New Jersey Devils win April Fools' Day with angelic rebranding

Say, is your head pounding from all the April Fools' Day “fun,” as every brand and every company pushes out their wacky pranks before issuing their inevitable apologies?

The NHL is not immune to this chicanery.

The Edmonton Oilers had a nice Twitter goof in which they claimed they were bringing the ice from Rexall Place to their new arena. (Their ice being historically terrible.)

But while they earned points for inspiration, the New Jersey Devils’ prank wins on execution: a total rebranding of the team as the New Jersey Angels beginning next season:

Yes, it’s a halo and wings replacing the satanic horns on the current logo. An angelic gold and white color palette replacing the harsh fire and brimstone of red and black. As Devils President Hugh Weber said in the team’s “press release” about the rebranding:

“In an effort to focus on our organizations mission of creating a family-friendly environment, in our state and in our arena, we have elected to change our franchise name to the New Jersey Angels.” Weber proclaimed this morning. Weber, who has been with the team since 2013, believes that a more welcoming team name will highlight community initiatives and open the door to new fans.

(This is, of course, a knowing goof on both the harsh environment at Devils home games and the team’s constant killjoy approach to fan traditions.)

You have to love a team that goes all-out for a joke. They Devils purchased NewJerseyAngelsHockey.com and @NewJerseyAngels on Twitter. They had jerseys mocked up and Photoshopped players in them.

The kicker, at the end of their “new” homepage, is that fans should “See the New Jersey Devils for the last time April 5‑9 during FAN APPRECIATION WEEK,” and then there’s a “get tickets” button.

Is the gag a little too on the nose? Sure. Is it more preparation and detailed than some actual NHL team digital news releases? Completely.

Nice work out of the Devils. Obviously the next step would have been to get Brad Church out of retirement.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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