If the Devils were as stupid as the Nets?

['7']

On 5/22/2017 at 3:07 PM, DevsMan84 said:

Only good thing about BBA were the memories of us winning.  Outside of that the place was a dump.  I do vaguely remember the time before the center scoreboards and you basically had only the dot matrix boards on each end of the rink as well as two big screens (which these days would be considered tiny) in two of the four corners up top.  Then I believe they added two more screens in the corner and the center board roughly at the same time.  Last time I was at the arena was in 2011 for a graduation and outside of the memories everything else about it sucked.  Glad we have the arena we are at now.

The current cattle bridge isn't terrible.  It's fairly wide and since it is concrete it is nice and sturdy.  However you are right about the old wooden one.  That thing was cramped and seemed like it was about to collapse at any minute.  It was very poorly lit with lights I can only described as those dim ones you see in coal mines.  Luckily when we had season tickets we got the parking passes after a couple of seasons so we could park close to the arena and avoid that terrible tunnel.

I wouldn't say it was a dump though. I mean it was located in a dump, but really it was just boring with the plain layout of the seating and the sheer amount of seats meant a respectable crowd of 15,500 ended up looking terrible in person and on TV. But overall the arena was never dingy or dirty. It just wasn't built to have any charm like the Aud or Boston Garden. It was the NHL's Riverfront Stadium. Copps Coliseum is a similar venue. Detroits Joe was also a good comparison though that arena had less of a break between the first and second deck giving it more of a pure bowl feel.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

14 minutes ago, '7' said:

I wouldn't say it was a dump though. I mean it was located in a dump, but really it was just boring with the plain layout of the seating and the sheer amount of seats meant a respectable crowd of 15,500 ended up looking terrible in person and on TV. But overall the arena was never dingy or dirty. It just wasn't built to have any charm like the Aud or Boston Garden. It was the NHL's Riverfront Stadium. Copps Coliseum is a similar venue. Detroits Joe was also a good comparison though that arena had less of a break between the first and second deck giving it more of a pure bowl feel.

This is a pretty fair description of the building...it wasn't dirty or anything (actually it was pretty clean), but was just kind of there and didn't really have any wow factors, once the newness of the building wore off...very "Arena By Numbers"..and that single concourse design really didn't help matters (even on lighter nights, trying to get something to eat or drink from the concession stands at BBA between periods was a really PITA...would take way too long). 

I do miss having the option to enjoy a proper outdoor tailgate...not that it came up a lot during the regular season, but come playoff time, it WAS fun to set up a grill in either the arena lot or Giants Stadium Lot, just when the weather was starting to warm up, and spend three hours or so just hanging outside, munching and guzzling.  My and my then-girlfriend (now wife of almost 13 years) had an absolute blast prior to the Game 6 loss to the 'Canes in 2002...I've done my fair share of tailgating at several events (NFL, NHL, MLB, and countless concerts...used to even do it as a child with my parents at Cosmos games at Giants Stadium, minus the beers and booze of course), and that one was definitely Top-5, in terms of just having a good ol' time.  It wasn't a beautiful area by any means, but was wide-open enough and airy enough that it was fun...especially prior to the whole Xana-poop/American Nightmare construction mess.   

['7']

2 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

This is a pretty fair description of the building...it wasn't dirty or anything (actually it was pretty clean), but was just kind of there and didn't really have any wow factors, once the newness of the building wore off...very "Arena By Numbers"..and that single concourse design really didn't help matters (even on lighter nights, trying to get something to eat or drink from the concession stands at BBA between periods was a really PITA...would take way too long). 

I do miss having the option to enjoy a proper outdoor tailgate...not that it came up a lot during the regular season, but come playoff time, it WAS fun to set up a grill in either the arena lot or Giants Stadium Lot, just when the weather was starting to warm up, and spend three hours or so just hanging outside, munching and guzzling.  My and my then-girlfriend (now wife of almost 13 years) had an absolute blast prior to the Game 6 loss to the 'Canes in 2002...I've done my fair share of tailgating at several events (NFL, NHL, MLB, and countless concerts...used to even do it as a child with my parents at Cosmos games at Giants Stadium, minus the beers and booze of course), and that one was definitely Top-5, in terms of just having a good ol' time.  It wasn't a beautiful area by any means, but was wide-open enough and airy enough that it was fun...especially prior to the whole Xana-poop/American Nightmare construction mess.   

Whenever the Devils were on ESPN they would always show fans outside the arena before the game tailgating...and of course to tie into Seinfeld they frequently showed Devils fans getting their faces painted. It was definitely good for the growth of hockey in the area to have that tailgate environment because kids would be setting up nets and playing hours before the game. You do get some of that at Prudential when the Devils set up those little street hockey games near the iron statue, but the space is so small, definitely not the same.

I also hated how we were given a hard time for parking lot parades. Those were fun events. I mean where were we supposed to hold those rally's? The Isles used to hold theirs on Hempstead Turnpike so I guess we could've done something similar somewhere in Jersey.

[DevsMan84]

Maybe calling it a dump was a little extreme, but it was value-engineered in the worst way.  The single concourse design had people scratching their heads even when it just opened and the sheer size of it was silly.  It was borderline obsolete the day it opened.  IIRC the concourse had 4 large bathrooms for both men and women (one for each side), so massive lines even going to the bathroom was a mess.  It lacked even basic amenities of the day and was Spartan by any standard.

I do miss the tailgates though.  I remember tailing with my dad, a bunch of my friends and a bunch of his friends for hours before game 6 of the 2001 SCF.  Game didn't start until 8 but we were there around 2 or 3 with a BBQ and tons of food.  While Newark does have some lots around the arena, it still doesn't have the same vibe.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

28 minutes ago, '7' said:

Whenever the Devils were on ESPN they would always show fans outside the arena before the game tailgating...and of course to tie into Seinfeld they frequently showed Devils fans getting their faces painted. It was definitely good for the growth of hockey in the area to have that tailgate environment because kids would be setting up nets and playing hours before the game. You do get some of that at Prudential when the Devils set up those little street hockey games near the iron statue, but the space is so small, definitely not the same.

I also hated how we were given a hard time for parking lot parades. Those were fun events. I mean where were we supposed to hold those rally's? The Isles used to hold theirs on Hempstead Turnpike so I guess we could've done something similar somewhere in Jersey.

I regret not going to one of those "parades"...they looked like they were a blast...and were more intimate than your standard parade.

I remember the environment prior to the 1995 SCF Game 4...friggin' amazing, in every way.  Beautiful (though quite breezy) early summer day, everyone just psyched up and having a blast and getting along...smells of BBQ everywhere...won't ever have that again...the area surrounding the Rock just isn't conducive to that. 

25 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

Maybe calling it a dump was a little extreme, but it was value-engineered in the worst way.  The single concourse design had people scratching their heads even when it just opened and the sheer size of it was silly.  It was borderline obsolete the day it opened.  IIRC the concourse had 4 large bathrooms for both men and women (one for each side), so massive lines even going to the bathroom was a mess.  It lacked even basic amenities of the day and was Spartan by any standard.

I do miss the tailgates though.  I remember tailing with my dad, a bunch of my friends and a bunch of his friends for hours before game 6 of the 2001 SCF.  Game didn't start until 8 but we were there around 2 or 3 with a BBQ and tons of food.  While Newark does have some lots around the arena, it still doesn't have the same vibe.

There were times where I took a look at the bathroom lines and just said fvck it, I'd either hold it and hit the bathroom by the box office on the way out, or even pull over on 78W around exit 45 or so, then take care of biz on the side of the highway. 

Here's how I'll remember BBA:  Very big and cavernous (especially pre-center scoreboard), very clean, modern-looking when it first opened, no-frills, clearly not a great design, with the single concourse being its biggest flaw.  Outside of the cherished memories of having watched the Devils hoist the Cup twice on that ice (and other related on-ice moments), there's no reason to miss it or pine for it.  Even Shea Stadium had a certain charm in spite of itself, and once it got its full baseball-only makeover, it very much felt like the Mets' home turf (even moreso that CitiField at first, thanks to the Wilpons' obsession with the Brooklyn Dodgers).  BBA just never really had that same feel...just felt like a place the Devils happened to play half their games in.    

Edited May 24, 2017 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Satans Hockey]

I never had traffic coming out of there and I parked on the arena side, it's been so long (crazy that we are entering the 10th season at the rock already) that I can't remember the exact details but I use to make a u-turn and fly right out of there. I also use to leave my house 30 mins before puck drop and would always be in my seat before the puck drop since I had the parking pass and just could easily go up the entrance steps and straight in.  

I save a ton of money parking on the street now but it's just not possible to get to my seat without legit running after I parked if I tried leaving 30 mins before puck drop now lol

[mfitz804]

10 hours ago, '7' said:

I also hated how we were given a hard time for parking lot parades. Those were fun events. 

Agreed, I wouldn't have done those any other way. It was more of an event than a parade, the parade was secondary. 

Called out sick from work for both 1995 and 2000!