Anyone else miss the Meadowlands?

[mfitz804]

I would add, though, I’m seeing lots of stuff at the PC like broken patches on bathroom stalls, loose, broken toilet seats, etc.

And for as much as everyone talks about the food at the PC, I think it sucks, frankly. 

[DevsMan84]

14 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

As far as the 10-year-old observation goes, it helps a lot that the building has been given a nice series of refreshes.  The Fire and Ice Lounges (kinda cool initially but quickly became dated, tacky and cheap-looking) being deep-sixed for the current designs was a smart move.  The new scoreboard is truly a marvel.  Also lots of nice touches and updates throughout the concourses...they were a little bland when the Rock first opened.  The bathrooms are starting to look a little beat up, but I've seen much worse.  

I could be wrong, but outside of the seats being replaced (and the colors changed), the addition of the center ice scoreboard, and some name changes/exterior styling, I can't remember the CAA ever having gotten any significant refresh, ever.  It was cool when it first opened because it was brand new and had a very modern look to it, but yeah, its limitations (especially the mistake of having only one concourse) became apparent very quickly.  At any game that was even close to selling out, if you didn't get in a food line (for mediocre chow at best) before the end of a period (especially if you had to traverse a lot of steps just to exit your section), you were screwed.  That part was even worse at the end, when the food service employees (never a ray of sunshine to begin with) clearly no longer gave a sh!t with the Devils set to leave.

I agree the bathrooms at the PC are getting a bit beat up.  Hopefully that is the next on the list of refreshes.  There are doors of some of the stalls that are completely broken and the sinks are looking pretty beat up.

Wasn't the Winners Club something that was added on later after it opened?  Or at least re-done since it was there?

6 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

I would add, though, I’m seeing lots of stuff at the PC like broken patches on bathroom stalls, loose, broken toilet seats, etc.

And for as much as everyone talks about the food at the PC, I think it sucks, frankly. 

I agree the food still isn't great at PC, but still far better than the slop they served at the Meadowlands.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

4 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

I would add, though, I’m seeing lots of stuff at the PC like broken patches on bathroom stalls, loose, broken toilet seats, etc.

And for as much as everyone talks about the food at the PC, I think it sucks, frankly. 

I wouldn't say all of PC food offerings suck, but there's definitely a wide variety of quality...and some stuff on the lower end of the spectrum is pretty bad.  Yeah I've noticed the bathrooms too...they're overdue for some TLC.  

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

3 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

I agree the bathrooms at the PC are getting a bit beat up.  Hopefully that is the next on the list of refreshes.  There are doors of some of the stalls that are completely broken and the sinks are looking pretty beat up.

Wasn't the Winners Club something that was added on later after it opened?  Or at least re-done since it was there?

I agree the food still isn't great at PC, but still far better than the slop they served at the Meadowlands.

Forgot about the Winner's Club...I was only in there once, after a game.  It was pretty nice from what I remember (insanely overpriced food, to be expected) but I don't remember it being terribly accessible...which would it make it the kind of refresh that not too many fans got to benefit from.

[Satans Hockey]

2 hours ago, mfitz804 said:

I would add, though, I’m seeing lots of stuff at the PC like broken patches on bathroom stalls, loose, broken toilet seats, etc.

And for as much as everyone talks about the food at the PC, I think it sucks, frankly. 

The bathrooms are my biggest issue with the arena, I actually complained about it last year, here's the link... 

And one funny bathroom story is back at the Meadowlands my seats were in 230 and almost every game at the bathroom near there everyone would always let Chico cut the line to take a piss so he could get back to the broadcast before they came back on the air lol

 

Edited December 11, 2017 by Satans Hockey

[DevsMan84]

2 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Forgot about the Winner's Club...I was only in there once, after a game.  It was pretty nice from what I remember (insanely overpriced food, to be expected) but I don't remember it being terribly accessible...which would it make it the kind of refresh that not too many fans got to benefit from.

I was there a few times.  It was only accessible to Golden Circle ticket holders but I think towards the end they relaxed that rule.  I remember having dinner there with my brother before a game during the second round of the 2003 playoffs against Tampa.  Typical overpriced Hard Rock/Planet Hollywood type food and wasn't anything special.  I think in the last 2-3 season there they did the pre-game, post game and intermission reports from a desk in there.

[NJDevils1214]

Sometimes I am nostalgic, but that is just it. Nostalgia for the success in the building not actually going there. I think the last game I saw there was the one where Langenbrunner scored in double OT to beat the Sens and force a game 5 maybe? OTT had NJ's number all the way that series. Was that the last game at CAA?

[Satans Hockey]

20 minutes ago, NJDevils1214 said:

Sometimes I am nostalgic, but that is just it. Nostalgia for the success in the building not actually going there. I think the last game I saw there was the one where Langenbrunner scored in double OT to beat the Sens and force a game 5 maybe? OTT had NJ's number all the way that series. Was that the last game at CAA?

That OT game was game 2, we lost game 5 at home to lose the series and that was the last game at the arena. 

[NJDevils1214]

1 minute ago, Satans Hockey said:

That OT game was game 2, we lost game 5 at home to lose the series and that was the last game at the arena. 

Yes! Thank you.

[LittleBallofHate]

1 hour ago, NJDevils1214 said:

Sometimes I am nostalgic, but that is just it. Nostalgia for the success in the building not actually going there. I think the last game I saw there was the one where Langenbrunner scored in double OT to beat the Sens and force a game 5 maybe? OTT had NJ's number all the way that series. Was that the last game at CAA?

I was at that game too... I remember when I was leaving, thinking that it was probably my last Devils game at the Brendan Byrne (yeah I know - and I still call the concert venue the Garden State Arts Center, so what).  You knew Ottawa was going to win that series. Wasn't sure how to feel leaving that day - it was time to move on but so many good memories in that building... 

[pattyelias]

I miss all the winning, but the Rock is a much better building.    It's also much easier for me to get to.   When I was living in NYC, I used to take the Port Authority bus to the games.     Once they moved to the Rock, I was able to take NJ transit or the PATH which made things much easier because I lived downtown and worked in Lower Manhattan.    Now that I live in Union County, its a 15-20 minute ride or I can just take the train.    The only thing that keep me from going to more games is having little kids.

[rpaq88]

I miss the tailgating too.  But the one thing I don't miss are the people that worked there.  They were (mostly) miserable, slow and unfriendly.  The people that work at PC have been great.  From the guy in the Devil horns and the red contacts to Earl the dancing man and the guy that high fives everyone at the top of the first escalator.  The people at the concessions as so nice, they remember you and will have a conversation with you.  I moved to a different location and when back to a beer stand I hadn't been too in 2 seasons and the guy working there remembered me.  The people that worked at the CAA were as miserable and as drab as the building itself.

Edited December 12, 2017 by rpaq88

[Nicomo]

10 hours ago, rpaq88 said:

I miss the tailgating too.  But the one thing I don't miss are the people that worked there.  They were (mostly) miserable, slow and unfriendly.  The people that work at PC have been great.  From the guy in the Devil horns and the red contacts to Earl the dancing man and the guy that high fives everyone at the top of the first escalator.  The people at the concessions as so nice, they remember you and will have a conversation with you.  I moved to a different location and when back to a beer stand I hadn't been too in 2 seasons and the guy working there remembered me.  The people that worked at the CAA were as miserable and as drab as the building itself.

The workers at the PC are the nicest I’ve ever encountered at a sporting event. Which was a nice surprise when I attended my first game there last year. 

Newark unfriendliest city my ass...

[Rock]

For me, the only thing I miss about CAA vs. Pru Center is the driving distance 2miles vs 12 miles.  Only 10 miles but time wise longer than 10 extra miles should be.

[Daniel]

Oh lord, I forgot about the creepy clown banners at CAA. 

[DevsMan84]

35 minutes ago, Daniel said:

Oh lord, I forgot about the creepy clown banners at CAA. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

22 hours ago, rpaq88 said:

I miss the tailgating too.  But the one thing I don't miss are the people that worked there.  They were (mostly) miserable, slow and unfriendly.  The people that work at PC have been great.  From the guy in the Devil horns and the red contacts to Earl the dancing man and the guy that high fives everyone at the top of the first escalator.  The people at the concessions as so nice, they remember you and will have a conversation with you.  I moved to a different location and when back to a beer stand I hadn't been too in 2 seasons and the guy working there remembered me.  The people that worked at the CAA were as miserable and as drab as the building itself.

As far as the CAA worker misery factor goes, it got even worse once the Devils were a lame-duck franchise.  Much worse.  They clearly weren't the slightest bit interested in hustling or putting forth any effort whatsoever, and at times almost seemed hostile and confrontational.  For those reasons I bought less and less food and drink when I went to games, but TBH I don't know why I bought ANY of their crap over the last two seasons.  Considering the (abundant lack of) options, I was always better off just buying drive-thru fast food before or after the game...McD's, BK, Wendy's, whatever...any of their offerings were light-years ahead of the slop the CAA was serving. 

On ‎12‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 12:02 PM, Satans Hockey said:

The bathrooms are my biggest issue with the arena, I actually complained about it last year, here's the link... 

And one funny bathroom story is back at the Meadowlands my seats were in 230 and almost every game at the bathroom near there everyone would always let Chico cut the line to take a piss so he could get back to the broadcast before they came back on the air lol

 

One time I was in the bathroom line during a playoff game, and I hear a familiar voice behind me in line ask "Man, the Devils are really struggling on their power play tonight, aren't they?"  I turned around and sure enough, there was Chico.  We chatted for a few (the first of several I had with him through the years...the guy always took "fan friendly" to the highest level), and then like you pointed out, everyone made way for him.

Some years later I happened to be wearing my white Rockies Resch jersey, and was in that same bathroom when Chico came in.  Someone said "Chico, check out that guy's jersey!" (my front was to him at this point)...he said "That's nice, sharp jersey!".  I then turned to show him whose name was on the back, and his face lit up...it was cool.  When he came out of the bathroom (I was in the concourse by now, heading towards my seat) he came up to me and asked me if I wanted him to sign it...unfortunately, time between periods was winding down, so I told him thank you very much, would love that, but I didn't want him to go out of his way, so I could I come meet him when he had more time...he said sure, no problem (I think he appreciated it, as I think he had actually lost track of time a little).  So he wound up signing my blue Rockies Resch jersey (in the white #1 on the back) later that season...I felt bad because he was deathly ill that night (seemed like he was fighting a very bad cold, if not something worse), but he was still as friendly and accommodating as ever (though he didn't say much, as he was trying to save whatever little voice he had left for on-air). 

On ‎12‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 12:28 PM, NJDevils1214 said:

Sometimes I am nostalgic, but that is just it. Nostalgia for the success in the building not actually going there. I think the last game I saw there was the one where Langenbrunner scored in double OT to beat the Sens and force a game 5 maybe? OTT had NJ's number all the way that series. Was that the last game at CAA?

Unfortunately I was there for the VERY last game played there...they lost 3-2 to Ottawa in the playoffs, which eliminated them in five games (I went to all three home games...Langenbrunner's 2OT goal was from Game 2...Ottawa was just better that series).  Most of the fans were plenty pissy after the game...I think that loss along with the anticipation of moving into a better building just made me want to move on from CAA that much more. 

[MadDog2020]

The workers at the PC are the nicest I’ve ever encountered at a sporting event. Which was a nice surprise when I attended my first game there last year. 
Newark unfriendliest city my ass...

Absolutely. Some of the friendliest people I've ever encountered. Love the staff at the Rock.


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['7']

The staff at the Rock is simply awesome and have been from day 1.

fwiw I do recall, may have been around 2009 and 2010 I was in either the Fire Lounge or Ice, and the broadcast booth was near. Chico stepped out of the booth during intermission and was having a very animated discussion with another guy about their toupee's. Chico was like "Yea my wife loves this one look if I pull it up a bit it looks like a natural hairline" Just hilarious. 

Edited December 13, 2017 by '7'

[MadDog2020]

Unfortunately I was there for the VERY last game played there...they lost 3-2 to Ottawa in the playoffs, which eliminated them in five games (I went to all three home games...Langenbrunner's 2OT goal was from Game 2...Ottawa was just better that series).  Most of the fans were plenty pissy after the game...I think that loss along with the anticipation of moving into a better building just made me want to move on from CAA that much more. 

I was at the very last game at CAA as well. I remember standing around with some other fans on the concourse after the game looking around, lamenting how we couldn't believe that was it. It was the end of an era. Definitely a bittersweet night.


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[DevsMan84]

The food at CAA was outright terrible.  The only thing my dad and I would eat there would be the bag of salted, unshelled peanuts.  The chicken tenders were never fully cooked, the french fries were limp and pretty much everything else was crap.

I also remember the employees there being terrible.  Half were either geriatric and could barely function and the other half could not care less and acted like they hated their lives.

Prudential Center is miles ahead of CAA for service and quality.

['7']

10 minutes ago, Martyisth3b3st said:

That was me and my dad's first year with season tickets. 217 row 1; which was one of the corners. Awesome seats. I was only 14 so I don't remember a whole lot about the game 3/4 losses, but I definitely remember the 3 home games we had. Game 1, I remember being down like... 4-0 early in the first period. And then, boom, it was 4-3 and the place was rocking. And then, as soon as the third period opened up Ottawa made it 5-3 and it sucked. 

Langenbrunner's 2OT goal is up there with my favorite Devils memories ever. And then game 5... Gomez had 2 goals, but that Sens team was just too fvcking good. Would be the second consecutive year we'd lose to the Eastern Conference's representative in the Cup. Always had a "what-if" feeling about the two last seasons in CAA. Those two teams were better than their eventual fate. 

Funny, my last memory of CAA was seeing Scott Gomez' stupid fvcking face wishing me a safe trip out to my car, saying "See you next year, at the Rock!". Ugh. 

Well technically he wasn't lying...

See you next year at the Rock as I fulfill my lifelong dream to be a Ranger brah! Hope your lights are as bright as mine brah!

Edited December 13, 2017 by '7'

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

15 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

The food at CAA was outright terrible.  The only thing my dad and I would eat there would be the bag of salted, unshelled peanuts.  The chicken tenders were never fully cooked, the french fries were limp and pretty much everything else was crap.

I also remember the employees there being terrible.  Half were either geriatric and could barely function and the other half could not care less and acted like they hated their lives.

Prudential Center is miles ahead of CAA for service and quality.

The fries were usually cold too...if you snagged lukewarm ones, you were lucky.  And the pretzels were god-awful...they never cooked them correctly.  Yeah, I remember the hot dogs being decent, but that was it.  The sweets (cookies, etc) were pretty good...but the Somerset Patriots have better quality food than the CAA ever did. 

4 minutes ago, Martyisth3b3st said:

That was me and my dad's first year with season tickets. 217 row 1; which was one of the corners. Awesome seats. I was only 14 so I don't remember a whole lot about the game 3/4 losses, but I definitely remember the 3 home games we had. Game 1, I remember being down like... 4-0 early in the first period. And then, boom, it was 4-3 and the place was rocking. And then, as soon as the third period opened up Ottawa made it 5-3 and it sucked. 

Langenbrunner's 2OT goal is up there with my favorite Devils memories ever. And then game 3... Gomez had 2 goals, but that Sens team was just too fvcking good. Would be the second consecutive year we'd lose to the Eastern Conference's representative in the Cup. Always had a "what-if" feeling about the two last seasons in CAA. Those two teams were better than their eventual fate. 

Funny, my last memory of CAA was seeing Scott Gomez' stupid fvcking face wishing me a safe trip out to my car, saying "See you next year, at the Rock!". Ugh. 

I met someone through my wife (a co-worker of hers) who was a season ticket holder and we were also in 217, but much higher up.  I used to go to at least 15 games a year with him (starting in 2001-02), including playoff games...that continued at the Rock for a couple of years (in 225), but once I had my kid, that changed, and I simply couldn't go that often...and he later got married and had twins, and money got very tight for him, so he gave up his tix 2-3 years ago...I think the Devils being lousy helped him with that decision.  

I remember when they would play the preview video of the Rock...and Gomez would say "See you in Newark!"...I'd always say, "Yep, when you go there as a Ranger."  Just kinda knew that it would happen. 

[NJDevils1214]

2 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Unfortunately I was there for the VERY last game played there...they lost 3-2 to Ottawa in the playoffs, which eliminated them in five games (I went to all three home games...Langenbrunner's 2OT goal was from Game 2...Ottawa was just better that series).  Most of the fans were plenty pissy after the game...I think that loss along with the anticipation of moving into a better building just made me want to move on from CAA that much more. 

I think I remember the game where NJ scored in OT some NJD fan threw his food at an OTT fan, some woman, during the intermission. Embarrassing.  

[mfitz804]

3 hours ago, NJDevils1214 said:

I think I remember the game where NJ scored in OT some NJD fan threw his food at an OTT fan, some woman, during the intermission. Embarrassing.  

In my defense, my chicken tenders weren't fully cooked and the fries were limp!!