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Wednesday, June 14, 2000 Cup champions get tailgate partyEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Who needs a ticker-tape parade down a canyon of heroes? This is New Jersey. A tailgate party on a concrete prairie will do just fine, thanks.A parking lot at the Meadowlands Sports Complex was the scene Wednesday for thousands of New Jersey Devils' fans to celebrate the team's second Stanley Cup championship in six seasons. Hundreds had arrived by 4 p.m. EDT for the start of a free Fan Fest with games, food and music. Youngsters played roller hockey near two giant video screens bearing the Devils logo as adults enjoyed tailgate food. Many wore red and white Devils jerseys. Ryan Partley, 13, said he had no problem with the parking lot venue. "It's more their home," he said. Later, a celebration was to feature a laser light show, fireworks, the presentation of the Cup, video highlights of the team's championship season and player introductions. The Devils beat the Dallas Stars 2-1 in double overtime Saturday for their second Stanley Cup championship since 1995, when they swept the Detroit Red Wings in the final. More than 25,000 fans turned out for a victory celebration after that Stanley Cup, though their enthusiasm was somewhat clouded by the team's threatened move to Nashville. There were other questions about the club's future Wednesday, although an out-of-state move wasn't one of them. The team is about to change hands. John McMullen sold the team to YankeeNets for $175 million and will surrender control July 12. The team is expected to eventually move to a proposed arena in Newark. The Meadowlands complex is a great place to gaze at the skyline of New York, where championship teams are feted with parades through clouds of cut paper through the canyons of lower Broadway. But since the tallest buildings around the complex are barely higher than the upper levels of Giants Stadium, and surrounding streets are mainly service roads or on-off ramps to the New Jersey Turnpike, the choices for a victory route were limited. McMullen refused an offer from Newark city officials to have a ticker-tape parade there. Bayonne and West Orange also offered to stage the parade, but McMullen -- calling the Meadowlands home -- declined. Devils advocates weren't the only ones celebrating, either: The author of a New Jersey Devils Hate Page on the Internet tipped a hat to the champions. "Despite the fact this is an anti-NJ Devils site, I congratulate the Devils on their Cup victory," the site said. 
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