NHL
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/58/NewJerseyDevils.png/125px-NewJerseyDevils.png
3x Champion:
1995, 2000, 2003



Not sure if there's been a thread on this before.

http://www.newjerseydevils.com/njd/prucenter/galleries/3dmodel/prucenter-interior.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k217/Aviller71/devils10.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k217/Aviller71/devils9.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k217/Aviller71/devils11.jpg

February construction pics

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k217/Aviller71/devils1.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k217/Aviller71/devils2.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k217/Aviller71/devils3.jpg

January

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k217/Aviller71/devils4.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k217/Aviller71/devils5.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k217/Aviller71/devils6.jpg

Luxury boxes

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k217/Aviller71/devils7.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k217/Aviller71/devils8.jpg

what i dont get is the fact nj averages around 14000 this year which is patheitc so why is a new arean being built and alos the nets are leaving so that brings the point why waste the money..

right.
The other day the NY Post said the team drew 7k, tickets distributed was 12k, and the arena holds 19k....

what i dont get is the fact nj averages around 14000 this year which is patheitc so why is a new arean being built and alos the nets are leaving so that brings the point why waste the money..

Location. It's hard for Devils fans to get into the Medowlands. Hopefully, the Prudential Center, which is located in Newark, will be more accessible.

right.
The other day the NY Post said the team drew 7k, tickets distributed was 12k, and the arena holds 19k....

The Prudential Center will hold 17,628 for hockey & 18,472 for basketball.

The Prudential Center will hold 17,628 for hockey & 18,472 for basketball.

Which would make sense if the Nets were joining them there, which they are not.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Nets playing here in the future. The Brooklyn project will take years to complete at the rate that project is going and the Meadowlands will be demolished in the not to distant future. By my guess.

I love how NY has waited for almost all the other cities in the major NA sports to build their stadiums and arenas and now are doing theirs. Hopefully it means the wait will translate to having the best of the lot.

I love how NY has waited for almost all the other cities in the major NA sports to build their stadiums and arenas and now are doing theirs. Hopefully it means the wait will translate to having the best of the lot.

We already have some of the best facilities going. There is nothing wrong with Yankee Stradium or MSG that minor rennovations couldn't fix. Shea is unique, the Mausileum is a great old barn, and Jersey can do whatever jersey wants..... as long as Red Bull Park gets built.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Nets playing here in the future. The Brooklyn project will take years to complete at the rate that project is going and the Meadowlands will be demolished in the not to distant future. By my guess.
I wouldn't mind seeing the Nets playing here myself, and that's a lot better than moving to Brooklyn, though NJ Transit is building a new rail line that will include the Meadowlands around 2015.

NJT was supposed to build that rail line by 1978.

Unfotunately, budget issues is what prevented that.

We already have some of the best facilities going. There is nothing wrong with Yankee Stradium or MSG that minor rennovations couldn't fix. Shea is unique, the Mausileum is a great old barn, and Jersey can do whatever jersey wants..... as long as Red Bull Park gets built.

Your venues have history, but facility to facility if you take out that history(I know you can't do that and history is big) NYCs facilities are far behind. Hence why they are rebuilding everything.

Your venues have history, but facility to facility if you take out that history(I know you can't do that and history is big) NYCs facilities are far behind. Hence why they are rebuilding everything.

history is everything. Ask the Boston Bruins. Ask the Chicago Blackhawks..... Their historical buildings gave them home ice advantage..... now they have nothing.......

No matter how much you want it, at some point the facility has to undergo major major renovations that could cost more than a new facility or take away a ton of the..................whatever you want to call it. It just happens. I don't feel sorry for either of those clubs. It happens to us all.

I may hate the Red Sox, the city of Boston, and everything about New England..... but I have massive amounts of respect for them keeping the magic and charm of Fenway alive.

Recent photo

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u211/east5n/0001.jpg

Will Seton Hall play there?

All I know is that the Men's Seton Hall Basketball team will.

history is everything. Ask the Boston Bruins. Ask the Chicago Blackhawks..... Their historical buildings gave them home ice advantage..... now they have nothing.......

History doesn't change the fact that Shea is a dump, and MSG isn't much better.

looks like any ordinary hockey stadium. nothing special.

Being a devils fan i've been following the progress of Prudential Center for many months. I'm not crazy about the exterior design but everything else looks pretty good.
Location is prime and it'll help tremendously in cleaning up some bad central parts of the city with possible future developments this arena will attract.
For those who havent been to Newark, it's still pretty bad. You walk in parts of downtown and you would think you were in Camden.

The Ironbound district of Newark is supposed to be nice. Guess that's where the western civilization sprung up in that city.

History doesn't change the fact that Shea is a dump, and MSG isn't much better.

Being a Yankees fan, I've always liked the fact that Shea ia a dump.
MSG V is one of the crown jewels of the NHL and NBA. The fans (moreso the Rangers fans) are their to support the team.... the way it should be.

MSG is deffinitely a jewel. It would be a travesty if they moved the Knicks and the Rangers from there, always loved going to that place.

Sorry, i just cant resist:D
Photo is taken february 22nd of this year: Devils 3 - Rangers 2 (overtime shootout)
What better way to pimpslap the rags as always:lol:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1256/873471467_caee7aae44.jpg

what i dont get is the fact nj averages around 14000 this year which is patheitc so why is a new arean being built and alos the nets are leaving so that brings the point why waste the money..

The Meadowlands arena is old by NHL standards and that keeps people away from the the nets and devils. Newark's former mayor Sharpe James was in the redevelopment mode and hence a deal was made for the new jersey devils to have an exclusive arena from themselves which is the trend in Pro sports in north ameirca. With the title New Jersey Devils the team could have certainly gone to a dozen cities in the upper new jersey with a new home with new modern amenities that are new revenue streams for the team .

James wasnt so keen in building the new arena as far as i can recall, it was Whitman who pushed for the project to go ahead.

Sorry, i just cant resist:D
Photo is taken february 22nd of this year: Devils 3 - Rangers 2 (overtime shootout)
What better way to pimpslap the rags as always:lol:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1256/873471467_caee7aae44.jpg
I hate that the seating doesn't abut the boards. That makes for the famous rail behind the glass that we all see on TV.

The Rock takes shape

http://cdn.nhl.com/devils/images/upload/2007/08/practiceinside_august.jpg

When Prudential Center is complete, it will be more than just the latest state-of-the-art facillity in the National Hockey League – it will truly be one of a kind.

In a few weeks, when the practice rink adjacent to the Devils' new home is up and running, it will house a second sheet of ice, locker room and training room, along with the team's executive offices.

That will make Prudential Center one of only two NHL arenas with a practice rink, and the only building in the league with dual locker room/training facilities.

Click below to view a gallery of the progress, and check back often for the latest updates from the first major sports and entertainment venue to be built in the metropolitan area in the last 25 years!

http://devils.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=MediaGalleryPlayer&galleryId=2253
http://devils.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=MediaGalleryPlayer&galleryId=2252

Doesnt look like it's going to be ready for opening home game. Devils might have to play a few games in Philly or Massachusetts.
http://devils.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=MediaGalleryBrowser&type=4

they still have about a month to go..

devils start the season with a 9 game road trip.

home opener is late october, on the 25th.

definitely think things can be finished by then.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/20/sports/hockey/20sandomir.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Devils Win the Race to Be First

By RICHARD SANDOMIR
Published: October 20, 2007

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/10/20/sports/20sandomir.xlarge1.jpg
Mike Derer/Associated Press

The Devils will play this season at their new arena, the Prudential Center in Newark, while the other New York-New Jersey teams continue construction.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/10/20/sports/20sandomir.large2.jpg
Mike Derer/Associated Press

The Prudential Center will seat 17,625 fans for hockey, 18,500 for Seton Hall basketball and 19,500-plus for concerts.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/10/20/sports/20sandomir.large3.jpg
Mike Derer/Associated Press

The new arena, nicknamed the Rock, will open Thursday with a concert by Bon Jovi. The first Devils home game is Oct. 27.

No one could have predicted a decade or so ago that the Devils would be the first team in the New York-New Jersey market to have a new arena or stadium. George Steinbrenner’s blustery threats to move to the Meadowlands or Manhattan seemed to place the Yankees first in line. The Mets rolled out a model of a new ballpark in 1998. Plans for a new Madison Square Garden are periodically trotted out, yet the old one still stands.

But the Devils? Twelve years ago, John McMullen, who imported the team from Denver, threatened to export it to Nashville, which raised the wonderful possibility of imagining Lou Lamoriello, the team’s president and occasional head coach, singing country tunes at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. Four years later, McMullen teamed with the folks at the Garden on a failed plan to build an arena in Hoboken.

But it was Jeffrey Vanderbeek, the Devils’ owner, who was giving a tour yesterday of the $375-million Prudential Center, nicknamed the Rock, in Newark six days before its opening Thursday with a Bon Jovi concert. The arena includes an austere and capacious white concourse; slick $222,000 to $285,000 luxury suites; restaurants and club lounges that overlook the ice; intimate seating (17,625 for hockey, 18,500 for Seton Hall basketball and 19,500-plus for concerts); displays of New Jersey high school hockey jerseys; hockey-themed artwork; and an enormous outdoor L.E.D. screen that will emit high definition images allegedly visible in Manhattan.

This is clearly the Devils’ building, built by the Devils (with $210 million in Newark money) for the Devils. There is no N.B.A. team (there is an indoor soccer club, the Ironmen) to deflect attention (or to add revenue) from the Devils.

As Vanderbeek skillfully gave a tour for dozens of reporters, it was difficult not to think of McMullen, who died in 2005. He loved this team. He hated the Continental Airlines Arena (now the Izod Center) and only considered migrating to the country music capital of Nashville to make the money he couldn’t make in the state-run Meadowlands.

Heck, he was an owner, but a delightfully cantankerous and bluntly candid one.

He would have loved to have beaten Steinbrenner to the finish line with the first arena or stadium to open in this market since the Continental Arena in 1981.

Instead, it was Vanderbeek, the former Lehman Brothers investment banker, who opened his building before the Yankees and Mets, whose new ballparks are to open in the spring of 2009; the Giants and Jets, whose joint, $1.3-billion stadium beside Giants Stadium is scheduled to open in 2010; the Nets, who haven’t broken ground near downtown Brooklyn on a Frank Gehry-designed arena that is still expected to open in 2009; and the Red Bulls’ $140-million soccer stadium in Harrison, N.J.

“I’ve always felt it was important to be first,” Vanderbeek said, not the least because of the edge it gives him in selling luxury suites and club seats before the other teams flood the market with the elite seating from their new arenas and stadiums.

“This is different than anybody in this area is used to,” he said.

Only local fans who have traveled to other cities can understand the concept of “modern amenities,” which are endemic to the many new stadiums and arenas around the country (and which largely enrich their owners). But old facilities feel their age.

Ever try to fit comfortably in an upper deck seat at Yankee Stadium?

Don’t you love those ramps at Shea Stadium?

The lingering question about the Prudential Center is how many fans will venture there. There were probably similar thoughts when the Devils came to the swamp. Although fans got used to driving there, they didn’t make it a habit of filling the 19,040 seats. Now, will they abandon their cars to adopt Vanderbeek’s mass transit ethos?

He says he gets 50 e-mail messages a week from fans who are happy to leave their cars at home and take trains so they can imbibe while enjoying hockey night in Newark.

Vanderbeek is naturally a huge Newark booster despite the city’s crime rate and its novice status at playing host to major league sports teams. He said the team retained about 8,000 of last year’s 8,500 season-ticket holders and added 3,000 more. You’d think they’d be regular attendees, with their money in Vanderbeek’s coffers. He said he would be disappointed if attendance didn’t average 16,000 to 17,500 a game, a leap from 14,176 last season, close to the N.H.L.’s lowest, a figure that included no sellouts.

“This building is second to none,” he said, cordless microphone in hand. “We’ll no doubt increase our fan base.”

E-mail: sportsbiz@nytimes.com

A view of the completed arena taken today

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Prucenterinterior.jpg/800px-Prucenterinterior.jpg
From: en.wikipedia.org

6 more days.. cant wait for the season opener

A view of the completed arena taken today

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Prucenterinterior.jpg/800px-Prucenterinterior.jpg
From: en.wikipedia.org
gorgeous.

looks very very intimate...and nice.

just hope the devils sell out the season....or at least have much much better attendance than they did at the CAA.

If the move to Brooklyn fails for the Nets, they can always play their home games here.

Anyone know how far this arena is from from MSG?

UFC 78 is taking place here on 17th November.

They would love to run an event at MSG but cannot as as MMA is banned by the New York Athletic Commission. As Newark is in New Jersey they don't have that problem.

So cool and much better than the old CAA.

I don't think that CAA was that bad, it just wan't good to get to transitwise.

Anyone know how far this arena is from from MSG?

UFC 78 is taking place here on 17th November.

They would love to run an event at MSG but cannot as as MMA is banned by the New York Athletic Commission. As Newark is in New Jersey they don't have that problem.

Newark is 2 train stops from MSG. Just a 10 minute train ride away from NY Penn Station.

By car, it's about 20 minutes drive if you're lucky from the Holland Tunnel.

And the rock is just a couple of blocks from Newark Penn Station.

Here's a cool interactive map of the Rock from the Newark Star Ledger (Tony Soprano's paper):
http://www.nj.com/newarkguide/map/arena/

And here's a cool interactive map of the rising downtown heart of Newark from the same paper:
http://www.nj.com/newarkguide/map/downtown/

Newark's looking good.

Finally some good news from Newark. I went by it a few times this summer and I liked it.

They lost the opener against the Sens... they're gonna suck balls this season. Losing Rafalski and Gomer hurt us big time. Anyway, i like the new arena. It's no Mellon Arena but it sure is better than some of the new arenas they opened in recent years.
The worst one is Pepsi Center in Colorado. That building looks just hideous:ohno:

Damn, I didn't realize that they lost such key players. Is the new owner poor or something or is Lamoriello still acting like a dick when it comes to re-signing players?

They have the Salary Cap now in the NHL just like in the NBA.
A team cannot spend more than $44 million otherwise it would have to cut players loose. Devils have a great owner in Vanderbeek and of course Lou is the best GM in the game.
Problem is that they spend too much on their elite players. Broduer and Elias together earn $15 million, that's 1/3 of the whole team cap.
Rafalski signed with the Wings for $6 million per year. Gomer signed with the Rags for over $7 million a season. It was impossible for the Devs to sign these guys due to the cap but we did sign Parise for a bargain deal.

Best thing is to follow the Canes (Carolina) example. They have a deep team with very good players (not elite) but who arent overpaid. Ottawa is another great example.

^ That and the new coach is instituting an offense that's so unlike the Devils offenses in the past few years-- I don't think the returning players have gotten into it yet. They're a lot more chase the puck now and less defensively minded.

Can't believe Gomez went to the Rangirls. If he had the least bit of decency he would have moved out of the division.

I just recently scoped the area of the arena, and I found that there are areas I can park after 6 PM near the place rather than paying the garage or lot fees.

The WNBA's New Your Liberty will be playing in the Prudential Center during the Madison Square Garden transformation project.

Will Devils escape from New Jersey?
DAVID SHOALTS | Columnist profile | E-mail
OTTAWA— From Monday's Globe and Mail
Published Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 9:38PM EST
Last updated Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 10:04PM EST

Ray Chambers is the latest person to find out you cease to be an NHL owner only when commissioner Gary Bettman and the governors say so.

That became clear on NHL all-star weekend when Bettman said Chambers may have made a deal several months ago with his co-owner Jeffrey Vanderbeek to cut his ties to the financially strapped New Jersey Devils but that means nothing in the eyes of the league.

“There are obligations [Chambers and Vanderbeek] may or may not have to each other and there are obligations they have to the league,” Bettman said. “He’s still an owner.”

So even though Chambers is said to turned over his 47.5 per cent of the Devils to Vanderbeek, who owns an equal share, with a $25-million (all currency U.S.) payment, he is not free and clear of the franchise and its severe financial problems. Vanderbeek has been scrambling for months to refinance an $80-million loan that went into default and find enough money to pay the Devils’ big losses. But Chambers, whose share is held through a company run by his son-in-law Mike Gilfillan, cannot unload his interest without the approval of the NHL governors, Bettman said.

Bettman’s stance makes the Devils the most interesting team to watch over the rest of the season. Thanks to league rules, the bankers who hold the Devils’ loan cannot foreclose until after the Stanley Cup playoffs are over but so far Vanderbeek has not been able to find any saviours.

One person who is familiar with several people who would like to buy an NHL team said one group who examined the Devils’ finances told him they could see no way the team could break even let alone turn a profit.

Bettman admitted the NHL is giving the Devils money to stay afloat through advances on its share of league revenue, such as television money. But he denied the league, which already owns the money-losing Phoenix Coyotes, is subsidizing the Devils with any formal loans.

However, the NHL advances cannot go on indefinitely. Someone has to be found to pay the freight.

And if Chambers thinks he won’t be that someone, he should look no further than former Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes. He managed to sell the Coyotes to the NHL through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court but is still facing a lawsuit from the NHL for $62.4-million to cover the league’s costs plus damages.

Bettman is using the league’s consent agreement to hold Moyes’s feet to the fire. Every owner who buys an NHL team signs a consent agreement in which he agrees, among other things, to make sure his team has enough money to operate.

A fellow who’s handled more than one of those consent agreements says they contain a nasty little bomb that can blow up an owner’s bankroll. There is no cap on the amount of money an owner is expected to pony up for any losses, so legally the NHL could bleed him dry if he can’t sell the team.

A few owners who bought teams in recent years were smart enough to negotiate a cap into their consent agreements but there are a lot who don’t have that protection. It isn’t known if Chambers is protected.

Bettman says he is trying to get either Chambers or Vanderbeek to buy a majority share of the Devils if no owner is found. Since Chambers is by far the wealthier of the two, he is probably the preferred owner.

But he is also a reluctant owner, which means another nasty court fight could lie ahead.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/david-shoalts/will-devils-escape-from-new-jersey/article2319034/




Also, New Jersey Nets players are complaining about the arena being built for hockey. The temperature is too cold at court level apparently. Last season for them there so I guess they feel free to let rip with how they feel.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/nj-nets-deron-williams-ready-move-home-prudential-center-barclays-center-article-1.1012790