If “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” have taught us anything, it’s that pure uncut nostalgia pumped directly into our brain cells will result in a sugar-rush of ecstasy no matter how middling the rest of the experience is. (And the first 40 minutes of “Rogue One” was … middling.)

The New Jersey Devils are last in the Eastern Conference and lost to the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, 5-2. But for the fans who attended the game, we imagine this was a side dish to the main course: a piping hot bowl of 1980s and 1990s images and references, cooked up by the team for “Retro Night.”

Check out this video, fans of a certain age, and try not to squee:

Yum … sweet, delicious ‘Member Berries.

I mean, you had as at faux HBO opening. Then you went 8-bit games, including “Metal Gear (!)” and “Sonic.” AND THEN YOU PUT YOU MASCOT INSIDE THE MARIO GAME but didn’t make the Goombas wear Flyers or Rangers jerseys for total accuracy. And no, it doesn’t matter that they weren’t playing that night, because it’s not a true Devils “Retro Night” if you’re not summarily obsessed with rivals who aren’t there.

Here’s what it looked like on the ice:

Again, this was genius stuff, and we congratulate the Devils on following the 1980s-night thread all the way to its logical conclusion: a divisional loss.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com 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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