New Jersey made the top 5 on this list. And it’s good news

Our state is known for making the top of lists with not-so-good stigmas attached.

Like the highest property taxes or car insurance rates, etc. You know the deal.

But it's nice when we're near the top of the heap in the country for something positive. The survey may surprise you and the New Jersey city it's associated with may come as a shock too. Are you ready?

Newark ranks 5th in the nation ... for this!

The city of Newark, New Jersey, ranks 5th in the nation for the best hockey cities in the country. (muted trombone sound).

Well, I thought it was great. If you surveyed the actual residents of Newark, you probably wouldn't get that much enthusiasm, but that's the city where our New Jersey Devil's play in the Prudential Center.

SEE ALSO: 22 waterfront places to eat or drink in South Jersey

The Devils have won several Stanley Cup titles even though they are not one of the older teams in the National Hockey League.

Actually, they did it pretty quickly after coming to town and that would be one reason why Newark ranks as one of the best hockey cities in America.

With the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals around the corner and the NHL projected to have a record $6.6 billion in revenue this season, the personal-finance website WalletHub this week released its report on 2025's Best Cities for Hockey Fans.

Newark even beat out Philly by a mile.

Here's how they came up with the results. To determine the best places for hockey spectators, WalletHub compared 76 U.S. cities based on two divisional categories, professional and college hockey, across 21 key metrics. The data set ranges from the performance level of the city’s teams to minimum season ticket prices to stadium capacity.

Top 20 Cities for Hockey Fans
1. Boston
2. Detroit
3. Pittsburgh
4. New York City
5. Newark, N.J.  
6. Denver
7. Sunrise, Fla.
8. Tampa, Fla.
9. Buffalo, N.Y.
10. St. Louis
11. Raleigh, N.C.
12. Philadelphia
13. St. Paul, Minn.
14. Anaheim, Calif.
15. Chicago
16. Washington
17. Dallas
18. Los Angeles
19. San Jose, Calif.
20. Columbus, Ohio

The hockey team I root for

A lot of old-school hockey fans like me stick to their old allegiances from before the Devils came to New Jersey. I'm a Philadelphia Flyers fan because that's what I grew up with and the practice rink and arena are pretty close to where I live.

Many New Jersey hockey fans in the northern half of the state still prefer the Rangers or the Islanders.

But you gotta give to the New Jersey Devils. They've come a long way in a relatively short time and made New Jersey proud ... for once.