Empty seats in NJ in tonight's game?

Question

Did anyone else notice how empty the arena looked tonight? I know trap hockey is boring, but come on, it's playoff time, where were all the fans?

I know for a fact that would never happen in Ottawa, or most other cities, even if the team was down 0-3 in a series.

What gives?

Answer 1

Those empty seats ARE the Devils fans. 1/3 of their fanbase are corporate accounts that give the tix as perks. Announced crowds(ie:paid) there are always 16-17 thousand, but in reality it's rare you get more than 12-13 thousand actual people and in a lot of cases, a couple thousand are there for the visiting team.

Answer 2

Most other cities have arenas that are actually accessible to fans on a Thursday night for a 7:00 game.

Here's a little geography lesson. Say you live in Bloomfield, New Jersey just off exit 150 of the Parkway. To get to a Devils game you have to go north (3 miles) to exit 153 and then take Route 3 for six miles to the arena. How long do you think the trip will take during rush hour? 10 minutes? 15 minutes? Try 45-75!

Or try and figure out how to get to the Arena by public transportation. You can take a train to the nearest station and then walk, oh, about 5 1/2 miles (for 99 percent of the population, not an option). Or you can take a bus (they have buses which go right to the Sports Complex), but Route 3 doesn't have dedicated bus lanes, meaning that bus isn't going to avoid that traffic jam you'd be sitting in by driving yourself.

Most professional sports arenas are in downtown locations with oodles of travel options available to fans. The Continental Airlines Arena is in no-man's land. Before Giants Stadium opened in 1977, most New Jerseyans didn't even know there was a town called East Rutherford. The football games pack the stadium but then again, they are played almost exclusively on Sunday afternoons, with the exception of Monday night games which start at 8:30 (after rush hour has died down). But trying to get to the Arena for a 7:00 weeknight game is madness.

I'm sure they'll do a little better on Saturday night.

Answer 3

I'm not surprised NJ Devils just don't have that many supporters most of the hockey fans in NJ are either Ranger fans or Flyers (south Jersey). Just not the history as the Ranger franchise.

Yeah tonight was bad 3,500 shy of a sell out, but that tells you the arena always was bigger then the demand after all it's bigger then Madison Square Garden. To top it off the Meadowlands are a logistical nightmare to get to you've to drive no rail connection.

The Nets have the same problem no matter how bad the Knicks are they play a distant second fiddle that's why they want to move to Brooklyn. Devils are going to move to Newark not sure how that's going to work out.

Answer 4

One of the biggest problems the Devils have is that Con Airlines arena is not the easiest place to get to. For a 7pm game you would have to drive the New Jersey Turnpike and Rt 3 at 6-6:30 which is not something most sane people want to do. Also public transportation to the arena?? you're kidding right, the only public transportation to that area comes from NY (NJ Transit really, really sucks). Add that to being a weekday game the attendance is going to be lower, ask about this after Saturday's game.

Answer 5

There are always empty seats in New Jersey, unless the Rangers come to town. Then the seats are filled with Ranger fans. Frankly, I've never understood how New Jersey has managed to keep its team as long as it has. They are a Marty Brodeur away from becoming the Portland Devils.

Answer 6

I think hockey is getting less hype now. I don't know about NJ but for some reason there are still tickets left for the next couple games in Detroit. That's weird. I mean it is "Hockey Town" and all. I think that time off that they took durring that strike made some fans lose intrest. I know i did some. But i'm getting psyced again.

Answer 7

NJ hasn't had good ticket sales all year long. Plus Ottawa pounded them in the first period with 4 goals so i'm sure the fans with the better seats just left.

Answer 8

Many markets in the states just don't care about hockey, especially in places like NJ. With the salary cap making smaller markets more viable they need to start moving teams back to Canada, winnipeg, quebec, another team in southern ontario. Where every game will sellout and people WILL care.

Answer 9

new jersey always has empty seats and ticketmaster.com always says the games are sold out. If you want tickets you must always go to the continental airlines arena to get your tickets about 30 to 35 minutes before the games. The devils play so much boring hockey and its always fun to see them lose.

Answer 10

The devils havent sold out a game all year. Its too bad there isnt more fan support there. Im a devils fan and i live in Wisconsin so...yeah...

This Sakic guy above me is a douchebag....just though id throw that in there cause hes a jerkoff. Who cares about the devils? Heres my question: who cares about Sakic?...hes at home playin with his kids while the Devils are playing hockey in the playoffs...HAHAHAHA!