a foreign language to his trip.

“I wrote it down in Czech. Devils vyhrat. It means the Devils win,” he said.

The faithful were able to experience this twice, as New Jersey won both games against the Sabres. It was the perfect end to a perfect week for the saints' pilgrimage.

“You don’t build intense connections until you realize that we all have this passion and intense love, especially the European fans,” Sampaio said. “We all stay up until 3, 4, 5 in the morning to watch these games.”

The Devils may represent New Jersey, but they also brought together many from around the world in the Global Series.

“It's not the things that make us different, it's the things that make us fans of the sport,” Stanton said. “To appreciate it and see people you don’t even know see you wearing the hat, the logo, the jersey. You don't even speak the language, but you're still a fan of the sport and the players. It’s great to be on the same page and see that people you’ve never met love the same things you do.”