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Big Oil after Big Red?


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Not sure about any of you but if the Devils ever did move my days of following the NHL would be over. Without question.

I'm not sure how I'd react. I think that I would watch but, with no real vested interest in any team, I definitely wouldn't watch nearly as much as I currently do (much to the delight of my wife).

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Not sure about any of you but if the Devils ever did move my days of following the NHL would be over. Without question.

No way, hockey will always be a big part of my life regardless of if New Jersey has an NHL team. I would probably continue to root for them wherever they move to. I think if we lose the Devils, NJ would be able to support an AHL team so I would definitely go to those games too.

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No way, hockey will always be a big part of my life regardless of if New Jersey has an NHL team. I would probably continue to root for them wherever they move to. I think if we lose the Devils, NJ would be able to support an AHL team so I would definitely go to those games too.

If the Devils somehow moved, I would definitely continue to be a fan of the team wherever they were. I am sure there are some Thrashers fans that now are Jets fans.

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If the Devils somehow moved, I would definitely continue to be a fan of the team wherever they were. I am sure there are some Thrashers fans that now are Jets fans.

Same here, I would go to MSG, the Island, Pittsburgh, Boston, Washington, Philly, Montreal to watch them play.

Edited by Zubie#8
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While everything you say is true (although I've never heard of Anaheim being in danger of relocation), the one other factor you missed is the lack of a buyer willing to keep the team in NJ. At the end of the day, that is the deciding factor. Like with Atlanta, if the Devils are put up for sale and nobody comes forward with an acceptable offer that is willing to keep them here, the league has no choice and, as a last resort, they will have to be moved. I don't think this team is going anywhere anytime soon, but you never know.

I also agree that the League doesn't want to move any of its franchises that have recently built an arena (especially an arena that was created to serve 1 professional sports tenant like the Rock). It makes the League look terrible and will hamper their ability to strong-arm other communities to continue to build publicly financed buildings in the future. I/M/O, that is one of the biggest reasons why Phoenix still has a team.

You're right that there isn't anything out there about Anaheim relocating. But from what I have observed, it's a money losing operation with a relatively small fan base in a crowded sports market. If the Ducks go through a really rough losing stretch things could deteriorate to the point of relocation being a distinct possibility. That series of events is more likely to occur than the Devils relocating, at least in my off the cuff opinion.

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If they somehow moved id be the opposite of you guys. Id root for them to have nothing but failure and not because of the players but because I would want whatever city that got them to fail.

That being said, ill be dead before this ever happened.

Agreed.. I'm a fan of the "New Jersey Devils" not some franchise started back in 1974.. If they move I'll be pissed, it'll be like they shot a family member right in front of me

That said, I'll root for the Islanders.. If they were to also move, yeah I'm not going to share what other close team I'd root for cause you guys will hate me but they don't wear red or blue

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I honestly don't know what I'd do if the Devils moved. I love hockey too much to just say "fvck the NHL", and I just can't see myself rooting for another team. I'd probably still root for the Devils, but much of the enthusiasm would be sapped for sure. And the abuse from just about every other local fanbase would be brutal..."you couldn't even keep your hockey team!"...Ranger and Flyer fans would take great delight in this one. One of my customers grew up in Baltimore, and he told me first hand how it ripped his and several other Baltimore Colts fans' hearts out when the Colts bolted for Indianapolis one dark snowy night. And for those who haven't seen it, check out a show called "The Ghosts of Flatbush"...it's about the Brooklyn Dodgers, and how much it killed the Dodger faithful when they lost their team...even now you can see how some of those fans are STILL affected by the Dodgers going to LA.

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In the horrible hypothetical situation of the team moving, I could never root for another NHL team. I'd still follow the NHL because I love the sport, and my hatred of the rags, flyers, and pens would remain, but my fan interaction would be reduced to rooting against teams; and I'm sure I'd be bitter for the rest of my life, as sad as it sounds.

Even taking the hypothetical further, if another franchise moved here under a different moniker, it still wouldn't be the same. I'd be happy as pie to get a team back in state, but it could never compare to the Devils.

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I have a friend who was an absolute die hard Hartford Whalers fan. Loved them like we all love the Devils. When they moved, he didn't watch hockey for a few years, and loosely followed to see how Carolina was doing. When the Canes won the Cup, he felt nothing for them. It took over a decade for him to finally swallow his pride and become a Bruins fan (BEFORE their Cup, I can vouch).

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Wow, this topic is depressing... I can't even imagine life afte something like the Devils moving. At any given moment, I'm wearing at least 20% Devils gear, not even planned. Devils mousepads, boxers, socks, hat, jackets, 3 million t-shirts, sweatpants, pj bottoms, etc... When I walk out the house, I have SOMETHING Devils on, can't even imagine them not being there; it would be like the death of a relative or a beloved pet, I'd be heartbroken..

I don't think I'd follow the team too much if it moved, I'd probably relocate my attention to another team whose roster I "sorta" like or identify, like Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators or Tampa Bay Lightning.. Still, sh!tty.

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I'd become a full time Rangers hater. If those prideless guid fans could embrace a team from a state they live in rather than lick the sweat off NYC's balls, the situation wouldn't be there in the first place. Bunch of wannabes. Same goes for Philly.

If you REALLY think about it, this was a very strange place to put a hockey team. South Jersey was covered with Philadelphia, North Jersey was covered with the Rangers and the Islanders. The Flyers had had recent success (back-to-back Cups in '74-'75) and were still competitive, the Islanders were in the thick of their multiple Cup run, and the Rangers were an Original Six with a multi-generational fanbase. Also didn't help that the Devils not only sucked when they came here, but didn't have that Lemieux-type that might have been enough on his own to garner his own following. It seems to be asking a lot to tell Flyer, Islander, and Rangers fans to forget the teams they root for, to root for a bad team they have no connection to other than the "NJ" on the front. I'm sure the NJ part of it meant something to certain people, and I do know some older Devils fans (the ones in their 50s) who became Devils fans almost for that reason alone (Hey, they call MY state HOME), but it's not really THAT compelling a reason to change allegiances.

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I understand that viewpoint of the older folks, I'm talking about the younger generation such as 16-25 that are Rangers fans living in NJ. Sure, I mean some of them have it passed down through their family and stuff but I always get a chuckle asking a few fans why they turn their back on their own state and root for the Rangers, already knowing "Cause my dads a Ranger fan blah blah blah". I think I stole this from DiG who said it on here but I always say back, "Yeah and your dad sleeps with your mom, do you do that too?"

Always warrants a priceless look back.

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I understand that there are no news on the matter but can you all tone down the doom talk? We are potentially getting a rich owner who will spend to the cap ceiling every year, how about you enjoy what we can be instead of how you plan to kill yourselves.

TG reported that this guy has never spoken to Vanderbeek and that this rumor is baseless.

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The misrepresentation of why Atlanta moved is also pretty hilarious. The ownership of the building didn't even want them playing there. They were thrown out and since Winnipeg wanted a team and there was nowhere else in the market to keep the pretense of the Atlanta Thrashers going, Winnipeg fell into another hockey team.

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Since I'm an out-of-town fan, in case of the apocalypse (i.e. the Devils relocating) I'd probably still follow the relocated team. I'd just hope for them to keep the "Devils" name, colors, only adjust the logo to the new location etc. OR if they changed it all or disbanded or whatever I might also consider rooting for the Isles (there is always this ant-Rangers connection ;) ) or just become numb for a season or two, follow hockey loosely as an independent observer and develop attachment to some other team over time.

Either way, it would seriously SUCK to lose the team. The location, the arena, everything - it's a part of the club and the experience, even if you are hundreds of miles away and only watch on TV. It wouldn't be the same with the club situated in a different place.

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