NJ Devils Visit Overlook Hospital To Cheer Up Patients

By ERIC KIEFER (Patch Staff)

Summit, NJ -- Being stuck in a hospital for the holidays is tough any way you slice it… but it does have certain benefits.

Earlier this month, members of the New Jersey Devils hockey team visited the pediatric wards of several local hospitals following their 10:30 a.m. practice session at Codey Arena at South Mountain in West Orange.

The list of hospitals included:

• Children’s Specialized Hospital, Mountainside, NJ
• Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ
• Morristown Memorial Hospital, Morristown, NJ
• Overlook Hospital and Valerie Center, Summit, NJ
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ
• Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston, NJ
• Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Paterson, NJ
• University Hospital, Newark, NJ

“When you get a chance to do these things, it’s more or less to put a smile on somebody’s face,” defenseman Damon Severson said. “I know we had a few patients excited to see us. Anytime you come to a hospital and make somebody happy, that’s going to make your day.”

Forward Kyle Palmieri echoed his teammate’s sentiments.

“I think its huge,” Palmieri said. “Obviously you want to give back to your community, and some of these kids aren’t able to get out to a game. It’s nice to come visit some of them and lift their spirits around this time of the year.”

Watch a video of the hospital visits here.

Photo by the NJ Devils