It appears that the Detroit Red Wings aren't the only successful NHL club having problems filling their home domes to capacity during playoffs games. One of the NHLs more swept-under-the-rug black marks is the fact that the New Jersey Devils, thrice Stanley Cup champions in the past decade+, can't sell out their home games on a regular basis.
Kind of like the Atlanta Braves of hockey, right? How can a team that is so successful not sell out playoff home games? Remember, this was the team that held a Stanley Cup 'parade' in a freakin' parking lot.
The Devils played their first three home playoff games before a total of nearly 6,300 empty seats, but goaltender Martin Brodeur could have sworn Continental Arena was packed to the rafters.
"I think the towels made it," Brodeur said with a smile Tuesday, referring to the white towels given to fans to spin over their heads in the playoffs. "It fills up the empty seats."
Bad location in the middle of a swamp? High ticket prices? Cruddy arena? I've heard those excuses before, and it just doesn't wash. The population of the area is quite high, and yet they can't fill one little arena for an NHL playoff tilt?
While the Devils have been a prime example of how to achieve success on the ice, they certainly don't pack the stands. The Devils finished 26th(!) in league attendance this year with an average of 14,176 per game. The year before? They were also 26th!
I guess it's not too shocking, then, that the Devils can't sell out their playoff games. There doesn't seem to be a very good casual fan base in the area, as most of the fans who do attend seem to be of the hardcore variety.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-29-2007 @ 7:14PM
acsportsbooks.com said...
Northern NJ is mostly football and baseball fans. Sournern NJ is most Flyers fans when it comes to hockey. The devils also have little draw from NY that has two teams.
Growing up in the area I always said, why spend that much money for a game I could care less about?
Reply
4-27-2007 @ 4:46PM
Tom4 said...
As one of the Swamp Faithful over the last 10+ years, I typically get sick of defending the Devils' attendance. The fact is, acsportsbooks is right. There are just so many other sports/teams in the area, and the Devils (despite calling Jersey home for 25+ years) are still the newest kid on the block.
The ticket prices ARE ridiculous. The arena IS lousy. The location IS terrible. You can't overlook these facts because they're absolutely true and relevant. Also, this being the last year that the Devils play in the Meadowlands, there seems to be a sense that the NJSEA, who owns the arena, are treating Devils games as low priority. The staffing at games this year has been terrible. They're rude, unhelpful, and understaffed. It's not a pleasant experience. I expect things to turn around at the Prudential Center, which is being build in metro Newark with plenty of access to public transportation. The arena will have bars, restaurants, a Devils hall of fame, and a park. In short: it will be a place to do other things besides watch hockey games. The lower tier seats are going to be as expensive as ever, but the upper tier seats are being slashed drastically in price to attract casually interested parties from Rutgers Newark and the local businesses. I expect attendance to improve.
That being said, having attended Devils and Rangers home games, I prefer the Meadowlands. At the Garden, it's all about the business suits who have no idea why in the world a goalie would leave the net at the end of a game down by 1. They know nothing of hockey. Devils fans, while lower in numbers, are far better fans. Quality, not quantity.
Reply
4-29-2007 @ 2:11AM
Devils13 said...
I agree with Tom4. As a kid growing up in New Jersey I had season tickets in 1993-94 and 1994-95. We had lower-level tickets (the most expensive) in a great location that were maybe 1/3 of the price they are now. My mom was able to afford this luxury because the Devils were the team to go see. The Devils fan base is suburban people in New Jersey (of which there are many). However, the biggest trouble is that you can automatically cut the population in half if you take out the Rangers fans, and then subtract all those people who would rather spend their money on the Mets, Yankees, Giants, Jets, Nets, Knicks, etc. etc. etc....and you get a real competition problem. The Devils originally pulled crowds because they were the low-cost alternative for young families in northern New Jersey (like mine), that couldn't afford to be Rangers fans. Unfortunately, the management has left the fans behind and ignored basic economics as they are doing a very poor job of pricing the lower tier. I've been to Devils games where the upper tier is reasonably packed (3/4 full or so) and the lower tier has entire sections that have maybe 10 people in them. Since they price things by section, clearly they are not doing an adequate job drawing people in. It's really frustrating as a Devils fan to try to defend the actions of the Devils management...but what else can we do? They're not in Manhattan and their fan-base isn't nearly as rich as that of the Rangers.
I don't exactly understand what you mean by those excuses "don't wash," but those little do add up to the casual fan. Those of us who do make it out to games are hardcore fans, but it's an insult to the fans on behalf of the Devils management to not try to fill up the stands. It gets really frustrating that they don't lower ticket prices...that's really all we can say.
Reply
4-29-2007 @ 10:57AM
Rob said...
Getting there sucks (NJ Turnpike)...Parking there sucks (ie: the cattle run walkway that takes pedestrians over the turnpike)...Leaving there sucks...Ticket prices are tough to swallow too - what a kick in the butt when you spend $50+ on a ticket to the nose-bleed section, only to look down at empty prime seats! I love the NJ Devils. Btw - many NJ residents are faithful NY Rangers fans. The new arena should help, but it would also help if the NJ Devils as an organization hired a top publicity firm. Just my two cents. Thanks.
Reply