On a night dedicated to recent Hall of Fame inductee No. 4 Scott Stevens, ESPN NHL analyst Barry Melrose will be among the fans in attendance, as first reported by Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record.

Melrose had originally expressed unfavorable comments towards the city of Newark in the beginning of November, but has since apologized.

"It looks great on the inside, but don't go outside, especially if you got a wallet or anything else. Because the area around the building is awful" (Barry Melrose).

The New Jersey Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek and Newark Mayor Cory Booker are forgiving people and will give Melrose an exquisite tour of the Rock and maybe of the surrounding areas as well when he arrives at City Hall at 4:30 p.m. (TG).

From my experience there, before the Devils' inaugural game against Ottawa, I felt in control at all times and never threatened at any point.  Dude Joel, who attends Devils games on a constant basis, said that there are law enforcement officers on every street and he's never felt defenseless either.

I am glad that Melrose will be there for Stevens night, but why that game?

Is he trying to steal the spotlight from No. 4 or is his ESPN schedule so busy preventing him from coming out to different game or even several contests during the season?

Whatever the reason is, Melrose, who used to play and then coach hockey, will be on hand, hopefully watching the Devils continue their dominance during the current eight-game win streak.

If Melrose is presented on the titranton, I do expect a mixture of cheers and boos for his recent comments.  Maybe even a Melrose Sucks chant.

John Fischer at Inlouwetrust had his suggestions for cheers, including "Hold your wal-let" among other clever lines.

But, then again, he didn't make the worst comments in the world, did he?

I'm not defending him for what he said.  I am just hoping that he enjoys the new arena and all that it offers, including the delicious and tasty food, and maybe even comes back for another Devils or Prudential Center event (Spice Girls!!!).

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